Steven Spielberg attends the red carpet of the Netflix movie "Maestro" at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California, U. S. December 12, 2023. REUTERS / Mike Blake
Director George Lucas has a net worth of $6.92 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. AP
Former basketball star Michael Jordan ends the year with a net worth of $3 billion, according to Forbes. AFP
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey ends the year with a net worth of $2.8 billion. AFP
Music mogul Jay-Z now has a net worth of $2.5 billion, according to Forbes. AFP
Fashion designer Tom Ford has a personal fortune of $2.2 billion, according to Forbes. AFP
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has a net worth of $1.7 billion. AFP
Film director Peter Jackson has a net worth of $1.5 billion. AFP
Former basketball star Magic Johnson joined the billionaires’ circle this year. His fortune is $1.2 billion. AFP
Singer Taylor Swift is a notable newcomer to this year’s billionaire list, following the success of her Eras concert tour and film. Her net worth is $1.1 billion. AP
The Oscar-winning director's net worth climbed an estimated $1.25 billion in 2023. The bulk of his assets are in cash.
He has a lifelong consulting agreement with Universal Studios theme parks. The value of the agreement at the end of 2022 was $1.1 billion, Bloomberg reported.
In addition, he has personal property worth $300 million.
Spielberg, 77, is the principal partner in film production company DreamWorks Studios. He has produced about 150 films, including Jaws, Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List.
He and his wife, actor Kate Capshaw, own or have owned properties in Malibu and the Pacific Palisades in California, as well a 6,000-square-feet apartment in New York City and a four-hectare estate in East Hampton, New York, according to wealth tracking website Celebrity Net Worth.
He owns a superyacht worth $250 million and avidly collects film memorabilia and art.
Director George Lucas is the 360th richest person in the world. AP
2. George Lucas
The man behind the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movie franchises has a net worth of $6.92 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. That is an increase of about 12.4 per cent or $761 million over the previous year.
The filmmaker, aged 79, is now the 360th richest person in the world.
Most of his wealth has come from entertainment – specifically, from selling the rights of his Lucasfilm and special effects business Industrial Light and Magic to Disney for $4.1 billion in cash and stock in 2012.
The deal included 37.1 million in stock and made him the entertainment company’s second largest individual shareholder after Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs.
Lucas’s major investment is in farmland. Skywalker Properties owns about 2,470 hectares of ranches in and around Marin County, California.
Michael Jordan has seen his net worth nearly double from $1.7 billion last year. AP
3. Michael Jordan
Former basketball star Michael Jordan ends the year with a net worth of $3 billion, according to Forbes. The magazine ranks him as the 1,042nd richest billionaire.
Jordan, 60, has seen his net worth nearly double from $1.7 billion last year.
Many regard him as the greatest NBA player of all time. He played in the league for 15 seasons, from 1984 to 2003, and earned $90 million.
Off court, he has earned another $2.4 billion before taxes from partnerships with brands including Gatorade, Hanes and, perhaps most importantly, Nike.
The $2.5 million, five-year contract he signed with the sports apparel retailer in 1984 also awarded him a percentage of all shoes sold with his likeness.
The shoe brand Air Jordans earned $5.1 billion in 2022, with Jordan taking 5 per cent, according to Front Office Sports.
This year, Jordan banked additional income from selling the Charlotte Hornets basketball team at a valuation of $3 billion.
He has also invested in headphone brand Muzik and esports company aXiomatic, while he also co-owns Nascar team 23XI, along with several restaurants.
The richest woman on the celebrity billionaire list this year is Oprah Winfrey, with a net worth of $2.8 billion. Reuters
4. Oprah Winfrey
The richest woman on our list this year is Oprah Winfrey. Despite a net worth of $2.8 billion, she ranks well outside the world’s top 1,000 billionaires, at 1,121 on Forbes magazine’s real-time list.
The entrepreneur and philanthropist ended 2022 with a net worth of $2.5 billion, down from $2.7 billion in 2021.
Besides from her eponymous talk show, which ran for 25 years, Winfrey, 69, has also profited from films including Beloved and Selma, through her Harpo Productions company.
Reinvested, the profits from these entertainment properties total more than $2 billion, Forbes reports.
Her current projects include the Oprah Daily website and the musical retelling of the 1982 book The Color Purple. This film adaptation releases in cinemas around the world today.
Music mogul Jay-Z has a net worth of $2.5 billion, according to Forbes. Reuters
5. Jay-Z
Music mogul Jay-Z, real name Shawn Corey Carter, now has a net worth of $2.5 billion, according to Forbes.
At the end of 2022, his net worth was reported as $1.3 billion.
The difference likely comes down to his beverage business. Luxury goods company LVMH purchased a 50 per cent stake in his Armand de Brignac brand in 2021. This year, he sold a majority of his D'Usse brand to Bacardi.
The 54-year-old is also the owner of entertainment company Roc Nation, founded in 2008.
As an investor, Jay-Z has stakes in companies including Block, Uber and Therabody.
Fashion designer Tom Ford has a net worth of $2.2 billion, according to Forbes. AFP
6. Tom Ford
Fashion designer Tom Ford catapulted to billionaire status in 2022 after he sold his eponymous label and a separate fragrance and cosmetics business to Estée Lauder. Forbes magazine puts his net worth at $2.2 billion.
He founded the label in 2005 and owned 63.7 per cent of the company, according to Forbes.
Ford, 62, also owns a film production company, Fade to Black.
He has a real estate portfolio, with homes in Paris, Los Angeles, London, New York and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has a net worth of $1.7 billion, mainly from her stake in clothing brand Skims. Reuters
7. Kim Kardashian
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian, 43, has a net worth of $1.7 billion, most of which is from her stake in clothing brand Skims.
The company has been valued at $4 billion after a funding round this year, raising Kardashian’s net worth.
It is on track to make about $750 million this year, TheNew York Times reported.
She also owns a high-end skincare line, SKKN by Kim, and a private equity firm, SKKY Partners.
Director Peter Jackson has a net worth of $1.5 billion. AFP
8. Peter Jackson
Holding steady at $1.5 billion is director Peter Jackson. The New Zealander is best known for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies.
Jackson, 62, became a billionaire when he sold his Weta Digital special effects studio to Unity Software for $1.6 billion in cash and stock in 2021.
His investments include $150 million in real estate, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
An aviation fan, he owns a Gulfstream G650 private jet, more than 40 airworthy First World War-era warbirds and Wingnut Wings, a scale modelling company specialising in First World War subjects.
Former basketball star Magic Johnson has a net worth of $1.2 billion. AFP
9. Magic Johnson
Also joining the billionaires’ circle this year was former basketball star Magic Johnson. In October, Forbes put his net worth at $1.2 billion.
He earned $40 million over 13 seasons in the NBA. Outside basketball, he has investments and partnerships in cinemas, Starbucks franchises, real estate, health care and other companies.
The largest share of his fortune comes from a 60 per cent ownership stake in life insurance company Equitrust, which has $26 billion in assets under management.
Johnson, 64, also owns stakes in several sports teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Taylor Swift's net worth is $1.1 billion, according to Forbes. AP
Her net worth is $1.1 billion, according to Forbes.
The tour could earn her as much as $4.1 billion when it closes next year, The Washington Post reported.
The 12-time Grammy winner was also the year’s most streamed artist on Spotify, earning $131 million from 26.1 global streams over the 11 months to November.
She has more than 182 million in total equivalent album sales over her career.
Swift, 33, is one of the world’s richest self-made women. She is also one of the world’s youngest self-made billionaires.
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany - At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people - Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed - Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest - He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The line-up as it stands for the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on April 27
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns
Casket match
The Undertaker v Rusev
Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship
Sheamus and Cesaro v Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy
United States Championship
Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
Singles match
Triple H v John Cena
To be confirmed
AJ Styles will defend his WWE World Heavyweight title and Cedric Alexander his Cruiserweight Championship, but matches have yet to be announced
Ticket prices
Golden circle - Dh995
Floor Standing - Dh495
Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
