Australian tycoon 'is world's richest woman'
Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart has eclipsed Wal-Mart heiress Christy Walton to become the world's wealthiest woman, according to an annual index by Business Review Weekly.
A preview of the respected BRW Rich 200 list, published Wednesday, put the mining tycoon's personal fortune at Aus$29.17 billion (US$28.48 billion), a figure that sees her outstrip Walton for the first time.
In March, Forbes placed Walton and her family's net worth at US$25.3 billion, while Rinehart's fortune stood at US$18 billion.
BRW rich list editor Andrew Heathcote said mining magnate Rinehart had almost tripled her wealth in 12 months as commodity prices rose and she pulled off two deals in iron ore and coal.
"The Aus$18.87 billion increase in her wealth is unparalleled. It is a product of foreign investment in new projects, increased production and a recovery in the iron ore price over the past six months," said Heathcote.
Rinehart, 58, heiress to an iron ore prospecting empire built in Australia's resources-rich west, is a controversial figure who stridently campaigned against new mining taxes and recently bought up big in the media sector.
She is also locked in a series of lawsuits, including an acrimonious row with her own children over a family trust where she has been accused of threatening to financially ruin them.
Heathcote said Rinehart was on track to overtake Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim -- worth US$69 billion -- as the world's richest person as demand ramps up for Australia's natural resources.
"A $100 billion fortune is not out of the question for Rinehart if the resources boom continues unabated," said Heathcote.
"There is a real possibility that Rinehart will become not just the richest woman in the world but the richest person in the world."
The full BRW list of Australia's richest people, the upper rungs of which are usually dominated by mining tycoons, will be unveiled on Thursday.
(Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)
根据《商业评论周刊》年度索引，澳大利亚首富吉娜•莱茵哈特盖过沃尔玛女继承人克里斯提•沃尔顿，成为全世界最富有的女人。
《商业评论周刊》周三发布了公信力颇高的200强富豪榜的预告。预告显示，这位矿业大亨的个人财富首次超过了沃尔顿，以291.7亿澳元（合284.8亿美元）的个人资产居于首位。
三月份的《福布斯》杂志显示，沃尔顿一家的净资产为253亿美元，而莱茵哈特的资产为180亿美元。
《商业评论周刊》富豪榜的编辑安德鲁•希斯考特说，矿业巨头莱茵哈特的财富在12个月里增加了近两倍，一方面是因为商品价格的上涨，另一方面是由于她最近做成了两笔铁矿和煤炭生意。
希斯考特说：“她的财富增加速度是无人能比的，一年就增加了188.7亿澳元。这是新项目外国投资、产量增加和过去六个月内铁矿价格复苏的结果。”
58岁的莱茵哈特继承了在资源丰富的澳大利亚西部创立起来的一家铁矿勘探大企业。她高调反对新矿业税，近来还大量收购媒体，是个备受争议的人物。
她还被一连串官司缠身，包括和自己的孩子因家庭基金发生的激烈争吵，她被控威胁让孩子破产。
希斯考特说，随着对澳大利亚自然资源需求量的增加，莱茵哈特有望赶超墨西哥电信大亨卡洛斯•斯利姆（其个人资产为690亿美元），成为全世界最富有的人。
希斯考特说：“如果自然资源需求持续强劲，1000亿美元的财富对莱茵哈特来说并非不可能。”
“很有可能莱茵哈特不仅会是全世界最富有的女人，而且会成为全世界最富有的人。”
《商业评论周刊》富豪榜完整榜单中，位居前列的澳大利亚富豪通常都是矿业大亨。该榜单将于周四公布。
Vocabulary:
magnate: （实业界的）巨头
pull off: （成功地）完成
stridently: 尖声地；刺耳地
acrimonious: （言语、态度等）刻薄的；辛辣的；激烈的
out of the question: 不可能的
unabated: 不减弱的
