Billionaires who turned to politics

November 10, 2016

Donald Trump has become America's first billionaire businessman to serve as president. But he is following in the footsteps of other moguls who have jumped into the political fray elsewhere in the world.

The track record for these businessmen-turned-political leaders is decidedly mixed. Some have translated their private sector acumen into success in government. Others had tenures marked by scandal, and even a military coup.

Americans have elected presidents with business experience before among them, George W. Bush, who ran an oil company, and Herbert Hoover, a mining executive. But all moved into politics before running for the nation's highest office. Mr. Trump is the first American president to never have held elective office, or other high-level government or military post.

A look at some of the billionaires who blazed a trail from business to politics-

SILVIO BERLUSCONI, ITALY

1

Mr. Trump has drawn more comparisons to the brash Berlusconi, a three-term Italian prime minister, than perhaps any other foreign leader.
Both are irreverent and controversial, and they like to flaunt their lavish lifestyles. Each started his career in real estate, but made his name in the media world- Berlusconi built a fortune buying up television stations and Trump became a fixture in the New York tabloids and reality TV.

For Mr. Trump, that's probably about where he'd like the comparisons to end.

Mr. Berlusconi was a fixture in Italian politics for two decades, but his time in office was frequently marred by scandal. He was convicted of multiple crimes, including tax fraud and paying for sex with an underage prostitute, though the latter charge was overturned by an appeals court.

PETRO POROSHENKO, UKRAINE

2

Known as Ukraine's “Chocolate King,” Mr. Poroshenko made his fortune in the confectionary industry. Now he's a key Western partner in trying to resolve the heated dispute between Ukraine and Russia.

Mr. Poroshenko was elected president in 2014 following the public uprising that led to the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Russian leader. The billionaire businessman positioned himself as a friend of Europe and the United States, and indeed speaks and meets regularly with both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

But Mr. Poroshenko's tenure has coincided with more Russian meddling in Ukraine, particularly along the country's shared border. The U.S. has sent Ukraine tens of millions of dollars in non-lethal aid.

Mr. Poroshenko's transition from businessman to political leader also holds warning signs for Mr. Trump's financial future. The Ukrainian leader saw his net worth decline significantly after taking office.

THAKSIN SHINAWATRA, THAILAND

3

A telecommunications billionaire, Mr. Thaksin was Thailand's prime minister until he was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

During his tenure, Mr. Thaksin drew support from poorer voters who backed his reduction in hospital feeds and other populist programs.

But Mr. Thaksin's wealth would contribute to his political downfall. He faced corruption allegations after his family sold a company for $1.9 billion in a way that enabled them to avoid paying taxes on the sale, sparking a year of political tumult in Thailand that ended in the coup.

Though he's been in exile for several years, Thaksin remains involved in Thai politics from affair. Earlier this year, he weighed in on American elections, saying there was “some similarity” between himself and Trump.

“The cultures are very similar, the culture of being a businessman,” Thaksin told the Financial Times. “And then when successful businessmen come to politics, they give fresh air to political campaigns.”

SEBASTIAN PINERA, CHILE

4

Mr. Pinera's financial empire touched numerous parts of Chilean society. He held stakes in the country's largest airline, a television station and the popular football team Colo-Colo.

Turning to politics, Pinera campaigned on his private sector experience and became the first conservative to lead Chile since military rule ended in 1990. But his presidency launched to an inauspicious start a major earthquake disrupted his 2010 inauguration.

Chile experienced solid economic growth during Pinera's four—year term, but the president himself was deeply unpopular. Chile's constitution prohibits presidents from serving two consecutive terms. Pinera is eligible to run again in 2018.

Pinera hasn't been shy about weighing in on the U.S. election, levying sharp criticism of Trump. During an appearance in New York last fall, Pinera said the Republican would be a divisive leader and said his election would be a “tragedy.”

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Agencies
March 3,2020

Facebook on Monday launched a new consumer marketing campaign in India titled 'More Together'. India is the first country in the Asia Pacific region where such a campaign is being rolled out.

It is also the first time that Facebook is rolling out a 'high decibel campaign of this stature in India', the company said in a statement.

It is also the first time that Facebook is rolling out a 'high decibel campaign of this stature in India', the company said in a statement.

"India is at the heart of Facebook and one of our focus areas this year is to tell the exciting story of a service that is deeply embedded in the fabric of India," said Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India.

The campaign would have multiple campaigns over the next few weeks in eight languages and the one will be set in the context of Holi.

Facebook in 2019 introduced a new company logo to further distinguish the company from the Facebook app.

The company recently announced the appointment of Avinash Pant as the Marketing Director for India operations, to drive the consumer marketing efforts across the family of apps.

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Agencies
June 12,2020

Mumbai, Jun 12: Following an overwhelming response for the mega rights issue of Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries, the partly paid-up rights shares are set to debut on stock exchanges on June 15.

The biggest ever Rs 53,124 crore rights issue was subscribed 1.59 times and received bids worth Rs 84,000 crore on June 3.

Reliance said the rights issue saw a huge investor interest, including from lakhs of small investors and thousands of institutional investors, both Indian and foreign.

In 2019, Ambani said in the Reliance's annual general meeting that the company will be net zero debt by March 2021. The company is on course to achieve its target ahead of the deadline.

"In spite of the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdowns, the due-diligence by Saudi Aramco for the planned investment in the O2C business is on track as both the parties are committed and actively engaged," he said recently.

"With a strong visibility to these equity infusions, Reliance is set to achieve net zero debt status ahead of its own aggressive timeline. We believe rights issue was a part of the company's strategy of deleveraging its balance sheet," said Ambani. 

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Agencies
March 13,2020

Amid the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which has infected 73 people in India and killed more than 4,500 individuals globally, doctors have advised that in addition to regularly washing hands, one should also disinfect their smartphone every 90 minutes with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Ravi Shekhar Jha, Head of Department at Fortis Escorts Hospital in Faridabad said the best method to disinfect your smartphone is to use regular doctor spirit or the alcohol-based hand sanitizer at least every 90 minutes.

"Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose. The best option is to use a phone cover or a Bluetooth device and try to touch your phone as less as possible. We would also recommend cleaning your phone at least twice a day," Jha told IANS.

According to research, published in 2018 by Insurance2Go, a gadget insurance provider, revealed that smartphone screens have three times more germs than a toilet seat.

One in 20 smartphone users was found to clean their phones less than every six months, said the study.

"In the time of fear of coronavirus, smartphones should also be disinfected with alcohol-based sanitizer rub. Pour few drops of sanitizer on a tiny clean cotton pad and rub it safely on your entire phone," said Jyoti Mutta, Senior Consultant, Microbiology, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute in New Delhi.

"You can repeat this process every evening coming back home after an entire day out at work and once in the morning before going out," Mutta added.

"Maintain basic cleanliness, and try to avoid using other's phones especially if suffering from respiratory illness or flu-like symptoms as there is no other way to disinfect these regular gadgets," she stressed.

Another study from the University of Surrey in the UK, also found that the home button on your smartphone may be harbouring millions of bacteria - some even harmful.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus as a global pandemic on Wednesday. The death toll of COVID-19 has crossed the 4,500 marks and confirmed cases globally have touched one lakh as per the reports.

According to Suranjeet Chatterjee, Senior Consultant in Internal Medicine Department of Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi, "We should frequently wash our hands, cover our coughs and it is important to adapt to other good hygiene habits that are most important in such a situation."

"Coronavirus and other germs can live on surfaces like glass, metal or plastics and phones are bacteria-ridden. It is necessary that we sanitize our hands frequently and make sure that our hands are clean all the time," Chatterjee told IANS.

"The emphasis should be laid on sanitising our hands rather than sanitizing the phone - once in a while the phone can be sanitized under the guidance of the makers of the phone," Chatterjee stressed.

According to the global health agency, the most effective way to protect yourself against coronavirus is by frequently cleaning of your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or washing them with soap and water.

The WHO's report showed the virus infects people of all ages, among which older people and those with underlying medical conditions are at a higher risk of getting infected.

People should eat only well-cooked food, avoid spitting in public, and avoid close contact, the WHO said, adding that it is important for people to seek medical care at the earliest if they become sick.

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