Ambani, Mittal among world's top 10 billionaires

Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu has topped the Forbes magazine list of the world's richest billionaires, the first time the title has been held by a non-American for 16 years. Slim, and a fresh crop of billionaires in Asia helped lead a comeback for the wealthiest few on the planet in 2010, Forbes magazine said.

Forbes has released its list of the world's top 10 billionaires for 2010. The top slot in this year's list was taken by Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim, ahead of Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. It is the first time since 1994 that an American has not been ranked first. Here's a look at the top ten people in the list.

Carlos Slim: Net worth: $53.5 billion

The rise of Slim, the son of an immigrant shopkeeper who amassed a $53.5 billion fortune and bought a major stake in the New York Times, is part of an increased presence on the list of billionaires from emerging countries, said Forbes.
Bill Gates: Net worth $53 billion

Bill Gates, 54, chairman of Microsoft, fell to second as his net worth increased $13 billion, to $53 billion. Gates has held the top spot for 14 of the past 15 years in the past.
Warren Buffett: Net Worth: $47 billion

Mr Buffett, 79, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, came in third with $47 billion. America's favorite investor gained $10 billion in past 12 months on surging Berkshire Hathaway shares.

Mukesh Ambani: Net Worth: $29 billion

Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani was ranked fourth in the latest Forbes World's Billionaires list. Reliance Industries is India's largest private sector conglomerate (by market value), having interests ranging from petroleum products, petrochemicals to garments.
Lakshmi Mittal: Net worth: $28.7 billion

Steel czar Lakshmi Mittal came in fifth in the latest Forbes list with a fortune of $28.7 billion. Mittal oversees ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel maker which has a presence in more than 60 countries.

Although China has larger number of billionaires than India, ten of Asia's top 25 are Indian while China has one. Hong Kong and Japan each have five and China has one in Asia's top 25.
Lawrence Ellison: Net Worth: $28 billion

Sixth ranked Lawrence Joseph Ellison is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, a major enterprise software company.

Bernard Arnault: Net Worth: $27.5 billion

France's Bernard Arnault, 61, whose LVMH sells Louis Vuitton, Moet & Chandon, and other luxury goods, was ranked seventh with his net worth at $27.5 billion.
Eike Batista Net Worth: $27 billion

Eike Batista has made it to the top 10 of Forbes' billionaires list for the first time. The Brazilian billionaire has the biggest increase in net worth given the steep rise in the value of his oil, mining and energy business.
Amancio Ortega Net Worth $25 billion

Spanish clothing magnate Amancio Ortega was ranked as the 9th richest man in the world. He is the founder and chairman of the Inditex Group.

Karl Albrecht: Net Worth: $23.5 billion

Karl Hans Albrecht is a German entrepreneur who founded the discount supermarket chain Aldi. (Image not available)