Manmohan in Time magazine's list of influential people

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chinese President Hu Jintao and North Korean leader Kim Jong II have been named by 'Time' magazine in its list of 100 most influential people of the world along with US President George W Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

The 'Time 100' list, featured in the latest issue of the magazine, also includes Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, former US president Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian leader Mahmood Abbas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, African National Congress President Thabo Mbeki and US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

An article in the magazine on Dr Singh by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said, "The man in the blue turban, despite his great success, has remained approachable and ready to listen and instinctively sympathetic to the underdogs of society."

Some interesting names in the list include Al Qaeda terrorist Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, possible successor to the papacy Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Indonesian teacher Dina Astita, who survived the December 26 tsunami and was elected to coordinate efforts to restart schooling in her town Calang.

Of the 100 politicians, revolutionaries, businesspersons, actors, artists, scientists and heroes in the list, 49 are from North America, 19 from Europe, 12 from Asia, eight from the Middle-East, four from Africa and eight from the rest of the world, a release issued by 'Time' magazine said on Sunday.