Angela Merkel tops power list for fifth year

Angela Merkel is the most powerful woman in the world in the annual Forbes’ 100 list for the fifth year in a row.

The formidable trio of global powerbrokers and international influencers, Ms Merkel, US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and philanthropist Melinda Gates sit at the top of the list.

At 89 years of age the Queen, who has dropped from number 35 last year, is the oldest person in the rankings while 25-year-old Grammy-award winning singer Taylor Swift, at number 64, is the youngest.