28 December 2010

BRASIL: Profile: Multi-Billionaire Eike Batista; Chasing Mexico's Carlos Slim To Be World's Richest.

GUARDIAN/ TOM PHILLIPS/ Profile /
 
   Multi-billionaire Eike Batista, 53, Brasil's richest man and the eighth richest in the world sees nothing but boom times ahead for his country and, of course, himself.
   Batista has two goals: to transform Rio into a dynamic and affluent city and to become the richest man on Earth.
   The world's richest man, Mexico's "Mister Carlos Slim, has to invent a new race kart to catch up," said Batista.
     "Most of [Brazil's wealthiest] people live 90% of their lives in Brazil … [but] they save money to buy something in New York, or in Miami or London or Paris," he said. "Their children sometimes have to drive in armoured cars. Let's change this. This is the paradise," he stated.