File picture of PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Microsoft’s Indian-born CEO Satya Nadella, US President Donald Trump, newly re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are among the contenders this year for TIME magazine’s list of 100 most influential people who have made an impact on the contemporary world.
For more than a decade, the TIME 100 annual list has featured some of the world’s most significant artists, leaders, scientists, activists and entrepreneurs. The list will be announced next month.
While the editors at TIME will make the final judgement call on who makes the list, the publication has asked readers to vote online on who they believe are the most influential people of the year.
This year’s list of contenders include Modi, who has been featured regularly in the previous years among the probables for the most influential people by reputable news magazine.
Modi was named by the TIME editors among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015 and 2016, with former US President Barack Obama writing a profile for him for the magazine.
Others on the list this year are North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Pakistani-American actor Kumail Nanjiani, Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon chief Jeff Bezos, members of the British Royal family - Prince William and his wife Duchess of Cambridge Catherine, Prince Henry and his fiancee Meghan Markle and former President of the US Barack Obama.
Student activists -- from "Dreamers" fighting for immigration reform to the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School advocating for school safety and gun control -- are also in the running for this year's Time 100.
The list also includes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pope Francis, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, French President Emmanuel Macron, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Founder of the #MeToo movement Tarana Burke, actor Dwayne Johnson, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk, Special counsel Robert Mueller, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Former FBI Director James Comey, President of South Korea Moon Jae-in.
