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| Forbes Magazine's 2010 billionaire list is announced in New York on Wednesday. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) |
by Xinhua writer Yang Lei
NEW YORK, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Mexican Telecom titan Carlos Slim Helu took the title of the world's richest person from Bill Gates' pocket, and became the first non-U.S. billionaire to claim the spot in 16 years.
SAME THREE, DIFFERENT ORDER
In the Forbes Magazine's 2010 billionaire list, which was announced in New York on Wednesday, Helu and his family knocked Gates out of the leading post with a total net worth of 53.5 billion U.S. dollars.
Helu ranked the third in the 2009 rankings. His rise has marked the first time since 1994 that the number one position is held by a non-U.S. billionaire. Japanese had occupied the top spot before giving it up to the Microsoft founder Gates in 1994.
Gates, last year's richest man, fell to the second by 500 million dollars less than Helu. Master investor Warren Buffett, whose net worth increased by 10 billion to 47 billion benefiting from a price hike in his Berkshire Hathaway shares, dropped from the second to the third.
Collectively, these three members of the Forbes list have gained 41.5 billion dollars over the past year. During the financial crisis from 2008 to 2009, these three had lost a collective 68 billion dollars.
