billionaire

(Newser) - A cadre of 50 or so Russian businessmen struck it rich when the USSR's state-owned industries went up for grabs. But most of these billionaire oligarchs are now in prison or have fled, hounded and hectored by the KGB-style tactics of president Putin. The Guardian profiles 7 deposed plutocrats, who've...

(Newser) - A Russian billionaire with possible mob ties plans to buy a major stake in the company that aims to purchase Chrysler. If aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska  does buy the $1.54 billion stake in Magna International, the cash will come in handy for the Chrysler deal. But Oleg's shady past...

(Newser) - An exiled Russian billionaire says he is bankrolling a coup to overthrow Russian President Vladimir Putin. Boris Berezovsky tells the Guardian: "It isn't possible to change this regime through democratic means. There can be no change without force, pressure." Asked if he is fomenting a revolution, he responds:...

(Newser) - The rich are getting richer, younger, and more geographically diverse, Forbes reports, with the number of billionaires up a whopping 19 percent, and their total worth up 35 percent to $3.5 trillion. Not only have billionaires been galloping away from the pack, they've been doing it earlier, bringing the...