Forbes magazine ranked German Chancellor Angela Merkel the most powerful woman in the world for the second year in a row in the annual list dominated by politicians, businesswomen and media figures.

Calling her the "Iron Lady" of Europe, Forbes said she is the leading player in the eurozone economic crisis that continues to threaten global markets.

The Telegraph echoes the remarks, saying the German chancellor dominated the European stage as no woman has done since former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

In the perpetual negotiation machine that is the European Union, Merkel excels at getting her way while treating the male egos around her as gently as possible. She does not relish humiliating her more improvident relations, but she is determined not to be the rich aunt left with the bill at the end of the meal, said the British newspaper.

The list named women involved in policy-making, entertainment, technology and nonprofit organizations, among other fields. They were ranked according to influence, the amount of money they control or earn, and media presence.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who "has had a formidable past 12 months", placed second, followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, making the top three spots unchanged from last year.

Clinton was applauded for her handling of crises such as the release of a trove of diplomatic cables by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. She is set to resign at the end of this year.

Forbes cited Rousseff for her leadership of the world's eighth-largest economy and approval ratings within her country.

"Whether leading multi-billion-dollar companies, governing countries, shaping the cultural fabric of our lives, or spearheading humanitarian initiatives, collectively these women are changing the planet in profoundly powerful and dynamic ways," said Moira Forbes, president and publisher of ForbesWoman.

"So many of these women are in policy or political roles, and their influence ... is only growing so it's not surprising that someone like Merkel or Clinton would continue to be present on the list year to year."

Besides female politicians, the role of tech women in the male-dominated industry is also underlined by the magazine, saying many of those women are "in turnaround situations" in Silicon Valley.

The annual power list elevated Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Yahoo!'s Marissa Mayer, IBM's Virginia Rometty and Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, while adding HP's Meg Whitman back on after an absence last year.

The average age of the 100 power brokers from 28 countries was 55. They had a combined 90 million Twitter followers. Lady Gaga, the pop singer, makes it to 14 and at 26 years old is the youngest. The oldest, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who is 86, ranks only at number 26.

The list featured newcomers such as actress and performer Jennifer Lopez and billionaire philanthropist and widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell Jobs.

China Daily