DTN News: The Forbes Rich List 2010 / Mexico's Carlos Slim Overtakes Gates In World Rich List

DTN News: The Forbes Rich List 2010 / Mexico's Carlos Slim Overtakes Gates In World Rich List Source: DTN News / Forbes Magazine (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 11, 2010: Mexican telecom giant Carlos Slim has topped Forbes magazine's billionaire's list - the first time since 1994 that an American has not led the rankings. Mr Slim's fortune rose by $18.5bn (£12.4bn) last year to $53.5bn. That beat Microsoft founder Bill Gates ($53bn) into second place, with US investor Warren Buffet ($43bn) third. In 2009 332 names left the list after a tough year, but the total number of billionaires on this year's list rose from 793 to 1,011, Forbes said. A spokesman for Carlos Slim refused to confirm the Forbes estimate of the Mexican tycoon's wealth, saying they did not "waste their time" on such calculations, but he welcomed the result. "We are pleased that he's been considered the best businessman of the world," spokesman Arturo Elias told the BBC. "It means there is trust among the investors." The year's biggest gainer, Brazilian mining tycoon Eike Batista, broke into the top 10 for the first time. He came in at number seven, having boosting his wealth by $19.5bn to $27bn.

Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim is the new richest person in the world, knocking Microsoft founder Bill Gates into second spot, Forbes said on Wednesday. It is only the second time since 1995 that Gates has lost the crown, said the magazine. Here is Forbes ranking of the 20 richest people in the world: 1. Carlos Slim (Mexico) - $US53.5 billion, telecommunications 2. Bill Gates (USA) - $US53 billion, Microsoft 3. Warren Buffett (USA) - $US47 billion, Berkshire Hathaway 4. Mukesh Ambani (India) - $US29 billion, petrochemicals, oil and gas 5. Lakshmi Mittal (India) - $US28.7 billion, steel 6. Larry Ellison (USA) - $US28 billion, Oracle 7. Bernard Arnault (France) - $US27.5 billion, LVMH 8. Eike Batista (Brazil) - $US27 billion, mining, oil 9. Amancio Ortega (Spain) - $US25 billion, retail 10. Karl Albrecht (Germany) - $US23.5 billion, supermarkets 11. Ingvar Kamprad & family (Sweden) - $US23 billion, Ikea 12. Christy Walton & family (USA) - $US22.5 billion, Walmart 13. Stefan Persson (Sweden) - $US22.4 billion, Hennes & Mauritz 14. Li Ka-shing (Hong Kong) - $US21 billion, diversified 15. Jim Walton (USA) - $US20.7 billion, Walmart 16. Alice Walton (USA) - $US20.6 billion, Walmart 17. Liliane Bettencourt (France) - $US20 billion, L'Oreal 18. S. Robson Walton (USA) - $US19.8 billion, Walmart 19. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud (Saudi Arabia) - $US19.4 billion, investments 20. David Thomson & family (Canada) - $US19 billion, news and information company Thomson Reuters The full Forbes ranking of the world's billionaires can be seen at www.forbes.com/billionaires.

DTN News: German Chancellor Angela Merkel Still World's Most Powerful Woman: Forbes

DTN News: German Chancellor Angela Merkel Still World's Most Powerful Woman: Forbes

*Source: DTN News / AFP

(NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK, USA - August 20, 2009: German leader Angela Merkel and businesswomen dominate Forbes magazine's new list of powerful women, while First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn't break the top 30. German Chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party waves during a CDU pre-election party on German's North Sea island Norderney on August 17, 2009. Merkel and businesswomen dominate Forbes magazine's new list of powerful women, while First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn't break the top 30. Merkel headed the list, published Wednesday, for the fourth year running, with the magazine highlighting her role as leader of the huge German economy and her likely re-election in September. Reflecting the world's focus on recession and the struggle to keep the financial markets afloat, Merkel was followed almost exclusively by businesswomen. In second place came Sheila Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, which insures US banks. Third was Indra Nooyi, chief executive at PepsiCo, then Cynthia Carroll, the chief executive of mining giant Anglo American, and Ho Ching, chief executive at Singapore's government investment company Temasek Holdings. Hillary Clinton slipped from 28 last year, when she was close to winning the Democratic presidential nomination to 36, despite heading the powerful US State Department. Michelle Obama came into the list for the first time. Although she has the ear of the US president around the clock, she ranked only 40. Below her, at 42, came Britain' Queen Elizabeth II. Herewith the full top 10 in the list on www.forbes.com/women : 1: Angela Merkel, chancellor. Germany 2: Sheila Bair, chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. US. 3: Indra Nooyi, chief executive, PepsiCo. US. 4: Cynthia Carroll, chief executive, Anglo American. UK. 5: Ho Ching, chief executive, Temasek Holdings. Singapore 6: Irene Rosenfeld, chief executive, Kraft Foods. US. 7: Ellen Kullman, chief executive, DuPont. US. 8: Angela Braly, chief executive, WellPoint. US. 9: Anne Lauvergeon, chief executive, Areva. France 10: Lynn Elsenhans, chief executive, Sunoco. US.