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The American business magazine "Forbes" [has / was] announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the most powerful person in the world. He [knocks / shoves] US President Barack Obama from the top spot. "Forbes" is well known for [competing / compiling] annual lists comparing the rich and famous. In its latest [ranking / wrangling] , it asked: "Who’s more powerful: the [autocratic / autocracy] leader of a former superpower or the [cufflinked / handcuffed] commander-in-chief of the most [dormant / dominant] country in the world?" The magazine [cites / sights] a number of reasons why Obama lost his top ranking and has become a ["cooked goose" / "lame duck"] "" president. These included the recent "government shutdown mess," his foreign policy on Syria and the [goings on / ongoing] spying and security leaks scandals.

Forbes wrote: "There are nearly 7.2 billion people [on / in] the planet. These are the 72 that matter the most." It added that its [rank / list] is: "An annual snapshot of the [heads / faces] of state, financiers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs who [truly / truthfully] run the world." It is put together by Forbes' [editor / editors] , who have four "dimensions" to take [onto / into] consideration. One is whether the candidate has power [under / over] lots of people; second is the financial resources at the disposal or control of each person; third is to [how / what] degree the person has power "in multiple spheres"; and finally, the extent [to / as] which he or she "actively uses their power". These factors put the U.N. Secretary-General 22 places [arrears / behind] the CEO of retail giant Wal-Mart.