Bill Gates calls for more aid to go to Africa and for debt relief for burdened countries
The billionaire Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates thinks the richest governments should increase their support for African countries.
The next generation of Buffetts is poised to become one of the biggest forces in philanthropy
When the legendary businessman and leader of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, eventually passes away, the next generation of Buffetts — Howard, Susie and Peter — are poised to become one of the most powerful forces in philanthropy.
Tech tycoon, defense attorney, and Morgan Stanley banker among those missing in freak yacht sinking
A superyacht that sank off the Sicilian coast during a storm left six passengers missing, including British tech kingpin Mike Lynch and his daughter Hannah.
You had a lot of questions about next-generation nuclear reactors. We posed them to the experts
The United States is speeding up efforts to license and build a new generation of nuclear reactors to supply carbon-free electricity.
Arizona authorities are investigating theft of device that allows access to vote tabulators
Authorities are investigating whether a 27-year-old temporary election worker had political motivations when he stole a fob that allows access to vote tabulators in Arizona's largest county.
In Wyoming, Bill Gates moves ahead with nuclear project aimed at revolutionizing power generation
Bill Gates and his energy company are starting construction at their Wyoming site for a next-generation nuclear power plant he believes will “revolutionize” how power is generated.
Less than 2% of philanthropic giving goes to women and girls. Can Melinda French Gates change that?
For years, less than 2% of philanthropic giving in the U.S. has gone to benefit women and girls, but that could change in part thanks to new resources that Melinda French Gates has pledged in recent weeks.
As Melinda French Gates leaves the Gates Foundation, many hope she’ll double down on gender equity
Melinda French Gates is already one of the biggest philanthropic supporters of gender equity in the United States.
Melinda French Gates resigns as Gates Foundation co-chair, 3 years after her divorce from Bill Gates
Melinda French Gates announced Monday that she will step down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Warren Buffett's company rejects proposals, but it faces lawsuit over how it handled one last year
Shareholder proposals are usually uneventful at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting, but Warren Buffett and the company are now facing a lawsuit over the way one presenter was treated last year.
Google and Apple now threatened by the US antitrust laws that helped build their technology empires
The U.S. Justice Department has launched a double-barreled antitrust attack on Google’s dominant search and Apple’s trendsetting iPhone.
Michael Bloomberg tops the Chronicle of Philanthropy's list of America’s biggest donors in 2023
Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor, gave the most to charitable causes last year, followed by Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, and Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s exclusive list of the 50 Americans who donated the largest sums to nonprofits last year.
Why Taylor Swift's globe-trotting in private jets is getting scrutinized
Scrutiny over Taylor Swift’s travel in private jets has been bubbling up online, with people pointing out the planet-warming emissions that are let off with each flight.
At Davos, leaders talked big on rebuilding trust. Can the World Economic Forum make a difference?
Business and political elites descended on the Swiss Alpine snows of Davos to suss out “rebuilding trust” in a splintering world.
Gates Foundation takes on poverty in the U.S. with $100 million commitment
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Thursday that it will donate $100 million to expand its work on economic mobility in the U.S. The country’s largest foundation says the commitment represents a change in how it operates by putting more power in the hands of grantees.
Gates Foundation funding $40 million effort to help develop mRNA vaccines in Africa in coming years
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is announcing $40 million in funding to help develop messenger RNA vaccines in Africa.
Gates Foundation commits $200 million to pay for medical supplies and contraception
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $200 million to help save the lives of mothers and children during childbirth.
Prince William, billionaires Gates and Bloomberg say innovation provides climate hope
Britain’s Prince William and wealthy entrepreneurs Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg promise hope to a warming world.
Helping mothers and babies survive childbirth is a personal goal, says Melinda French Gates
Several low cost and low tech interventions would increase the chances of mothers and their babies surviving childbirth, according to a new report released Tuesday by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Business tycoon Carlos Ghosn's rise, fall and dramatic escape is subject of new Apple TV+ series
Carlos Ghosn, the former rock star businessman who fell from grace and fled authorities smuggled in a music instrument box, is getting what his dramatic story deserves — a multi-part Apple TV+ documentary series.
Warren Buffett has given $50.7 billion toward historic pledges to the Gates Foundation and others
After 17 years of steady payments, Warren Buffett has to date given annual donations totaling $50.7 billion toward his historic multibillion-dollar pledges to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and to four foundations connected to his family, according to a Chronicle tally.
Chinese president Xi Jinping stresses US-China cooperation in meeting with Bill Gates
Chinese leader Xi Jinping said the United States and China can cooperate to “benefit our two countries” in a meeting Friday with Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates.
Microsoft's 'good guy' approach frays in UK gaming battle
Microsoft’s charm offensive with the world’s governments is starting to lose some of its luster as the software giant is confronting its toughest antitrust scrutiny since co-founder Bill Gates was in charge.
Bill Gates joins 26 newcomers on list of 50 biggest donors
As the ranks of America’s super wealthy grow, the roster of major philanthropists is expanding to include not-so-typical megadonors — among them, a professional clarinetist, a Ph.D. in meat science, and a lawyer who regularly argues before the U.S. Supreme Court.
W.Va. bills pass on carbon sequestration, hydrogen hubs
Two bills that would make it easier for hydrogen hubs and underground carbon sequestration projects to come to historically coal-dependent West Virginia are headed to the desk of Republican Gov. Jim Justice.
Indian coal magnate Gautam Adani steps up green investments
Asia’s richest man, coal magnate Gautam Adani, made his vast fortune betting on coal as an energy hungry India grew swiftly after its economy was liberalized in the 1990s.
Election certification delays few, but a 'test run' for 2024
Only scattered challenges to certification of the midterm election have been reported in the United States, and not a single one is based on any problems with the accuracy of the results.
Lake seeks election records in suit against Arizona county
Kari Lake, the defeated Republican candidate for Arizona governor, has filed a public records lawsuit demanding Maricopa County hand over a variety of documents related to the election.
Fired SpaceX employees accuse company of violating labor law
Several SpaceX employees who were fired after circulating an open letter calling out CEO Elon Musk’s behavior have filed a complaint accusing the company of violating labor laws.
Lake refuses to concede in Arizona governor's race she lost
Defeated Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake says she’s assembling lawyers and collecting evidence of voters who had trouble casting ballots as she considers her next move.
Arizona county quick to bat down election misinformation
Officials in Arizona’s most populous county have aggressively batted down rumors and slanted and false claims as vote counting has come under intense scrutiny in the battleground state.
Art from Microsoft founder Paul Allen sells for $1.6 billion
Works by artists including Cézanne, Seurat, and van Gogh sold for a record-breaking $1.6 billion during Christie's two-day auction of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul G.
Officials counting all ballots after voting snag in Arizona
Election officials assured voters that every ballot would be counted after a printing malfunction at about one-quarter of the polling places across Arizona’s most populous county slowed down voting.
Arizona sheriff steps up security around ballot drop boxes
The sheriff in metropolitan Phoenix says he’s stepped up security around ballot drop boxes after a series of incidents involving people keeping watch on the boxes and taking video of voters after they were apparently inspired by lies about the 2020 election.
Gates Foundation prods UN, honors inspiration as Goalkeepers
Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates combined characteristic optimism with sobering questions about persistent gender inequality and hunger at an event the Gateses’ foundation convened on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
Global Fund gets powerful help with $18 billion funding goal
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will get some high-powered help this week to reach its $18 billion goal to fund another three years to slow the spread of these diseases.
Once McCain's party, Arizona GOP returns to far-right roots
The far-right forces that former Sen. John McCain successfully marginalized within the Arizona Republican Party are back and in full control, with profound implications for one of the nation’s most closely matched battlegrounds.
Fighting bogus claims a growing priority in election offices
Local election officials preparing for the rapidly approaching midterm elections have one more headache: trying to combat misinformation that can confuse, anger and disenfranchise voters.
Buffett's company trims its stake in Chinese EV maker BYD
Warren Buffett's company has trimmed its investment in Chinese electric car and battery maker BYD for the first time since it bought 225 million shares in 2008, an investment that has soared in value.
Gates eyes partnership with South Korea over global health
Bill Gates has called for South Korea to further step up in international efforts to prevent infectious diseases like COVID-19 as he stressed the need for the world to be better prepared for the next pandemic.
Climate bill: Could coal communities shift to nuclear?
A major economic bill headed to the president has “game-changing” incentives for the nuclear energy industry, experts say, and those tax credits are even more substantial if a facility is sited in a community with a coal plant that's closing.
Bill Gates gives $20 billion to stem 'significant suffering'
Bill Gates, concerned about the “significant suffering” caused by global setbacks including the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Wednesday that he will donate $20 billion to his foundation so it can increase its annual spending.
Gates Foundation, women's tennis partnering on health issues
The WTA women’s professional tennis tour and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are partnering to raise awareness about — and money for — women’s health and nutrition around the world.
SpaceX reportedly fires employees who circulated letter critical of CEO Elon Musk
A report in The New York Times says the rocket ship company run by Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fired several employees involved in an open letter that blasted the colorful billionaire for his behavior.
Largest US public power company launches new nuclear program
The largest public power company in the United States is launching a program to develop and fund new small modular nuclear reactors as part of its strategy to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Gates, French Gates top list of biggest U.S. charity donors
A handful of Americans donated at least $1 billion to charity last year, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual ranking of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity in 2021.
Japan's Mitsubishi, energy body join Gates' nuclear project
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency have signed an agreement to participate in a next-generation nuclear energy project with TerraPower, a company started by Bill Gates.
Climate, COVID, China: Takeaways from online Davos event
Government and business leaders have urged global cooperation on climate change, the coronavirus pandemic and the economic recovery at the World Economic Forum’s virtual gathering this week.
German leader champions new tack on climate at Davos event
New German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for a “paradigm shift” in the way the world approaches climate policy, saying his country would leverage its presidency of the Group of Seven industrial nations to push for standards to fight global warming.
Majority of US states pursue nuclear power for emission cuts
Many states in the U.S. are coming to the conclusion that solar, wind and other renewable power sources might not be enough to keep the lights on as they seek to dramatically cut their use of fossil fuels.
Group: Tax rich to fund vaccines for poor hit by pandemic
Anti-poverty group Oxfam has called for governments to impose a one-time 99% tax on the world’s billionaires and use the money to fund expanded vaccine production for the poor.
COVID, China, climate: Online Davos event tackles big themes
The coronavirus pandemic has forced the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting of world leaders, business executives and other heavyweights to go virtual for the second year in a row.
Correction: Philanthropy-Top10-Gifts story
In a story published December 31, 2021, about the top charitable donations of the year, The Chronicle of Philanthropy erroneously reported the value of Microsoft stock donated by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates in 2000.
Giving Pledge adds 14 billionaires to philanthropist list
The Giving Pledge announced Tuesday that 14 more billionaires, including the CEOs of DoorDash and Pinterest, had promised in 2021 to donate more than half their fortunes, bringing the total to 231 philanthropists from 28 countries.
Bezos makes gifts to Obama foundation and NYU medical center
Former President Barack Obama’s foundation says it has received a $100 million donation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos that it says is the largest individual contribution it has received to date.
Bill Gates venture picks Wyoming city for sodium nuke plant
A small city in the top U.S. coal-mining state of Wyoming will be home to a Bill Gates-backed experimental nuclear power project near a coal-fired power plant scheduled to close soon.
Gates Foundation to spend $120M on access for COVID-19 pill
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says it will spend $120 million to boost access to generic versions of drugmaker Merck’s antiviral COVID-19 pill for lower income countries, if the drug gets approved by regulators.
Microsoft says it warned Bill Gates about flirting in 2008
Microsoft has confirmed that executives in 2008 warned Bill Gates to stop sending flirtatious emails to a female employee but dropped the matter after he told them he would stop.
More than a statue: Cooper explores the Vanderbilt legacy
After years of avoiding it personally, CNN's Anderson Cooper explores in a book the complicated legacy of the Vanderbilt family — what he calls America's version of “The Crown."
GOP review finds no proof Arizona election stolen from Trump
A Republican-backed election review in Arizona's largest county has failed to come up with proof to support former President Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election.
County cuts deal to end fight over Arizona Senate subpoena
Board members overseeing Arizona’s most populous county have reached a deal with the Republican-controlled state Senate that will end a standoff over its demand that they hand over computer routers for use in an unprecedented partisan election review.
Gates, Rockefeller warn leaders about pandemic’s impact
Leaders of the Gates and Rockefeller Foundations — grant makers that have committed billions of dollars to fight the coronavirus — are warning that without larger government and philanthropic investments in the manufacture and delivery of vaccines to people in poor nations, the pandemic could set back global progress on education, public health, and gender equality for years.