This is going to come as a shock to children of the information age. Not only has the existence of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny been called into doubt, but is no longer the richest man in the world. Yes, it's that time of year again, when the London Times pays homage to the world's wealthiest in its Rich List. Bill's three-year place at the top of the list has been taken by the owner of the Asda and Walmart chains, Robson Walton. Supermarkets looked good in Europe, too, with the Albrecht brothers, founders of Aldi, reaching the world's top 10 with 21.3 billion euros.
Old money is looking good – in fact the older the better – with the Duke of Westminster named as the UK's richest man. Good to know that Britain can still turn out a top-class toff, but self-made Formula One mogul Bernie Ecclestone has climbed to number three in the UK list. What the Guardian calls the "technology elite" take a predictable tumble: 63 dotcom millionaires have dwindled to 26. Europe's third place is held by media mogul and wannabe prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, with a fortune that has grown by 5.4 billion euros over the last year. But second place – beaten only by the aforementioned grocers Albrecht – goes to French cosmetic maker Liliane Bettencourt (a spotcom, perhaps?). It's not until number 12 that we see the word "software" and then it only seems to be a sideline of Walter Haefner's car sales business.
Globally, new industry – or at least older new industry is looking better. Bill Gates is still in the number two spot, with other Microsofters Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer at numbers six and 15. And
Larry Ellison, at number three, is a clear 14 billion euros ahead of King Fahd.
In Scotland, again bucking the tech-tumble trend, newcomers include software couple Iain and Sheena Graham (240 million euros) as well as author JK Rowling (104 million euros). Finally, good news for poor Sir Peter Bonfield, who has been holding on to his job as British Telecom somewhat precariously of late. The Sunday Telegraph reveals that if BT is merged or taken over he will get a "golden parachute" worth more than £5 million (8 million euros) "irrespective of whether any performance measure has been satisfied".
Gates 'no longer world's richest man'
BBC
Gates is 'no longer world's richest man'
ITN
Pile-it-high strategy pushes discount king to top of heap
The Guardian
The Rich List
The Sunday Times
Stagecoach tycoons ousted from top of Scottish rich list
Ananova
Bonfield's golden parachute
The Telegraph
