World's Billionaires - #2

© AP Photo

• Second-richest man in the world this year; even richer than Microsoft's Bill Gates, at least for now, thanks to strong Mexican equities market and the performance of his wireless telephone company, America Movil.
• The son of a Lebanese immigrant, Slim made his first fortune in 1990 when he bought fixed-line operator Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex) in a privatization.
• In December, America Movil struck a deal with Yahoo! to provide mobile Web services to 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• A widower and father of six, Slim is a baseball fan and art collector. He keeps his art collection in Mexico City's Museo Soumaya, which he named after his late wife.
• In recent years, he has donated close to $7 billion worth of cash and stock to fund education and health projects, and to the revitalization of Mexico City's downtown historical district.

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