by cnbc.com -- Cheyenne DeVon -- Billionaires have had a bad year. Globally, the world’s billionaires lost nearly $2 trillion, combined, in 2022, according to Forbes. The United States’ billionaires lost $660 billion collectively, the highest of any country by Forbes’s count, as tech stock prices took a nosedive fueled by rising interest rates, soaring inflation and a worsening economy. Of America’s billionaires, Tesla, SpaceX, and newly minted Twitter CEO Elon Musk saw his fortune diminish the most. Musk’s net worth dipped by about $115 billion this year, according to Forbes.

In October, when Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, he sold off about $23 billion in Tesla shares to fund the acquisition. He has since acknowledged this deal was an “obvious” overpayment. More recently, he confirmed his plans to step down as CEO of the social media platform once he finds a suitable replacement. Tesla’s stock price is down nearly 70% year-to-date, as of Dec. 27. Longtime Tesla investors are calling on its board of directors to get Musk to refocus on the electric vehicle company. Although Musk lost his spot as the richest person in the world this year, he’s still the wealthiest person in the United States, with a net worth of nearly $139 billion as of Dec. 27, according to Forbes. And while Musk is “the biggest loser of 2022,” according to that publication, he’s not the only billionaire whose net worth took a hit. Here’s how much five other U.S. billionaires lost in 2022 according to Forbes.

1. Jeff Bezos Title: Founder and chair, Amazon Estimated 2022 losses: -$80 billion Net worth: $106.8 billion as of Dec. 27

2. Mark Zuckerberg Title: Co-founder, Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company) Estimated 2022 losses: -$78 billion Net worth: $42.7 billion as of Dec. 27

3. Larry Page Title: Co-founder and board member, Google Estimated 2022 losses: -$40 billion Net worth: $76.8 billion as of Dec. 27

4. Phil Knight Title: Chair, Nike Estimated 2022 losses: -$18.3 billion Net worth: $45.2 billion as of Dec. 27

5. Leonard Lauder Title: Chair emeritus , The Estée Lauder Companies Estimated 2022 losses: -$9.8 billion Net worth: $22 billion as of Dec. 27

by catholicnewsagency.com -- Joe Bukuras -- Phoenix, Ariz. Dafne Gutierrez, of Phoenix, Arizona, will never forget the traumatic experience of gradually losing her vision. The 37-year-old mother of five was declared legally blind in 2014 after two years of gradual sight loss caused by chronic brain swelling. When she couldn’t see at all, she was devastated. Describing the experience of total blindness, she told CNA,"You don’t see anything. You just don’t." “What hurt the most is that I had little ones, and I had to depend on them,” she told CNA in a Sept. 30 interview at St. Joseph Maronite Catholic Church in Phoenix.

Gutierrez, who was not fully committed to her Catholic faith before losing her vision, soon found herself desperately seeking the restoration of her sight through healing Masses at several Catholic churches in the Phoenix area. None of those healing Masses brought her sight back, and she was losing hope. But her sister-in-law pushed Gutierrez to give it one more try: this time, at a Maronite Catholic church where a relic of the famous Lebanese hermit, St. Charbel Makhlouf, was on display for veneration. As a woman of Mexican descent, Gutierrez says she would never have thought of going to what is largely a Lebanese-populated church. But now, with her 20/20 vision restored, she knows why she was there.

Living life without sight

By Najia Houssari -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Stray bullets injured three people in Beirut and Tripoli, and damaged two passenger jets at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport as the Lebanese welcomed the new year in traditional style with celebratory gunfire. Another man miraculously survived a random bullet that struck his phone while he was wheeling his baggage trolley out of the airport. With a single bullet costing up to $1, traditional celebrations proved expensive in a country ravaged by economic hardship and currency depreciation, but even the high cost of ammunition failed to dampen the new year festivities, with heavy gunfire heard in many Lebanese regions at midnight, including poor airport neighborhoods inhabited by people forced out of their rural homes. Stray gunshots caused minor damage to two Middle East Airlines Airbus A321Neo aircraft.

Security services earlier issued warnings against shooting near the airport, and erected checkpoints around its perimeter, as well as in areas where restaurants, cafes and bars are scattered. Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi oversaw the deployment of extra security patrols. He also visited checkpoints, and praised security forces for their efforts and sacrifices, especially amid the growing crises. Mawlawi asked security personnel to remain alert to protect tourists and Lebanese returning for family gatherings. “I urge you to maintain security and order, and enforce the law firmly without renouncing your humanity and the principle of human rights,” he said. In the lead-up to the celebrations, Mawlawi described “random shootings” as a crime and promised to carry out strict punishments. The Internal Security Forces directorate-general said that it is working to identify suspected shooters. A total of 116 people have been identified so far and now face arrest, it said.

by vaticannews.va -- By Vatican News Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has returned to the Father’s House. The Holy See Press Office announced that the Pope Emeritus died at 9:34 AM on Saturday morning in his residence at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, which the 95-year-old Pope emeritus had chosen as his residence after resigning from the Petrine ministry in 2013. “With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 AM in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be provided as soon as possible. As of Monday morning, 2 January 2023, the body of the Pope Emeritus will be in Saint Peter's Basilica so the faithful can pay their respects."

News of worsening health condition

Already for several days, the health conditions of the Pope Emeritus had worsened due to advancing age, as the Press Office had reported in its updates of the evolving situation. Pope Francis himself publicly shared the news about his predecessor's worsening health at the end of the last General Audience of the year, on 28 December. The Pope had invited people to pray for the Pope Emeritus, who was "very ill," so that the Lord might console him and support him "in this witness of love for the Church until the end." Following this invitation, prayer initiatives sprung up and multiplied on all continents, along with an outpouring of messages of solidarity and closeness from secular leaders.

Funeral plans

During a briefing at the Holy See Press office, the director, Matteo Bruni, told journalists that Pope Francis will preside over the funeral of the Pope Emeritus on 5 January at 9.30 CET in St. Peter's Square. No tickets are foreseen for participation in the Mass. Bruni also said the Pope Emeritus on Wednesday 28th, in the afternoon, received the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick in the Mater Ecclesiae monastery at the end of Holy Mass. And speaking to reporters after the briefing he said Benedict specifically asked that everything - including the funeral - be marked by simplicity, just as he lived his life. A statement later in the day shed more light on details regarding the lying in state, the funeral ceremony and the burial. It noted that at the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration presided over by the Holy Father, the Final Commendation and Valediction will take place. The Pope Emeritus‘ remains will then be taken into St. Peter's Basilica and then to the Vatican Grottos where he will be laid to rest.

Lying in state

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s remains will rest at the Mater Ecclesiae monastery until the morning of Monday, 2 January; official visits or public prayers are not foreseen. From 9am on the same day, Benedict’s body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica so the faithful can pay their final respects. On Monday the Basilica will remain open from 9am to 7pm; on Tuesday and Wednesday from 7am to 7pm.

The Spiritual Testament of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI