The wealth of the world's billionaires rose by $1.4 trillion in 2017, the largest annual increase ever.
The details: Nearly all of that increase was driven by the Asia-Pacific region, and specifically China, where billionaire wealth rose 39%. The region minted three new billionaires a week over the course of the year. 701 billionaires are over the age of 70, accounting for nearly 40% of the wealth in the chart above.
A braver man than me holds a speciment of the Asian giant hornet. Photo: Karen Ducey/Getty Images
Entomologists in Washington state on Thursday discovered the first Asian giant hornet nest in the U.S.
Why it matters: You may know this insect species by its nom de guerre: "the murder hornet." While the threat they pose to humans has been overstated, the invading hornets could decimate local honeybee populations if they establish themselves.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Joe Biden. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images
After spending an additional $45.2 million on political ads this week, former Vice President Joe Biden has become the highest-spending political candidate on TV ads ever, according to data from Advertising Analytics.
By the numbers: In total, the Biden campaign has spent $582.7 million on TV ads between 2019 and 2020, officially surpassing Michael Bloomberg's record spend of roughly $582 million. Biden's spend includes his primary and general election advertising.
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