Bono, Beckham and Rowling in top 100 list of world icons

U2 frontman and peace activist Bono, David Beckham, Oprah Winfrey and JK Rowling are among the 100 most influential people in the world, according to Time Magazine.

Their achievements have catapulted them to global iconic status along with world leaders such as the Pope and former South African President Nelson Mandela in the annual top 100.

Others sharing the honours in this category include golfer Tiger Woods and actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling, Simon Cowell of Pop Idol fame, stage director Nicholas Hytner and Mark Burnett, NBC’s executive producer, are a force to be reckoned with in the arts and entertainments world.

US President George Bush, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, Bill and Hillary Clinton and even terrorist Osama bin Laden make it on to the power list in the world’s leaders and revolutionaries category.

Historians Niall Ferguson and Bernard Lewis are ranked among the most influential scientists and thinkers.

Only those with an ability to influence countless lives for better or worse were chosen, Time said.

Michael Elliott, Time magazine’s editor-at-large, said: “We think that our list shows that greatness lives – that a few people can effect the lives of billions around the world.”

Jim Kelly, Time’s managing director, hoped the list would spark debate about who has influence.

The 2004 Time 100 list consists of 84 men and 22 women and includes teams or organisations such as hip hop duo Outkast, the Al Jazeera satellite channel, Google, a couple of Korean cloners and the Clintons.

About 20% of the list is from the UK and 40% is US-based. France, Germany Switzerland, Gibraltar, Tibet, Brazil, China, India and Burma are among the other nations represented.