King of pop&nbsp;Michael Jackson, was placed on top of an annual list of the top-earning dead celebrities on Wednesday for the fourth straight year.

The singer, who died in 2009, raked in $825 million&nbsp;in 12 months, according to a Forbes estimate, leaving behind icons like Prince and David Bowie who passed away earlier this year.

The earnings came mostly from the Jackson estate&rsquo;s $750 million sale of the late singer&rsquo;s remaining stake in the Sony/ATV music publishing catalog to Sony Corporation, Reuters reported.

Sales of Prince albums soared after the musician died of an accidental drug overdose in April.&nbsp;

Forbes ranked him in fifth place with estimated earnings of $25 million, just below Elvis Presley with $27 million.

Bowie, who died of cancer in January right after a new album release, outsold both Presley and Jackson in albums and singles in 2016, but his overall estimated earnings were a comparatively small $10.5 million, Forbes said.

Golf legend Arnold Palmer, who died in September at age 87, claimed the No. 3 spot with earnings of $40 million, mostly from licensing and endorsements of his signature iced tea and lemonade drink, leisure wear label, and golf course designs.

 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Jackson, who died in 2009, raked in $825 million, outstripping Prince and Bowie who passed away earlier this year

King of pop Michael Jackson, was placed on top of an annual list of the top-earning dead celebrities on Wednesday for the fourth straight year. The singer, who died in 2009, raked in $825 million in 12 months, according to a Forbes estimate, leaving behind icons like Prince and David Bowie who passed away earlier this year. The earnings came mostly from the Jackson estate’s $750 million sale of the late singer’s remaining stake in the Sony/ATV music publishing catalog to Sony Corporation, Reuters reported. Sales of Prince albums soared after the musician died of an accidental drug overdose in April. Forbes ranked him in fifth place with estimated earnings of $25 million, just below Elvis Presley with $27 million. Bowie, who died of cancer in January right after a new album release, outsold both Presley and Jackson in albums and singles in 2016, but his overall estimated earnings were a comparatively small $10.5 million, Forbes said. Golf legend Arnold Palmer, who died in September at age 87, claimed the No. 3 spot with earnings of $40 million, mostly from licensing and endorsements of his signature iced tea and lemonade drink, leisure wear label, and golf course designs. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Michael Jackson top-earning dead celebrity, leaves behind Prince and David Bowie

Indian industrialist Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbes Magazine&#39;s list of 100 richest Indians for the ninth year in a row with earnings of $22.7 billion. Sun Pharma&rsquo;s Dilip Shanghvi&#39;s $16.9 billion place him at a distant second. The Hinduja siblings,&nbsp;Srichand, Gopichand, Prakash, and Ashok,&nbsp;are at the third spot with earnings of $15.2, displacing Wipro&#39;s Azim Premiji who has slipped to number 4 with earnings of $15 billion. 
 
The surprise entry this year is Patanjali Ayurved&rsquo;s Acharya Balkrishna, a close associate of India&#39;s famous yoga guru, Ramdev, whose net worth of&nbsp;$2.5 billion have fetched him the 48th spot. &nbsp; 
 
The youngest among the six newcomers in the list are internet entrepreneurs, brothers Bhavin and Divyank Turakhia, who sold their ad tech firm Media.net for USD 900 million to a consortium of Chinese investors. They are at the 95th spot with a net worth of $1.3 billion. Hero group scion Pawan Munjal&#39;s debuted at 29th place with earnings of 3.65 billion. 
 
Eight persons find their way back in this year&#39;s list including Biocon&rsquo;s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw whose earnings of $1.83 billion place her on the 65th spot. 
 
The combined net worth of India&#39;s 100 wealthiest is $381 billion,&nbsp;an increase of 10 per cent&nbsp;from 2015&#39;s $345 billion. &quot;Handsome gains&quot; in the stock market is the reason why a majority of the names figure in the list, Forbes Asia&rsquo;s India Editor Naazneen Karmali told PTI. 
 
The increase in the wealth of Mukesh Ambani, whose Reliance Industries recently launched the much-awaited 4G mobile services, is on account of a 21 per cent&nbsp;surge in share price of Reliance Industries in the past 12 months. He ranked 36th in the Forbes global rich list. His younger brother and industrialist, Anil Ambani, is at number&nbsp;32 with earnings of $3.4 billion, down from 29th spot last year as per the list for India. 
 
Forbes also said the fortunes of cement and paint tycoons in the country benefitted from the government&rsquo;s infrastructure push and housing-for-all policy. Shree Cement&rsquo;s Benu Gopal Bangur moved up to the 14th place with a networth of USD 5.9 billion, while Asian Paints&rsquo; Ashwin Dani saw his wealth rise to USD 3.3 billion to rank him 34th. 
 
Among those who didn&#39;t make it this year was textile tycoon Balkrishan Goenka and the co-founders of Flipkart,&nbsp;Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. 
 
The minimum amount required to make the list was $1.25 billion, up from $1.1 billion in 2015.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)

Sun Pharma?s Dilip Shanghvi is at the second spot while the Hinduja siblings are at number 3

Indian industrialist Mukesh Ambani has topped Forbes Magazine's list of 100 richest Indians for the ninth year in a row with earnings of $22.7 billion. Sun Pharma’s Dilip Shanghvi's $16.9 billion place him at a distant second. The Hinduja siblings, Srichand, Gopichand, Prakash, and Ashok, are at the third spot with earnings of $15.2, displacing Wipro's Azim Premiji who has slipped to number 4 with earnings of $15 billion. The surprise entry this year is Patanjali Ayurved’s Acharya Balkrishna, a close associate of India's famous yoga guru, Ramdev, whose net worth of $2.5 billion have fetched him the 48th spot. The youngest among the six newcomers in the list are internet entrepreneurs, brothers Bhavin and Divyank Turakhia, who sold their ad tech firm Media.net for USD 900 million to a consortium of Chinese investors. They are at the 95th spot with a net worth of $1.3 billion. Hero group scion Pawan Munjal's debuted at 29th place with earnings of 3.65 billion. Eight persons find their way back in this year's list including Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw whose earnings of $1.83 billion place her on the 65th spot. The combined net worth of India's 100 wealthiest is $381 billion, an increase of 10 per cent from 2015's $345 billion. "Handsome gains" in the stock market is the reason why a majority of the names figure in the list, Forbes Asia’s India Editor Naazneen Karmali told PTI. The increase in the wealth of Mukesh Ambani, whose Reliance Industries recently launched the much-awaited 4G mobile services, is on account of a 21 per cent surge in share price of Reliance Industries in the past 12 months. He ranked 36th in the Forbes global rich list. His younger brother and industrialist, Anil Ambani, is at number 32 with earnings of $3.4 billion, down from 29th spot last year as per the list for India. Forbes also said the fortunes of cement and paint tycoons in the country benefitted from the government’s infrastructure push and housing-for-all policy. Shree Cement’s Benu Gopal Bangur moved up to the 14th place with a networth of USD 5.9 billion, while Asian Paints’ Ashwin Dani saw his wealth rise to USD 3.3 billion to rank him 34th. Among those who didn't make it this year was textile tycoon Balkrishan Goenka and the co-founders of Flipkart, Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. The minimum amount required to make the list was $1.25 billion, up from $1.1 billion in 2015. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Reliance Industries' Mukesh Ambani tops Forbes' list of 100 Richest Indians

Sofia Vergara has topped Forbes magazine&#39;s annual list of best-paid television actresses, earning a whopping 43 million dollars this year. 
 
According to the magazine, this marks the Colombian actress&#39; reign for the fifth year in a row. The data, as collected from June 1, 2015 to June 1, 2016, shows a swooping 66 per cent increase in the Modern Family star&#39;s earnings since the previous year. 
 
Other actresses who made the list include &#39;Big Bang Theory&#39; star, Kaley Cuoco coming in second with almost 25 million dollars and our desi girl Priyanka Chopra, who stars as the leading lady of &#39;Quantico&#39;, in the eighth position. 
 
Here is the complete Forbes&#39; top 10 TV list:
<ol>
	<li>Sofia Vergara - 43 million dollars</li>
	<li>Kaley Cuoco - 24.5 million dollars</li>
	<li>Mindy Kaling - 15 million dollars</li>
	<li>Mariska Hargitay - 14.5 million dollars</li>
	<li>Ellen Pompeo - 14.5 million dollars</li>
	<li>Kerry Washington - 13.5 million dollars</li>
	<li>Stana Katic - 12 million dollars</li>
	<li>Priyanka Chopra - 11 million dollars</li>
	<li>Julianna Margulies - 10.5 million dollars</li>
	<li>Julie Bowen - 10 million dollars</li>
</ol>
 
(ANI)

She made 43 million dollars this year; Priyanka Chopra was eighth on the list

Sofia Vergara has topped Forbes magazine's annual list of best-paid television actresses, earning a whopping 43 million dollars this year. According to the magazine, this marks the Colombian actress' reign for the fifth year in a row. The data, as collected from June 1, 2015 to June 1, 2016, shows a swooping 66 per cent increase in the Modern Family star's earnings since the previous year. Other actresses who made the list include 'Big Bang Theory' star, Kaley Cuoco coming in second with almost 25 million dollars and our desi girl Priyanka Chopra, who stars as the leading lady of 'Quantico', in the eighth position. Here is the complete Forbes' top 10 TV list: Sofia Vergara - 43 million dollars Kaley Cuoco - 24.5 million dollars Mindy Kaling - 15 million dollars Mariska Hargitay - 14.5 million dollars Ellen Pompeo - 14.5 million dollars Kerry Washington - 13.5 million dollars Stana Katic - 12 million dollars Priyanka Chopra - 11 million dollars Julianna Margulies - 10.5 million dollars Julie Bowen - 10 million dollars (ANI)

Sofia Vergara tops Forbes' list of highest-paid TV actresses

&quot;Hunger Games&quot; star Jennifer Lawrence on Tuesday topped a Forbes magazine list of the world&#39;s highest-paid actress for the second straight year, earning some $46 million, followed by Melissa McCarthy. 
 
Lawrence, 26, took the top spot largely through a slice of the profits from the final movie in the &quot;Hunger Games&quot; franchise, as well as a big upfront fee for her forthcoming space adventure movie &quot;Passengers,&quot; Forbes said. 
 
Yet Lawrence&#39;s estimated payday was likely well below that for Hollywood&#39;s leading men, Forbes said, despite the actress sparking a debate about the gender pay gap last year. She declared she was &quot;finished being adorable&quot; when it came to negotiating better deals for herself. 
 
Lawrence&#39;s 2016 earnings dropped 11.5 percent from her 2015 total of $52 million. Forbes will release its list of the world&#39;s highest-paid actors on Thursday. Last year Robert Downey Jr topped the list with an estimated $80 million. 
 
Neither, however, came close to pop star Taylor Swift, who was named the top-earning celebrity of 2016 earlier this year, pulling in an estimated $170 million from record sales and her world tour. 
 
McCarthy took home $33 million in earnings, up $10 million from 2015 in part from her payday for the controversial female reboot of &quot;Ghostbusters.&quot; 
 
It was the biggest annual paycheck to date for the star of television comedy &quot;Mike and Molly.&quot; McCarthy, 45, also launched a clothing line for sizes 4 to 28 after becoming frustrated at the outfits available for larger women. 
 
Scarlett Johansson of &quot;Captain America: Civil Wars&quot; was third at $25 million, down nearly 30 percent from 2015. 
 
Together, the world&rsquo;s 10 highest-paid actresses tallied a combined $205 million between June 1, 2015 and June 1, 2016, before management fees and taxes, Forbes said. 
 
The estimates include earnings from movies, TV and endorsements from cosmetic and other companies. Bollywood star Deepika Padukone is the only newcomer on the list. 
 
The rest of the top 10 2016 highest-paid actresses are: 
 
4. Jennifer Aniston - $21 million 
 
5. Fan Bingbing - $17 million 
 
6. Charlize Theron - $16.5 million 
 
7. Amy Adams - $13.5 million 
 
8. Julia Roberts - $12 million 
 
9. Mila Kunis - $11 million 
 
10. Deepika Padukone - $10 million 
 
(Reuters)

Lawrence was followed by Melissa McCarthy and Scarlett Johansson. Deepika is the only new name on the list

"Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence on Tuesday topped a Forbes magazine list of the world's highest-paid actress for the second straight year, earning some $46 million, followed by Melissa McCarthy. Lawrence, 26, took the top spot largely through a slice of the profits from the final movie in the "Hunger Games" franchise, as well as a big upfront fee for her forthcoming space adventure movie "Passengers," Forbes said. Yet Lawrence's estimated payday was likely well below that for Hollywood's leading men, Forbes said, despite the actress sparking a debate about the gender pay gap last year. She declared she was "finished being adorable" when it came to negotiating better deals for herself. Lawrence's 2016 earnings dropped 11.5 percent from her 2015 total of $52 million. Forbes will release its list of the world's highest-paid actors on Thursday. Last year Robert Downey Jr topped the list with an estimated $80 million. Neither, however, came close to pop star Taylor Swift, who was named the top-earning celebrity of 2016 earlier this year, pulling in an estimated $170 million from record sales and her world tour. McCarthy took home $33 million in earnings, up $10 million from 2015 in part from her payday for the controversial female reboot of "Ghostbusters." It was the biggest annual paycheck to date for the star of television comedy "Mike and Molly." McCarthy, 45, also launched a clothing line for sizes 4 to 28 after becoming frustrated at the outfits available for larger women. Scarlett Johansson of "Captain America: Civil Wars" was third at $25 million, down nearly 30 percent from 2015. Together, the world’s 10 highest-paid actresses tallied a combined $205 million between June 1, 2015 and June 1, 2016, before management fees and taxes, Forbes said. The estimates include earnings from movies, TV and endorsements from cosmetic and other companies. Bollywood star Deepika Padukone is the only newcomer on the list. The rest of the top 10 2016 highest-paid actresses are: 4. Jennifer Aniston - $21 million 5. Fan Bingbing - $17 million 6. Charlize Theron - $16.5 million 7. Amy Adams - $13.5 million 8. Julia Roberts - $12 million 9. Mila Kunis - $11 million 10. Deepika Padukone - $10 million (Reuters)

Jennifer Lawrence world's highest-paid actress, Deepika Padukone tenth: Forbes

The Bank of England cut interest rates for the first time since 2009 on Thursday and said it will&nbsp;buy 60 billion pounds of government debt to ease the blow from Britain&#39;s June 23 vote to leave the European Union.

The central bank said it expected the economy to stagnate for the rest of 2016 and suffer weak growth throughout next year,&nbsp;and lowered its main lending rate to a record-low 0.25 per cent from 0.5 per cent, in line with market expectations.

But it also launched two new schemes, one to buy 10 billion pounds of high-grade corporate bonds and another - potentially worth up to 100 billion pounds - to ensure banks keep lending even after the cut in interest rates.

Most MPC members also expected to cut Bank Rate again this year to a rate &quot;close to, but a little above zero&quot;, if the economy performed as poorly as forecast

&quot;Following the United Kingdom&#39;s vote to leave the European Union, the exchange rate has fallen and the outlook for growth in the short to medium term has weakened markedly,&quot; the central bank said in its quarterly Inflation Report.

Policymakers were not completely united on how to respond. The cut in Bank Rate and the measure intended to ensure banks passed it on to consumers, known as the Term Funding Scheme (TFS), gained unanimous support.

But three policymakers, Kristin Forbes, Ian McCafferty and Martin Weale, opposed raising the target for quantitative easing government bond purchases to 435 billion pounds from the 375 billion total reached in late 2012.

Forbes also opposed the purchases of corporate debt - something the BoE did briefly after the financial crisis, but more to aid market functioning than to boost growth.

Many economists had expected Forbes to oppose a rate cut after she said last month that the central bank should not panic and instead wait for more data on the scale of Britain&#39;s economic slowdown.

While many business surveys show Britain&#39;s economy has slowed sharply and may even be entering recession, it is too soon for official data on how the EU vote is affecting output.

The BoE left its forecast for growth this year steady at 2.0 per cent, as the economy expanded faster in the first half of 2016 than it had expected in May.

But 2017 brings a sharp downgrade to growth of just 0.8 per cent from a previous estimate of 2.3 per cent, the biggest downgrade in growth from one Inflation Report to the next, exceeding what was seen in the financial crisis. The growth outlook for 2018 was cut to 1.8 per cent.

The BoE also revised up its inflation forecasts sharply, due to the big fall in sterling since the financial crisis, predicting it will hit 2.4 per cent in 2018 and 2019. The MPC said the costs of trying to bring it back to its 2 per cent target in the immediate future would exceed the benefit.

The Monetary Policy Committee launched the Term Funding Scheme to make sure that the lower levels of interest rates now set by the Bank of England are reflected in the costs commercial banks charge households and companies to borrow funds.

The Bank said it does not expect the scheme to lead to significantly faster aggregate loan growth, but to offset any hit to lending from a cut in official interest rates closer to zero.

Eligible institutions will be able to borrow four-year central bank reserves for an initial period of 18 months at rates close to the Bank Rate.

The lowest cost of funding, the 0.25 per cent Bank Rate, will be for banks that maintain or expand net lending to the economy and the BoE will charge a penalty rate if banks reduce net lending.

The MPC said it could adjust the terms and length of the scheme, which is funded by central bank reserves, and that the value of lending will be determined by usage of the scheme and could reach around 100 billion pounds.

New finance minister Philip Hammond, who replaced George Osborne last month, authorised the bond purchases and the TFS.

&quot;Alongside the actions the Bank is taking, I am prepared to take any necessary steps to support the economy and promote confidence,&quot; Hammond said in a letter to the central bank.

&quot;The government will set out its fiscal plans at the Autumn Statement in the normal way.&quot; released alongside its quarterly economic forecasts.

(Reuters)

The central bank said it expected the economy to stagnate for the rest of 2016 and suffer weak growth throughout next year

The Bank of England cut interest rates for the first time since 2009 on Thursday and said it will buy 60 billion pounds of government debt to ease the blow from Britain's June 23 vote to leave the European Union. The central bank said it expected the economy to stagnate for the rest of 2016 and suffer weak growth throughout next year, and lowered its main lending rate to a record-low 0.25 per cent from 0.5 per cent, in line with market expectations. But it also launched two new schemes, one to buy 10 billion pounds of high-grade corporate bonds and another - potentially worth up to 100 billion pounds - to ensure banks keep lending even after the cut in interest rates. Most MPC members also expected to cut Bank Rate again this year to a rate "close to, but a little above zero", if the economy performed as poorly as forecast "Following the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, the exchange rate has fallen and the outlook for growth in the short to medium term has weakened markedly," the central bank said in its quarterly Inflation Report. Policymakers were not completely united on how to respond. The cut in Bank Rate and the measure intended to ensure banks passed it on to consumers, known as the Term Funding Scheme (TFS), gained unanimous support. But three policymakers, Kristin Forbes, Ian McCafferty and Martin Weale, opposed raising the target for quantitative easing government bond purchases to 435 billion pounds from the 375 billion total reached in late 2012. Forbes also opposed the purchases of corporate debt - something the BoE did briefly after the financial crisis, but more to aid market functioning than to boost growth. Many economists had expected Forbes to oppose a rate cut after she said last month that the central bank should not panic and instead wait for more data on the scale of Britain's economic slowdown. While many business surveys show Britain's economy has slowed sharply and may even be entering recession, it is too soon for official data on how the EU vote is affecting output. The BoE left its forecast for growth this year steady at 2.0 per cent, as the economy expanded faster in the first half of 2016 than it had expected in May. But 2017 brings a sharp downgrade to growth of just 0.8 per cent from a previous estimate of 2.3 per cent, the biggest downgrade in growth from one Inflation Report to the next, exceeding what was seen in the financial crisis. The growth outlook for 2018 was cut to 1.8 per cent. The BoE also revised up its inflation forecasts sharply, due to the big fall in sterling since the financial crisis, predicting it will hit 2.4 per cent in 2018 and 2019. The MPC said the costs of trying to bring it back to its 2 per cent target in the immediate future would exceed the benefit. The Monetary Policy Committee launched the Term Funding Scheme to make sure that the lower levels of interest rates now set by the Bank of England are reflected in the costs commercial banks charge households and companies to borrow funds. The Bank said it does not expect the scheme to lead to significantly faster aggregate loan growth, but to offset any hit to lending from a cut in official interest rates closer to zero. Eligible institutions will be able to borrow four-year central bank reserves for an initial period of 18 months at rates close to the Bank Rate. The lowest cost of funding, the 0.25 per cent Bank Rate, will be for banks that maintain or expand net lending to the economy and the BoE will charge a penalty rate if banks reduce net lending. The MPC said it could adjust the terms and length of the scheme, which is funded by central bank reserves, and that the value of lending will be determined by usage of the scheme and could reach around 100 billion pounds. New finance minister Philip Hammond, who replaced George Osborne last month, authorised the bond purchases and the TFS. "Alongside the actions the Bank is taking, I am prepared to take any necessary steps to support the economy and promote confidence," Hammond said in a letter to the central bank. "The government will set out its fiscal plans at the Autumn Statement in the normal way." released alongside its quarterly economic forecasts. (Reuters)

Bank of England cuts rates for first time since 2009, restarts bond purchases

At the tender age of 26, Taylor Swift is the world&#39;s highest-paid celebrity, pulling in a whopping $170 million over the past year, Forbes magazine said Monday. 
 
The pop diva&#39;s take from June 2015 to June 2016 is the highest total of her young career, the magazine said, more than doubling her previous record of $80 million last year. 
 
She out-earned other famous musicians including Adele ($80.5 million), Madonna ($76.5 million), Rihanna ($75 million) and Bruce Springsteen ($60.5 million). 
 
The &quot;Shake It Off&quot; singer also outpaced rival Katy Perry who was last year&#39;s top-earning musician at $135 million, according to Forbes magazine&#39;s annual list of 100 highest-paid celebrities. 
 
Perry dropped to number 63 on this year&#39;s list, earning a mere $41 million.&nbsp; 
 
Swift&#39;s huge earnings were largely thanks to her &quot;1989 World Tour&quot; during which she smashed the Rolling Stone&#39;s North American record, grossing $200 million on the continent en route to a quarter of a billion worldwide, the magazine said. 
 
Coming in at number two on the list this year was the boy band One Direction, ($110 million), followed by author James Patterson ($95 million). 
 
Taylor&#39;s former beau, musician Calvin Harris, also made the cut coming in at number 21 ($63 million). 
 
&quot;The world&#39;s 100 highest-paid celebrities pulled in $5.1 billion pretax over the past 12 months, more than the GDP of Belize, Gambia and Bhutan combined,&quot; Forbes said. 
 
Magazine editor Zack O&#39;Malley Greenberg said live entertainment continues to be a major cash draw. 
 
&quot;From soccer games in Spain to concerts in China, fans are willing to shell out to see big names, and this is driving the celebrity economy to ever greater heights,&quot; he said in a statement. 
 
On the Hollywood front, Jennifer Lawrence was the industry&#39;s highest-paid actress for the second consecutive year, earning $46 million, a slight drop from the $52 million &quot;The Hunger Games&quot; star banked the year before.&nbsp; 
 
Actor Dwayne Johnson wrestled the highest-paid actor spot from &quot;Iron Man&#39;s&quot; Robert Downey Jr., earning $64.5 million, largely thanks to the billion-dollar &quot;Fast and Furious&quot; franchise and the surprising success of 2015&#39;s &quot;San Andreas&quot; movie.&nbsp; 
 
Many athletes also made the list, including Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo ($88 million), tennis star Roger Federer ($68 million), and German race car driver Sebastian Vettel ($41 million) 
 
(AFP)

With her '1989 World Tour' spiking her earnings, Swift has left Adele, Madonna, Rihanna and Bruce Springsteen behind

At the tender age of 26, Taylor Swift is the world's highest-paid celebrity, pulling in a whopping $170 million over the past year, Forbes magazine said Monday. The pop diva's take from June 2015 to June 2016 is the highest total of her young career, the magazine said, more than doubling her previous record of $80 million last year. She out-earned other famous musicians including Adele ($80.5 million), Madonna ($76.5 million), Rihanna ($75 million) and Bruce Springsteen ($60.5 million). The "Shake It Off" singer also outpaced rival Katy Perry who was last year's top-earning musician at $135 million, according to Forbes magazine's annual list of 100 highest-paid celebrities. Perry dropped to number 63 on this year's list, earning a mere $41 million. Swift's huge earnings were largely thanks to her "1989 World Tour" during which she smashed the Rolling Stone's North American record, grossing $200 million on the continent en route to a quarter of a billion worldwide, the magazine said. Coming in at number two on the list this year was the boy band One Direction, ($110 million), followed by author James Patterson ($95 million). Taylor's former beau, musician Calvin Harris, also made the cut coming in at number 21 ($63 million). "The world's 100 highest-paid celebrities pulled in $5.1 billion pretax over the past 12 months, more than the GDP of Belize, Gambia and Bhutan combined," Forbes said. Magazine editor Zack O'Malley Greenberg said live entertainment continues to be a major cash draw. "From soccer games in Spain to concerts in China, fans are willing to shell out to see big names, and this is driving the celebrity economy to ever greater heights," he said in a statement. On the Hollywood front, Jennifer Lawrence was the industry's highest-paid actress for the second consecutive year, earning $46 million, a slight drop from the $52 million "The Hunger Games" star banked the year before. Actor Dwayne Johnson wrestled the highest-paid actor spot from "Iron Man's" Robert Downey Jr., earning $64.5 million, largely thanks to the billion-dollar "Fast and Furious" franchise and the surprising success of 2015's "San Andreas" movie. Many athletes also made the list, including Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo ($88 million), tennis star Roger Federer ($68 million), and German race car driver Sebastian Vettel ($41 million) (AFP)

Taylor Swift world's highest paid celebrity: Forbes

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