Businessweek reports that Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin plans to leave almost all of his $2.1 billion fortune to charity within the next decade.

The billionaire says he won’t deprive his three children of material support and will appropriate money for their plans, as well as for unforeseen circumstances.

An article in The Financial Times says that Potanin was inspired by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and has a long history of philanthropy.

The Hurun “Best of the Best” 2010 Awards for preferred brands of China’s  richest consumers were announced yesterday by Hurun Report.

The luxury business magazine is renowned for its annual “China Rich List”

In its sixth edition Hurun surveyed 383 mainland millionaires, each with assets of at least RMB 10 million ($1.5 million).

Among them 66 people have assets of at least RMB 100 million (USD 15 million).

Chuck Feeney, the billionaire philanthropist, is to co-fund a holiday voucher scheme to boost American tourism to Ireland next year.

The 78-year-old Irish American has offered to match government funds to revive the flagging tourism industry, which slumped by 12% this year.

He will support a scheme to offer $100 holiday vouchers to Americans planning a trip to Ireland according to the London Times.

While the rest of the world struggles to bounce back from the global financial crisis, China’s billionaires are living large, snapping up luxury products at a breathtaking pace.

Beijing’s Jinbao Street is the must-visit address for billionaires with yuan to burn.

Once a maze of alleys, the 800-metre (yard) stretch of road is now home to Rolls-Royce, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Gucci, Cartier, the exclusive Hong Kong Jockey Club and several five-star hotels.

India’s richest man took a 66 percent pay cut to “set a personal example of moderation” after India’s government called for austerity in salaries of executives

Mukesh Ambani, the head of Reliance Industries, said he would cap his pay at 150m rupees ($3.3m) this year. He received 440m rupees in 2008.

With a net worth of $19.5 billion, Mukesh Ambani has been ranked seventh in the global list, topped by Microsoft founder Bill Gates ($40 billion).

Castles in France. Islands in the Caribbean. With a collective $1.27 trillion at their disposal, the members of The Forbes 400 could buy almost anything.

How about a country? A quick glance at the CIA Fact Book suggests the individual fortunes of many billionaires are as big as some of the world’s economies.

Bill Gates, America’s richest man with a net worth of $50 billion, has a personal balance sheet larger than the gross domestic product of 140 countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Bolivia and Uruguay.