Bill Clinton, Lula top Time's influence list

Extravagantly outfitted singer Lady Gaga, former US president Bill Clinton and Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are the world's most influential people, according to Time magazine's annual list.

In explaining the often-surprising selections, the US weekly said the "Time 100 is not about the influence of power but the power of influence."

Lady Gaga, famous for bizarre costumes and chart-topping dance music, leads the list of most influential artists, topping US late-night TV host Conan O'Brien, Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow and daytime TV queen Oprah Winfrey.

Clinton, who has reinvented himself as a major fundraiser and anti-poverty activist since leaving the White House, heads the "heroes" section, beating out South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na and Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi.

The "leaders" list starts with the Brazilian president, who has been praised for his drive to bring social justice and end deep inequality in his huge Latin American country.

With more than 873,000 online votes, Han Han, a post- 80s generation author who enjoys great influence in China through his novels and blogging, appeared at No. 2 among 200 candidates.

Bo Xilai, former Chinese commerce minister and now party chief of Chongqing, gained 9,345 online votes and ranked No. 50.

"Some of the people you'll encounter on this list are influential in the traditional sense," Time managing editor Richard Stengel said. "But we also seek out people whose ideas and actions are revolutionizing their fields and transforming lives."

AFP - Global Times