REUTERS: Bill Gates stands atop Forbes magazine’s annual list of the world’s richest people, as Facebook Inc’s Mark Zuckerberg joined the top 20 and basketball star Michael Jordan plowed new air by making the list for the first time.

Gates’ net worth rose to $79.2 billion from $76bn a year earlier, putting the Microsoft Corp co-founder at the top for the 16th year in the last 21, Forbes said on Monday.

Mexico telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helu ranked second, worth $77.1bn, while Berkshire Hathaway Inc chief Warren Buffett was third, at $72.7bn.

Amancio Ortega, the Spanish founder of Inditex SA, which includes clothing retailer Zara, was fourth at $64.5bn, while Oracle Corp Chairman Larry Ellison was fifth at $54.3bn.

Buffett’s fortune grew $14.5bn from a year earlier, more than anyone’s else, despite his having donated $2.8bn to several charities last July.

Published in Dawn March 3rd , 2015

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