Washington, July 4:

It no longer seems clear who tops the world of the super-rich, after Mexican media claimed that Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim had surpassed Microsoft foun-der Bill Gates as the ric-hest man on the planet.

According to the calculations of online magazine Sentido Comun, Slim was worth $67.8 billion at the end of June to Gates’ $59.2 billion. But US magazine For-bes, publisher of the famous annual list of the super-wealthy, mainta-ined that Gates was top dog. A spokesman for Forbes yesterday said it keeps its list up-to-date on a daily basis, and continued to post Gates as the richest man in the world on its website.

Gates has led Forbes’ rich list for the last 13 years. Sentido Comun reported that Slim’s ju-mp was based on 26.5 per cent rise in shares of America Movil in the second quarter and on April-June appreciation by 11.1 per cent of titles of Telefonos de Mexico.

In March, Forbes estimated Gates’ wealth at $56 billion, with Slim second at $53.1 billion. Slim at that time overtook financial investor Warren Buffett, with $52.4 billion.