PTI
 
New York, May 4: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, steel icon Lakshmi Mittal along with Osama bin Laden and Pope Benedict XVI are among a packed and varied field chosen by Time magazine for this year's list of the world's 100 most influential people.

The fourth annual list, which is due to hit newsstands on Friday, omits US President George W Bush for the first time but includes Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

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 sees 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 or give the magazine's reasons why some people were chosen over others.

The "leaders and revolutionaries" category features Queen Elizabeth II, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni — in an entry penned by US counterpart Condoleezza Rice — and Rice herself is appearing for a fourth year running.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a showing next to Raul Castro, the younger brother of Cuban leader Fidel Castro 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.