Brazilian president named 33rd most powerful person
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been ranked as the 33rd most powerful person on the planet, according to a new survey.
The list of the world’s 67 most powerful people was published by finance magazine Forbes, which placed US president Barack Obama in first place with Chinese president Hu Jintao in second and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in third.
However, president Lula has came ahead of Japanese colleague Yukio Hatoyama (35) and French leader Nicolas Sarkozy (56), with Gordon Brown only four places higher in 29th.
In its explanation, Forbes said that Lula da Silva was "running the world’s pantry" as it was the top exporter for sugar, orange juice, coffee, beef and poultry, while also tapping into vast oil fields off the Brazilian coast.
Furthermore, the magazine commented that he was no pushover, as he blamed the world’s financial crisis on the "white and blue-eyed" when he spoke at the G-20 conference.
The list also saw appearances for Apple chief Steve Jobs, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Osama bin Laden.
