Richest man in the world - Carlos Slim Helu

Well, we know one thing that ain’t slim about Carlos Slim Helu… his wallet! (LOL!) The Mexican tycoon has nabbed the top spot on the 2010 Forbes list of the richest men in the world, marking the first time in the past 16 years that an American hasn’t been pegged the most wealthy.
Slim - who, in addition to a number of telecom holdings and other companies, owns about seven percent of the New York Times - has a fortune estimated at $53.5 billion, which grew by $18.5 billion over the past year (yeah, let that sink in for a second). Bill Gates, worth a mere $53 billion, has the #2 spot, an unfamiliar home for the Microsoft co-founder, who has been at the top of the list 14 of the last 15 years. Warren Buffet came in third, with an estimated $47 billion.
And Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 23rd on the overall list, was the top New Yorker, with an estimated personal fortune of $18 billion.