New name tops Forbes' world's richest list

MEXICO CITY - The son of an immigrant shopkeeper has become the first person from a developing nation, and the first from Latin America, to be named the world's richest person.

Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim has passed U.S. billionaires Warren Buffet and Bill Gates to earn the top spot on Forbes' world's richest list.

Forbes' Keren Blankfeld says never before has someone from the developing world earned the spot.

Slim's son-in-law, however, says he is not breaking out the champagne.

Arturo Elias Ayub said yesterday that "this is a number brought out by a magazine that doesn't concern us, or worry us."

But he calls the designation a sign of "confidence in Mexico." Slim is known for wearing inexpensive suits and rarely using computers.

- AP