Zuckerberg donates $ 500 mn to charity

US: With Christmas just days away, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has announced a donation of about a half-billion dollars worth of his company's stock to charity in Silicon Valley.

Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla, gave 18 million shares to a foundation to orchestrate grants for local causes focused on education and health, according to a post on his Facebook page. "Two years ago, Priscilla and I signed The Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of the money we earn to charity," he said in the message.

"In order to lay the foundation for new projects, we've made a contribution of 18 million shares to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation." Facebook shares were trading at $27.76 on the Nasdaq exchange at mid-day. Zuckerberg is one of more than a dozen US billionaires who pledged to donate the majority of their wealth to charity.

AFP