Merkel tops Forbes' list of most powerful women

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has topped Forbes' annual ranking of the world's most powerful women for the ninth time in a row.

The U.S-based magazine annually publishes a list of the 100 most powerful women in the world.

The German leader was closely followed by European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde, U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and new president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Güler Sabancı from Turkey, the first woman to run her family business Sabancı Holding, ranked 73rd.

Queen Elizabeth II is at the 40th position, while Ivanka Trump, the daughter and the advisor of U.S. President Donald Trump, ranked 42nd.

The 16th year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg has been listed as the 100th most powerful woman of 2019.

She was also selected as the Person of the Year by the news magazine Time.