MERKEL NAMED MOST POWERFUL WOMAN

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has once again topped Forbes' annual ranking of the 100 most powerful women in the world, securing the slot for the 10th straight year while U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris placed third in the list released, according to Kyodo News

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde came in second, unchanged from last year, while Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike ranked 63rd.

Noting that Harris became the first woman in U.S. history to be elected vice president, the business magazine said she is "no stranger to firsts: In 2016, Harris was the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the United States Senate."

She also became the first African American and first woman to serve as attorney general in California, the magazine added.

Koike, the first female governor of Tokyo and the only Japanese in the ranking, is "considered a contender to one day be Japan's prime minister," the magazine said, citing her "good handling" of the capital's coronavirus response as a major factor in her re-election in July.