Quote:The American President fails for the first time to be one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people

NEW YORK - Temasek Holdings' chief executive Ho Ching has made Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people, appearing among the 'builders and titans' on the list.

Time also carried a piece written by renowned American investor Jim Rogers about Ms Ho, the only Singaporean to make the cut.

'Talk about influence,' Mr Rogers says, adding that China, Japan and South Korea are considering setting up Temasek-like entities.

'When Ho Ching became CEO in 2002, she overhauled Temasek, setting up more precise performance guidelines while raising accountability and transparency,' he says.

'Ho is well connected: Her husband is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, son of Singapore's legendary elder statesman Lee Kuan Yew. But she has taken a strictly professional approach. Rather than prop up zombies, she has not been afraid to let operations fail.'

United States President George W. Bush failed for the first time to make the list, which is in its fourth edition and hit newsstands yesterday.

Instead, the list features American politicians like Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Osama bin Laden, Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen and Taiwanese pitcher for the New York Yankees Wang Chien-ming also managed to squeeze into a packed and varied field comprising entertainers, philanthropists, sportsmen and entrepreneurs.

'I think Bush by this point in his presidency probably has less influence than the position should grant him automatically,' Time's deputy managing editor Adi Ignatius told AFP, explaining the decision to ditch the President.

'He's a lame duck... but his influence is below that of a normal lame duck figure. We just thought Bush was at a low ebb in terms of his influence.'

The 'artists and entertainers' category includes Hollywood heavyweights Martin Scorsese, Cate Blanchett and heart-throbs Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, along with fashion model Kate Moss.

Pop sensation Justin Timberlake is named along with Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour, while former US vice-president Al Gore's shift to environmental campaigner got him nominated in the 'scientists and thinkers' category.

The list, which is designed to recognise 'the men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming our world', does not appear in any order. Neither does the magazine give reasons for choosing some people over others.

The 'leaders and revolutionaries' category features Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Benedict XVI and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a showing next to Raul Castro, the younger brother of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, Indian Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Other politicians in the mix include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Liu Qi, head of the 2008 Beijing Olympics committee.

'Heroes' include billionaire investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett, who rubs shoulders with Swiss tennis champion Roger Federer, French footballer Thierry Henry and Chinese online activist Zeng Jinyan.