WASHINGTON - German Chancellor Angela Merkel was named the most powerful woman in the world by Forbes yet again in its annual list of most powerful women.
The list also saw 19 newcomers, including singer Taylor Swift who was ranked 64th on the annual list.
Temasek Holdings CEO Ho Ching moved up to No. 43, from 59th spot last year. Ms Ho was also included in Forbes' "Hall of Fame" which comprised seven women who appeared in the inaugural list in 2004, and are still on the list today. The others on this list include former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde.
Dr Merkel has made the list 10 times over the past 12 years - nine times as No. 1, Forbes said. The Chancellor and de facto leader of Europe was the fifth most powerful person in the world in Forbes' 2014 power list.
The highest-ranked Asian woman is South Korean President Park Geun Hye at No. 11.
The others include PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, media magnate Oprah Winfrey, Queen Elizabeth II and Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Here are the top 10 this year:
1. Angela Merkel, German Chancellor
2. Hillary Clinton, US presidential candidate
3. Melinda Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
4. Janet Yellen, Chair, US Federal Reserve
5. Mary Barra, CEO, General Motors
6. Christine Lagarde, Managing director, International Monetary Fund
7. Dilma Rousseff, President, Brazil
8. Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook
9. Susan Wojcicki, CEO, YouTube, Google
10. Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
