Philanthropy

1. Film icon tops list of biggest givers

   Paul Newman, the late American actor, has beaten film stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to the number one spot of the most generous US celebrity philanthropists in 2008.

2. Million pound donations drop 13%

   Charitable donations over £1m have fallen 13% since the onset of the recession, while the number of donors making commitments at this level has fallen just 6%, suggesting resilience of the UK philanthropy sector, according to new research.

3. Lazard Hires Trust Head For Wealth-Management Business

   International merchant bank and money manager Lazard has hired former Fiduciary Trust adviser Sharon Klein to oversee the delivery of trust and estate-planning services to its private clients in the U.S. She reports to Thaddeus Shelly, chief executive of Lazard's U.S. wealth-management business.

4. Annie Lennox SINGS for her supper

   Annie Lennox, one half of 1980s band Eurhythmics, heckled London mayor Boris Johnson from the stage at last night’s Fortune Forum dinner to advance social change.

5. Buyout magnates turn to philanthropy to motivate and attract staff

   The popular perception of the private equity industry as a profit-seeking elite ignores the attempt by many within it to do good.

6. Wealthy donors "matter the most"

   Donations made to UK charities have dropped 11% over the past year, or £1.3bn, according to new research, although wealthy donors continue to generate almost half the total given to charity.

7. Art and money: The City's top five donors

   London Mayor Boris Johnson this week appealed to financiers to consider donating their bonuses to support the arts, citing London's artistic heritage as one of the City's advantages over rival financial centres. Here, Financial News profiles five of the most prominent donors from the ranks of the UK's wealthy bankers, asset managers and private equity types.

8. The Roman Empire

   Russia's Roman Abramovich has quietly added a $90 million estate in St. Bart's to his global toy chest, which already includes a Cap d'Antibes chateau, an English soccer team and one of the world's largest yachts.

9. Senior buyout duo sign-up for charity push

   A UK-based group that raises money from private equity firms and donates it to charities has appointed two high-profile figures from Europe's buyout sector to its board, as the number of philanthropists emerging from the industry continues to grow.

10. Art for art’s sake

    One morning in 1494 the residents of Florence awoke to find their city blanketed in snow. On a whim, Piero de’ Medici, the newly installed ruler of the city state, decided to mark this unusual event by ordering an 18-year-old Michelangelo to make a snowman in the courtyard of his palace.