Putin overtakes Obama in 'world's most powerful people' list
US president Barack Obama has been ousted from the number one spot in an annual ranking of the world's most powerful people by Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
British Prime Minister David Cameron's influence on the global stage has also diminished, as he drops out of the top 10 on Forbes magazine's list, slipping one place to 11th, behind Wal-Mart CEO Michael Duke.
Chinese premier Xi Jinping was at number three in the list, Pope Francis was number four and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the top-placed woman at number five.
Microsoft tycoon and philanthropist Bill Gates took the sixth place, US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke was at number seven, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah at eight and European Central Bank president Mario Draghi at nine.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter was ranked in 69th place, two places below drug trafficker Joaquin Guzman Loera.
The magazine ranked the 72 people on the list - one for every 100 million people on earth - according to how many people they have power over; the financial resources they control; if they have influence in more than one sphere; and how actively they wield their power to change the world.
