The good news: Fewer people are dying on the job in the United States.

Hopeful signs for women: Our fifth annual ranking showcases women who have beat out men for top posts this year, including Lynn Laverty Elsenhans (No. 39), the new chief of Sunoco; Gail Kelly (No. 11), who heads Australian bank Westpac; and Jane Mendillo (No. 42), who was just named to run the $35 billion Harvard University endowment.

Roger Federer had been the top-ranked tennis player in the world for a record 237 consecutive weeks--until this week, when he finally relinquished the top spot to Spains Rafael Nadal.

In the wake of the first Gulf War, the U.S. Army assessed Saudi Arabias solar energy resource potential in a classified effort to determine how oil fires had affected the region.

Earlier this year, Nepal voted to eliminate its 240-year-old Hindu monarchy, and former king Gyanendra was forced to turn over his royal palace in Kathmandu, which has become a museum.

It has been some year for Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. In the past 12 months, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-born hip-hop demigod released a platinum album, signed a 10-year, $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation and tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles. Quite a record. But only good enough for a silver medal.

It is election season, which means over-hyped political conventions, negative TV ads and, of course, money.

RAFAH, Gaza -- Gazas underground smuggling business is booming. Ever since Israel and Egypt, in conjunction with the international community enforced an economic embargo on the Gaza Strip in June last year, preventing the export or import of most commodities, apart from a trickle of humanitarian goods, Gazas business has been forced underground, literally.

An address is more than a location. Its a brand.

Whats the worlds most economically powerful city? If you picked New York or Tokyo, youd be wrong.

Tinseltowns leading ladies may generate more tabloid ink, but when it comes to blockbuster paychecks, Hollywood is still a mans town.

At first mention of a vacation, the Middle East isnt usually the first spot that comes to mind. Yet the images of violence that flash across the nightly news are just an unfortunate subplot in the greater story of the region, which boasts some of the most pristine and, yes, tranquil attractions in the world.

In 1998, Moscow was in crisis. More than 100,000 Russians took to the streets as a slew of banks--and the life savings of millions of citizens--went bust. But just a decade later, the global commodities boom has made Russia flush with cash, and Moscow has become a pricey place to live.

Before a job applicant at Nationwide Auto Insurance even sees or speaks to a human being at the company, the candidate must pass two rounds of online tests.

U.S. consumer confidence may be at its lowest in 16 years, but the worlds ultra-rich who like to spend their money on things or experiences that will enhance their lifestyle, such as travel or jewelry, arent deterred by the shaky economy.

Money cant buy you good taste but it can definitely buy you the most expensive burger in the world. Named simply, The Burger, it is selling at 95 pounds ($185) at a Burger King in the exclusive district of South Kensington on Wednesday.

The Middle East and North Africa, or MENA, will experience strong domestic growth in its energy, infrastructure, utilities, real estate and financial sectors, a survey into confidence and market sentiment in the regions private equity market shows.

Enter the Dragon in Middle East politics. No, this is not the title of a remake of an old Bruce Lee action-packed made in Hong Kong karate movie. Rather, this title refers more to Chinas new policies in countering Western influence for a piece of the Middle Easts most important commodity – oil.

AMMAN -- Despite a pledge by Saudi Arabia to increase its crude output by next week, oil prices continued an upward trend on Friday and more than doubled since a year ago, jumping to a new record high of more than $142 a barrel, giving credence to producer claims that the cause is not insufficient supplies, but unbridled speculation.

ERBIL, Iraq -- It could be the new age for wildcatters, or just the new age of Iraqi oil development, but the monthly gathering of operators in Iraqs Kurdistan region is an optimistic party despite above-ground challenges that eclipse those subsoil.

If there was a clear link between savvy business and popularity, Toyota would be this springs prom queen.

It is the year of the tween. Coming off a massive concert tour, a hit 3-D movie--and a risqué picture in Vanity Fair--pop star Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) leads a slew of young stars onto Forbes annual Celebrity 100 ranking of the worlds ultra-famous.

In 2007, travelers lost 320 million hours to flight delays. This means the airlines are paying extra for crew, fuel and maintenance. Passengers are missing connecting flights, business meetings, dinner and hotel reservations. A May report from Congress Joint Economic Committee put the total losses at $40 billion annually.

If you had a couple of billion dollars, would you strap on a BlackBerry, jump on a plane and give a speech about why consumers should love your product? A shocking number of billionaires do.

A little over two years ago, when Donald Trump listed Maison de LAmitié in Palm Beach, Fla., for $125 million, it was a sign of the times.

There is no cellphone more anticipated this year than the next generation of the Apple iPhone. But for some high rollers, the ultimate iPhone is a diamond-encrusted version from London jeweler Amosu. At 20,000 pounds ($39,600), the creation ranks among the worlds most expensive phones.

Though Prince William was born with gilded birthrights to fame, wealth and beauty, he had to wait 25 years for another title. The Princes international intrigue and unparalleled media attention earned him the top spot this year on Forbes annual ranking of the worlds Hottest Young Royals.

TEHRAN -- As Irans economy is buffeted by inflation, the countrys homeowners are fast becoming richer in a real estate bubble that is driving affordable housing beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.

Eritrean President Issaias Afeworki used an independence day speech Saturday to warn that this government may impose price controls and import restrictions to counter rising world commodity prices.

Got a pink BlackBerry Pearl? Chances are, youre a busy, 30-something mother who wields the phone like an electronic Filofax. The Pearls compact design, speedy access to e-mail, and electronic calendar and to-do list make it a perfect fit for on-the-go Gen X moms, says Jonathan Steuer, a vice president at cultural trends researcher Iconoculture. Verizon Wireless even promoted the pink Pearl as a Mothers Day gift this year.

CAIRO – If official statistics are anything to go by, Egypts economy is surging to ever greater levels. But try telling the man or woman on the street that the country reported a 7.1 percent growth rate in the last fiscal year and they will look at you in disbelief.

The Middle East is hardly known as the capital of clean energy, but Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are trying to change that.

Burglars beware. Theres a house not far from New York City thats waiting for you.

In the words of supermodel and Project Runway host Heidi Klum: In fashion, one day youre in and the next youre out. One could say the same about Forbes.coms 2008 list of the Worlds Top-Earning Models. Some beauties moved up, some down, some off, a few on.

A central tenet of U.S. Middle East foreign policy has been to maintain Washingtons sanctions imposed on Iran under the 1996 Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, or ILSA, and persuade or strong-arm other nations into minimizing their trade relations with the Islamic republic.

Collarity, a company based in Palo Alto, California, epitomizes the next frontier in Internet searching with its behavior content and ad targeting platform that harnesses the collective history of previous searches to provide a more personalized search experience. Collarity has recently formed a partnership with Ynet, the most visited online Israeli news source, to provide Ynet users with a more fulfilling search experience.

As Islamic finance grows by leaps and bounds, a handful of capital cities are champing at the bit to become the center of the industry, which currently boasts some $500 billion in assets.

In April, the Amana Trust Income Fund, with nearly $400 million under management, won a Lipper Fund Award in the equity income category for the second year in a row. Not only has manager Nicholas Kaiser managed a repeat victory over nearly 200 similar funds, hes done it while selecting stocks that dont violate Sharia, or Islamic law.

You dont need a kingdom to invest like a sheik. The Arabian Peninsula may be known for its arid deserts, but its also home to a fertile oasis of economic growth. The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries-- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)--channel their oil wealth into homeland economies and mammoth infrastructure projects. Grabbing a piece of regional trends in banking, construction and telecommunications could give your portfolio a boost.

Both Middle Eastern and Western banks spend much time analyzing Islamic financial law these days, as they create instruments that comply with religious rules. The spirit of Islamic finance--as opposed to the letter--often goes undiscussed.

The notion of ethical investing goes back at least to 1758, when the Quakers banned profiting from the slave trade. But the market for ethical investments has always remained a niche. The goals of maximizing profit and fulfilling a moral agenda conflict more often than they complement one another, and investors who want to put ethics first have turned out to be relatively few. "Socially responsible investing," or SRI, as it is called these days, has never captured the heart of Wall Street.

Picture 19th-century London and you might imagine quaint, horse-drawn carriages creaking along cobbled streets at the snails pace of seven miles per hour. Surprisingly enough, the average speed at which cars travel through London today is not that much faster.

At an age when most children learn division, Ernesto Bertarelli studied the pharmaceutical business. His father, head of the drug-making company Serono, took his son to company meetings and industry conferences starting when he was just seven years old.

The age of the mega city is just beginning. Ready or not, huge metros are growing across the globe. The question is how many are ready, from an infrastructural and environmental standpoint, to handle the load.

When it comes to the ranks of the worlds billionaires, the fairer sex is still very much the rarer sex. In 2008, Forbes counted 99 female billionaires, 16 more than last year, but still representing slightly less than 9 percent of the worlds 1,125 billionaires. Just making it into the ranks of this uber-exclusive club is enough to turn these women into some of the most envied people in the world.

After Steve Wynn finished building his colossal Mirage hotel and casino, Sheldon Adelson quipped, "You do a good job… maybe could work for me."

Russia had the second-highest number of billionaires in the world this year, but when it comes to wealth in government, the former Soviet Union is clearly No. 1.

When people think of tax havens, they usually picture the Swiss Alps or Caribbean islands.

Looking for love--or just a night out--among the jet set?

Shunned by most Muslim countries where pork consumption is a religious taboo, pig farming is blooming in Morocco thanks to a growing tourist industry and pragmatic breeders like 39-year-old Said Samouk.

Its been a long time since the old bank in Eritreas main Red Sea port had a customer. Like much of the ancient city of Massawa, it was devastated by heavy Ethiopian bombing raids during its liberation in 1990 by Eritrean guerrilla fighters.

Turkish shares and currency regained some of their losses in trading Tuesday after falling more than 7 percent the previous day over investor shock by an attempt of the countrys top prosecutor to ban the Islamist-rooted ruling party for undermining the nations secular system.

Empire builders like Bill Gates and Sam Walton arent just great businessmen. They are bona fide revolutionaries.

Whoever said youth was wasted on the young probably wasnt talking about the youngest members of our billionaires list.

Ever experience a sudden, strong desire to gamble, or a funny feeling that youve been driving in your sleep?

Evan Zimmermann loves watches. Hes so passionate about horology, in fact, that four years ago he quit his day job as a lawyer and became the managing director of New Yorks Antiquorum, the largest watch auction house in the world. Now, immersed in the world of watches, Zimmermann, 40, can keep an eager eye on rare timepieces as they become available to add to his constantly evolving personal collection.

The number 13 has long been considered unlucky by superstitious people around the globe. How fitting, then, that Bill Gates reign as the worlds richest person ends after his 13th year at the top.

Unless youre in the oil business, theres little reason to brave the choking pollution of Baku, Azerbaijan. Fetid water, oil ponds and life-threatening levels of air pollution emitted from drilling and shipping land the former Soviet manufacturing center at the bottom of this years list as the worlds dirtiest city.

Beth Breidenbach calls it the "vulture hover."

Mastering a foreign language is a tough slog. For the 1.5 million college students hunched over a foreign language textbook, spending hundreds of hours trying to perfect their Spanish or French, their studies are meant to be a promising investment. Increased pay and plum jobs have long been dangled before students as an incentive for bilingualism.

Bahrain is an island state with a population of about 800,000 people. It is located off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. It was the first Arab state where large quantities of oil were found back in the inter-war years. It was also the first state where the oil essentially ran out.

The numbers are startling: According to videogame tracking site VG Chartz, Nintendo has sold an astonishing 20.9 million Wii game consoles worldwide, while Microsoft has sold 16.9 million Xbox 360s and Sony has managed to move just 9.8 million PlayStation 3s (PS3).

Homes in Tokyo and London have always been expensive, but the dollars recent plunge has made these and other pricey markets particularly daunting for American expatriates, businesses and anyone unlucky enough to receive a salary in greenbacks.

One billion dollars is no longer enough. The price of admission to this, the 25th anniversary edition of the Forbes 400, is $1.3 billion, up $300 million from last year. The collective net worth of the nations mightiest plutocrats rose $290 billion to $1.54 trillion.

The dollar dived close to its all-time low against the euro on Friday after news that the US economy had shed 17,000 jobs in January, dealers said.

In the Middle East, its not only oil thats booming.

Oil prices rose Friday at the end of a week in which they have slumped further from recent record highs of above 100 dollars amid concerns about a possible drop in energy demand, dealers said.

It used to be heiresses just lunched, shopped and partied. Dont tell the $20 billion babies on Forbes list of the 20 Most Intriguing Billionaire Heiresses, who defy the stereotype of the bon-bon popping princess thanks to achievements in business, sports and the arts.

Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bought himself a flying palace for more than $320 million. What might the double-decker Airbus A380 look like once it takes to the skies?

Is $100 oil a cause to celebrate? The answer is, yes -- in the short term, and no -- in the long term. The answer also depends on who you are and where you sit.