India’s ruling Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is among the top 10 most powerful people in the world, according to the Forbes magazine.
Sonia, who is ahead of Microsoft founder Bill Gates (10th), comes in ninth on the list. According to the magazine, the list of World’s Most Powerful People released on Wednesday comprises "the 68 who matter" of the 6.8 billion people on the planet.
Chinese President Hu Jintao was placed on the top of the list, ahead of US President Barack Obama, who topped 2009 rankings. The Forbes 2010 list contains heads of state, major religious figures and entrepreneurs.
Forbes said they were chosen "because, in various ways, they bend the world to their will". The top 10 also included Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (4th), British Prime Minister David Cameron (7th) and chairman of the US Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke (8th).