Top eight billionaires as rich as world's poorest half

The world's eight richest individuals have as much wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of the world.
 
The finding was made by the charity, Oxfam.
 
The charity said its figures, which critics have queried, came from improved data, and the gap between rich and poor was "far greater than feared".
    
The richest eight include Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffett.
    
However, Mark Littlewood, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said Oxfam should focus instead on ways to boost growth.