Richie Rich

The Top Ten:
1. Carlos Slim Helu (£35.7bn)
Telecoms, Mexico 
Tycoon who pounced on privatisation of Mexico's national telephone company in the 1990s becomes world's richest person for first time after coming in third place last year.
2. Bill Gates (£35.4bn)
Microsoft, US
More than 60% of fortune held outside Microsoft including Four Seasons hotels, Televisa, Auto Nation.
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3. Warren Buffett (£31.3bn)
Investments, US 
Shrewdly invested £3.3bn in Goldman Sachs and £2bn in General Electric amid 2008 market collapse.
4. Mukesh Ambani (£19.3bn)
Petrochemicals, oil and gas, India
His Reliance Industries, India's most valuable company, bid £1.3bn for 65% stake in troubled Canadian oil sands outfit Value Creations.
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5. Lakshmi Mittal (£19.1bn)
Steel, India
London's richest resident oversees ArcelorMittal, world's largest steel maker. Net profits fell 75% in 2009. Mittal took 12% pay cut but improved outlook pushed stock up one-third.
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6. Lawrence Ellison (£18.7bn)
Oracle, US
Database giant has bought 57 companies in the past five years. Completed £5bn buyout of Sun Microsystems in January.
7. Bernard Arnault (£18.3bn)
Luxury goods, France
The richest European thanks to shares of his luxury goods outfit LVMH - maker of Louis Vuitton, Moet & Chandon - surging 57%.
8. Eike Batista (£18.2bn)
Mining, oil, Brazil
This year's biggest gainer added £13bn to his personal balance sheet. Son of Brazil's revered former mining minister got his start in gold trading and mining.
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9. Amancio Ortega (£16.6bn)
Fashion retail, Spain
Owns Inditex; fashion firm, which operates under brand names including Zara, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius. It has 4,500 stores in 73 countries.
10. Karl Albrecht (£15.7bn)
Supermarkets, Germany
Owns discount supermarket giant Aldi Sud, one of Germany's (and Europe's) largest stores. Estimated sales: £24.7bn.
|FORBES RICH LIST: T0P 100 BILLIONAIRES 2010... [continues]

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