CNN BUSINESS | The world’s 500 richest people became $1 trillion richer last year

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, alone gained nearly $118 billion in just the last 12 months.

New York (CNN Business) – The world’s wealthiest people, whose fortunes already strained comprehension, collectively gained $1 trillion last year, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, alone gained nearly $118 billion in just the last 12 months. Meanwhile, the United Nations estimated 150 million people fell into poverty in 2021.

Other big gainers in the billionaire bunch: Luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault (up $62.7 billion) and Google buddies Larry Page and Sergey Brin (up $47 billion and $45 billion, respectively). Mark Zuckerberg’s year was the stuff of tech titan nightmares, but he’s still about $25 billion richer for it.  –read more–

CNN entertainment | Betty White, beloved and trailblazing actress, dies at 99

(CNN) – Betty White, the self-described “lucky old broad” whose sweetly sarcastic senior citizen characters were a beloved fixture on TV shows and movies such as “The Golden Girls,” “Boston Legal” and “Hot in Cleveland,” died Friday, her agent and close friend Jeff Witjas told People magazine in a statement.

At 99, she was just weeks away from celebrating her 100th birthday on Jan. 17.

“Even though Betty was about to be 100, I thought she would live forever,” Witjas said. “I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much. I don’t think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again.”  –read  more–  

Related articles:

A look back at key moments from Betty White’s career
In pictures: Beloved actress Betty White
5 things you didn’t know about Betty White

CNN health | Doctors perform rare surgery on baby in mother’s womb

(HLN) – Doctors in Ohio perform a historic surgery on a baby with a heart tumor while in his mother’s womb. Affiliate WEWS reports. –watch video– 

CNN style Fashion | From A to Z-endaya, 2021’s best celebrity red carpet trends

Zoë Kravitz attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

After a year of awkwardly Zoomed-in awards show speeches and tie dye hoodies, it’s been a relief to see stars returning to the red carpet. Glamour came back with a vengeance, filling our feeds with color, sparkle and flashes of nostalgia.

With highlights like Billie Eilish’s frothy Met Gala ballgown and Lady Gaga’s extraterrestrial Valentino microdress, 2021 was the year stars had an opportunity to redefine their wardrobes — and many delivered. Below are a few notable trends.  –see more–

CNN entertainment | How a kind gesture and a strand of Christmas lights connected a community

(CNN) – In Towson, Maryland, there is a street called Dunkirk Road. There are 32 homes on Dunkirk, where families of various races, religions, and political views live. The neighbors are all close friends.

So when Matt Riggs, who lives on the block with his wife Kerry, found out his neighbor across the street was struggling with depression in December of 2020, he decided to spread some holiday cheer. Riggs, who had been having a hard time himself during the pandemic, hung his Christmas lights early because he needed some joy. He managed to get one of the strands across the street, over a tree, and connected it to his neighbor’s house.  –read more– 

CNN World | 70 historic moments from the 1970s

View gallery

CNN entertainment | Betty White is turning 100 and we’re all invited

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 20: Actress Betty White attends The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s (GLAZA) 45th Annual Beastly Ball at the Los Angeles Zoo on June 20, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/WireImage)

(CNN) – Betty White is about to turn 100 and she’ll celebrate in a big way.

White, former Golden Girl and national treasure, turns 100 on Jan. 17 and is inviting fans to celebrate with her in a special movie event called “Betty White: 100 Years Young—A Birthday Celebration.”

The movie, made by Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein, follows White in her day-to-day life, including behind-the-scenes on sets, working with her office staff, entertaining at home, lending her voice as an animal advocate and, take viewers to her actual birthday party.  –read more– 

CNN BUSINESS | Black tech entrepreneurs struggle to find funding in Britain. Now they’re looking abroad

Left to right: Rich Serunjogi, founder of Business Score; Izzy Obeng, managing director of Foundervine in London, UK; and Benedict Odoom, founder of Kilomo IOT, Glasgow, UK.

London (CNN Business) – Black tech entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom say they have to rely on foreign investors to get their businesses off the ground.

More than a year after the Black Lives Matter protests prompted the UK government to investigate discrimination against Black business owners, British venture capital firms continue to neglect Black and ethnic minority founders despite a booming startup scene.

“It is clear that the UK is not the place to try and get funding for your startup,” says Rich Serunjogi, founder of Business Score, which matches e-commerce companies with working capital financing. “Only the very best [UK] VCs are interested. The second-tier funds tend to ignore Black founders and give excuses such as the business’ market size not being big enough or the idea being ‘too niche’.”  –read more–