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Thursday 21 April 2016

Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicki Minaj, Jordan Spieth, Caitlyn Jenner, Mark Zuckerberg and Ted Cruz among The 100 most influential people in the world - according to TIME magazine

 

TIME magazine has released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world - and there are some real surprises inside.
Hollywood stars, controversial politicians, celebrated musicians and vicious dictators all featured in the list, which takes account of all 'influential' people - whether that influence is positive or negative.
That's how Hollywood favorite Leonardo DiCaprio and transgender heroine Caitlyn Jenner found themselves hanging out with neon-tinted rapper Nicki Minaj and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
Influential: TIME magazine picked out Oscar-winning actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio (left) and rapper Nicki Minaj (right) as two of the world's 100 most influential people
Got it covered: DiCaprio and Minaj received their own covers for the issue, which was released with a total of six variations. Both were highlighted as 'Icons' by the magazine
And each celeb's biography is written by another notable name - which is how we now know that John Kerry, Secretary of State for the USA (and another influential person on the list), might have a bit of a man-crush on Leo.
'Leo’s talent is limitless, but his secret has always been pretty simple: he’s real. He does his homework,' Kerry said about the Hollywood star, who won an Oscar this year for his turn as grizzled mountain man Hugh Glass in The Revenant.
But Kerry says he admires the actor even more for his commitment to environmentalism, claiming that 'Titanic's' 'king of the world' is now 'inspiring many millions more to help save it.'
Rapper Lil Wayne was tapped to write Minaj's article, saying that the 'Anaconda' star is 'an icon, a boss and a role model to young girls,' and that her talent puts her ahead of the pack - male or female.
'When I heard the first two and four bars, it wasn’t even about her rapping better than any female rapper,' he said. 'It was about, man, she’s rapping better than other rappers - period.'
And golf great Jordan Spieth was held up as 'everything that’s great about sports' by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who praised him for being 'supremely confident yet incredibly humble.'
'He is the standard to which all others should be measured,' Romo said of the golfer, who was put in TIME's 'Icons' section along with DiCaprio and Minaj.
Leading from the front: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan (left) were celebrated, as was Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of Broadway's Pulitzer-Prize-winning hip-hop history smash 'Hamilton'
Power players: International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde (left) was called the 'guardian of the global economy' while 'Quantico' star and Bollywood alumnus Priyanka Chopra (right) was a highlighted artist
Another 'Icon' was female mixed martial arts fighter Ronda Rousey. Comedian and '30 Rock' creator Tina Fey said she 'fell in love' with Rousey for telling women to value what they can do, not how they look. 
'Could Ronda be the one to finally help us understand that as females, we define the word "feminine" and that it doesn’t define us?' she wrote. 'If we don’t listen, can she dislocate our arms at the elbow?' 
Other sections in the list were 'Leaders,' 'Artists,' 'Pioneers' and 'Titans.' Among those Leaders was Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
In his write-up, Texas Governor Scott Walker celebrated Cruz's 'efforts to shake up the status quo' in the US Government.
'If Americans want someone who will stick to their guns and fix the mess in Washington, Ted Cruz is right on target,' Walker said.
Three other presidential candidates were also included: 'hard-nosed and ferocious leader' Donald Trump; 'intense and steadfast' Bernie Sanders and 'steely and hard-working' Hillary Clinton.
America was well represented in the list of important politicians - Barack Obama made yet another appearance in the list this year, joined by Secretary of State John Kerry, US House Speaker Paul Ryan, and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
And the heads of France, Germany, China, Taiwan and Argentina - among others - also made appearances. 
One notable absence was British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has suffered from a run of bad press lately, with rebellious colleagues and financial embarrassments tarnishing his image.
Demands for his resignation were made after the Panama Papers leak revealed that he had once held a stake in a Panama-based trust that had not paid any UK tax - perhaps contributing to his snub by TIME magazine.
Icon: Golfer Jordan Spieth was held up as 'everything that¿s great about sports' in an article written by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
Icon: Golfer Jordan Spieth was held up as 'everything that’s great about sports' in an article written by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
Pioneer and leader: Caitlyn Jenner (left) was picked out as a 'Pioneer' for coming out as transgender in the public eye, while Ted Cruz (right) was one of four presidential candidates featured in the 'Leader' section
Members of the Pioneers category included Caitlyn Jenner. Transgender rights activist Wayne Maines commended Jenner for coming out in the public eye.
'No matter where you come from, how famous you might be or how much money you have, letting America see you in such a vulnerable way is daring and admirable - not self-serving,' said Maines, whose daughter is transgender.
'I am so pleased that she has fulfilled her dreams and that she is now helping our children do the same,' he concluded.
Positive contributions to the world were also noted from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician and philanthropist.
Praise from fellow tech couple Bill and Melinda Gates - themselves no strangers to giving to worthy causes -said: 'Priscilla and Mark are curious. Ambitious. Thoughtful. Open-minded and bighearted.'
They were lauded for 'committing 99% of their wealth to taking on challenges like improving education, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities.'
But it wasn't all smiles and sunshine. Kim Jong Un, 'Supreme Leader' of North Korea, was also included on the list.
Described as 'beefy, murderous and quick with a toothy grin' by an expert on the country, the dictator's 'crimes against humanity' and threats of nuclear annihilation make him a major influence on the world. 
And Russian President Vladimir Putin was criticized by US ambassador to the former Soviet states Stephen Sestanovich as 'out of ideas' despite now 'owning Syria.'
TIME says of its selections: 'The people on the list, each in their own way, have lessons to teach. We can debate those lessons; we don’t have to endorse them or agree with them. 
'But the influence of this year’s TIME 100... is that down to the last person, they have the power to make us think. And they are using it.'
Other famous faces in the Top 100 include 'Quantico' star and Bollywood alumnus Priyanka Chopra; 'Beasts of No Nation' actor Idris Elba; Charlize Theron, who played feminist hero Furiosa in 'Mad Max: Fury Road,' and singer Adele.
The print magazine goes on sale Friday. There are six covers available, featuring DiCaprio, Minaj, Chopra, Pulitzer-Prize-winning Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda, International Monetary Fund manager Christine Lagarde, and - sharing a cover - Zuckerberg and Chan.
Gloves on: Mixed Martial Arts fighter Ronda Rousey was highlighted for showing women to respect what their bodies can do, not how they look
Heavy hitters: MMA fighter Ronda Rousey (left) was picked for teaching women to focus on what their bodies can do rather than how they look, while Zuckerberg and wife Chan (right) got the nod for their charitable works

TIME'S TOP 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2016 IN FULL

Icons  
Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar-winning actor, 'The Revenant' 
Nicki Minaj, rapper and singer, 'The Pinkprint,' and actress, 'Barbershop: The Next Cut' 
Jordan Spieth, professional golfer 
Adele, singer, '25' 
Ronda Rousey, female mixed martial arts champ and actress
Alejandro González Iñárritu, director, 'The Revenant' and 'Birdman' 
Usain Bolt, sprinter and the fastest person ever timed
Marilynne Robinson, author 'Housekeeping' and 'Gilead' 
Lewis Hamilton, Formula-1 driver 
Karlie Kloss, fashion model 
Tu Youyou, malaria cure pioneer and Nobel prize winner
Denis Mukwege, Congolese surgeon who specializes in helping gang-rape victims
Sania Mirza, tennis player ranked no1 in women's doubles

Artists 
Charlize Theron, actress, 'Mad Max: Fury Road' 
Ariana Grande, actress and pop singer, 'Dangerous Woman' 
Priyanka Chopra, actress, 'Quantico' 
Taraji P. Henson, actress, 'Empire'
Idris Elba, actor, 'Beasts of No Nation'
Kendrick Lamar, rapper, 'To Pimp a Butterfly' 
Melissa McCarthy, actress, 'Ghostbusters' and 'Spy'
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress, 'Veep' 
Gael García Bernal, actor, 'Mozart in the Jungle'
Oscar Isaac, actor, 'Star Wars: The Force Returns'  
Ta-Nehisi Coates, journalist and author, 'Between the World and Me'
Elena Ferrante, pseudonym of unknown Italian author, 'The Story of the Lost Child'
Riccardo Tisci, fashion designer for Givenchy
Ryan Coogler, writer and director, 'Creed'
Bjarke Ingels, architect, New York's Two World Trade Center  
Guo Pei, fashion designer who created Rihanna's 2015 Met Ball dress
Mark Rylance, Oscar-winning actor, 'Bridge of Spies'
Yayoi Kusama, artist and writer

Pioneers
Aziz Ansari, comedian and writer
Caitlyn Jenner, transgender campaigner and former athlete
Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Pulitzer-Prize-winning Broadway smash 'Hamilton' 
Gina Rodriguez, star of TV show 'Jane the Virgin' 
Laura Esserman and Shelley Hwang, breast cancer doctors
Palmer Luckey, founder of VR company Oculus 
Sunita Narain, India-based clean-air campaigner
Roy Choi, chef and creator of 'gourmet taco truck' Kogi
Felix Kjellberg (a.k.a. PewDiePie), YouTube star
Hope Jahren, geochemist and fossil forest expert
Dan Carder, discovered Volkswagen was cheating emissions tests
Nadia Murad, Yazidi rights activist and ISIS survivor
Lee Berger, paleoanthropologist who found new kind of prehuman
Mussie Zerai, priest who helped migrants cross Mediterranean Sea
Marc Edwards and Mona Hanna-Attisha, Flint, MI whistleblowers
Christiana Figueres, head of UN's climate chance council
Alan Stern, planetary scientist, head of New Horizons mission to Pluto
Raj Panjabi, CEO of Last Mile Health, which trained ebola workers 
Ibtihaj Muhammad, US Olympic fencer who wears headscarf while fighting 
Kathy Niakan, first scientist to be allowed to edit human DNA
Kip Thorne, theoretical physicist, contributor to movie 'Interstellar'

Titans
Tim Cook, Apple CEO
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, and wife Priscilla Chan, philanthropist
Sundar Pichai, Google CEO 
Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church 
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, actor, 'Furious 7' 
Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal, founders of Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart
Yuri Milner, businessman and investor in 'moon shot' scientific experiments
Mohammed bin Nayef, Crown Prince and leader of Saudi Arabia
Katie Ledecky, Olympic swimmer and nine-time world champion   
Wang Jianlin, Chairman of China's largest real estate developer
Kathleen Kennedy, film producer, founder of Amblin Entertainment
Eli Broad, entrepreneur, founder of multiple Fortune 500 companies
Stephen Curry, NBA player, Golden State Warriors

Leaders
Ted Cruz, Senator and Republican presidential candidate
Donald Trump, businessman and Republican presidential candidate 
Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate
Bernie Sanders, Governor of Vermont and Democratic presidential candidate
Barack Obama, President of the USA 
Kim Jong Un, Supreme Leader of North Korea
Xi Jinping, President of China 
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia 
Paul Ryan, Speaker, US House of Representatives
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
John Kerry, Secretary of State for the USA
Diana Natalicio, President of the ethnically diverse University of Texas at El Paso
Lori Robinson, US Air Force General
Lester Holt, journalist and anchor of NBC Nightly News
Queen Máxima, Queen of the Netherlands
François Hollande, President of France
Darren Walker, President of the human welfare non-profit Ford Foundation
James Comey, Director of the FBI
Raghuram Rajan, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor and Leader of the Burmese National League for Democracy
Sérgio Moro, Brazilian judge who oversaw massive corruption investigation
Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister 
Mauricio Macri, President of Argentina
Jaha Dukureh, anti-female genital mutilation campaigner
Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee
Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan
Sean MacFarland, US General and leader of coalition against ISIS in Syria and Iraq  
Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina
Jin Liqun, President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 
Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund

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