US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is the world's most powerful woman, beating out presidents, celebrities and businesswomen to top Forbes magazine's global ranking of feminine clout.

Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is selected as the fourth most powerful woman in the world in terms.

Arroyo rose jumped five places in the 2005 poll, behind Ukranian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi.

The Forbes poll noted, however, that the "scandal-plagued president of the Philippines" could soon lose her place in the list, similar to the fate of former Indonesia president Megawati Sukarnoputri.

The highest ranking businesswoman on the list was Margaret Whitman, the chief executive of the wildly successful Internet auction site eBay, who was in fifth position, ahead of Xerox chief executive Anne Mulcahy.

US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, who also topped the Forbes list of most powerful celebrities, entered the top 10 list at number 9 while Melinda Gates, wife of billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates, placed 10th.

Other well known names on the list included US senator and former first lady Hillary Clinton (26), Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling (40) and US First Lady Laura Bush (46).

The annual Forbes power rankings are based on a composite of media visibility and economic impact.

Source: Xinhua