Photos: The top 10 most powerful people

The top 10 most powerful people

1. Hu Jintao, President of China
Paramount political leader of more people than anyone else on the plan..
2. Barack Obama, President of the U..
Obama's Democrats suffered a mighty blow in US midterm elections, with..
3. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud,..
Absolute ruler of desert kingdom that contains the world's largest cru..
4. Vladimir Putin, PM of Russia
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been named the fourth most p..
5. Pope Benedict XVI
Highest earthly authority for 1.1 billion souls, or one-sixth of world..
6. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Ger..
Most powerful woman on the planet. Chancellor of Germany oversees Euro..
7. David Cameron, PM of the United ..
Youngest British Prime Minister in 198 years is product of privilege: ..
8. Ben Bernanke, Chairman (Federal ..
Some argue Fed's influence is at all-time high, given size of its burg..
9. Sonia Gandhi, President (Indian ..
Despite Italian birth, foreign religion (Roman Catholic) and political..
10. Bill Gates, Founder of Microsof..
Selling charity raffle tickets is hard; coaxing tycoons to pledge half..