Billionaire real estate mogul and former reality television personality Donald Trump is the 45th president of the United States who he took office on January 20, 2017. Previously, he was a real estate mogul and a former reality TV star. Born in Queens, New York, in 1946, Trump became involved in large, profitable building projects in Manhattan. In 1980, he opened the Grand Hyatt New York, which made him the city's best-known developer. Trump turned his attention to politics, and in 2015 he announced his candidacy for president of the US.
Born in Leningrad on Oct. 7, 1952, President Vladimir Putin graduated from Leningrad State University in 1975 with a law degree and joined the KGB — the main security agency operating at the behest of the Soviet Union, where he became a Soviet intelligence officer. Since winning the presidential election in 2000, Putin has remained Russia's dominant political figure, tightening control over the media, marginalizing his party's opposition, and adopting a nationalist and antiWestern course for decades.
Born in Beijing in 1953, Xi Jinping is the son of revolutionary veteran Xi Zhongxun, one of the Communist Party's founding fathers and a vice-premier. Xi Jinping is a Chinese politician serving as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), president of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). Xi has been the paramount leader, the highest-ranking official in China, since 2012 and he officially received the title of "leadership core" from the CPC in 2016.
Angela Dorothea Merkel, born 17 July 1954 is a German politician serving as the chancellor of Germany since 2005. She served as the leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 2000 to 2018. Merkel has been widely described as the de facto leader of the European Union, the most powerful woman in the world. In the 2009 federal election the CDU obtained the largest share of the vote, and Merkel was able to form a coalition government with the Free Democratic Party. Currently she is in her fourth term since 14 March 2018.
Abe Shinzo was born on September 21, 1954 in Tokyo, and has been an active Japanese politician, who is presently the prime minister of Japan since 2006. Abe’s grandfather Kishi Nobusuke served as Japan’s prime minister from 1957 to 1960, and his great-uncle Sato Eisaku held the same post from 1964 to 1972. After graduating from Seikei University in Tokyo, Abe moved to the United States, where he studied political science at the University of Southern California. In 1979 he returned to Japan and joined Kōbe Steel, Ltd. He subsequently became active in the Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP), and in 1982 he began working as secretary to his father, Abe Shintaro, who was Japan’s foreign minister
Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei was born on 19 April 1939 and is the second and current supreme leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei is the longest serving head of state in the Middle East, as well as the second-longest serving Iranian leader of the last century, after Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Khamenei was elected by the Assembly of Experts as the new Supreme Leader on 4 June 1989, at the age of 49. He has been head of the servants of Astan Quds Razavi since 14 April 1979.
Now in his second year as prime minister of India, Narendra Damodardas Modi was born on September 17, 1950, Vadnagar, India and is an Indian politician and government official who rose to become a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. In 2014 he led his party to victory in elections to the Lok Sabha, after which he was sworn in as prime minister of India. Prior to that he had served (2001–14) as chief minister of Gujarat. Modi became India’s first prime minister outside of the Congress Party to be reelected after a full term.
Benjamin Netanyahu was born on October 21, 1949, in Tel Aviv, Israel. He joined the Israeli military in 1967, moving into the special operations force that rescued a hijacked airplane at the Tel Aviv airport in 1972. Netanyahu became leader of the right-wing Likud party in 1993 and went on to serve as prime minister for multiple terms. Following the contested 2019 elections, he was indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. On April 10, 2019, following a closely contested race, Gantz conceded defeat to his opponent; however, because Netanyahu was unable to put together a majority coalition, the Knesset voted to dissolve itself and hold another election. In late 2019, Netanyahu easily survived a primary challenge from Gideon Saar to retain control of the Likud party.
Pope Francis was born on 17 December 1936 and is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first pope from outside Europe since the Syrian Gregory III, who reigned in the 8th century. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Bergoglio was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina's provincial superior of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998.
Elizabeth was born in London as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. She began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1947, she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she has four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth became head of the Commonwealth.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was born on 31 December 1935 and has been the king and prime minister of Saudi Arabia and custodian of the Two Holy Mosques since 23 January 2015. After being the governor of Riyadh for 48 years from 1963 to 2011,he was appointed minister of Defense. He was also named the crown prince in 2012 following the death of his brother Nayef bin Abdulaziz. Salman became the new king of Saudi Arabia on 23 January 2015 following the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah. Since 2019 he is also the oldest surviving son of Ibn Saud. His major initiatives as king include the Saudi intervention in the Yemeni Civil War, Saudi Vision 2030, and a 2017 decree allowing Saudi women to drive.