Talented women can reach the top by changing their ingrained negative thought patterns and behaviours, but they risk being called bossy.

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

The executive editor of The New York Times, Bill Keller, will step down this summer after eight years on the job and will be replaced by managing editor Jill Abramson, who will become the first woman to hold the newspaper’s top editing post.