Leaders of the World

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is an Islamic republic headed by President Hamid Karzai.

Karzai started out as a resistance leader under Taliban rule and worked to undermine the regime.

He is well versed in several languages, including his native Phesho, Hindi, French and English.

Several times in 2001, Karzai warned the US that the Taliban were connected with al Qaeda and that there was a plot for an imminent attack on the US, but his warnings went unheeded.

Brazil

Brazil is a federal republic headed by President Dilma Roussef.

it is the 8th biggest economy in the world.

She opposed Brazil's military dictatorship of the 1960's and 70's, and served three years in prison, where she was repeatedly tortured.

she has been divorced twice.

she has a degree in economics, and now rules the country with the eighth-biggest economy in the world.

she underwent chemotherapy for lymphoma in 2009, and is now in remission.


China

China is a communist state, ruled by President Xi Jinping.

Xi is the son of revolutionary veteran Xi Zhongxun, one of the Communist Party's founding fathers.

He married folk singer Peng Liyuan, who also holds the rank of army general, in 1987.  to many in China, Ms. Peng was the better-known half of the couple for Xi Jinping became leader of the communist party.

the couple had a daughter named Xi Mingze, who is studying at Harvard University.

France

France is a republic headed by Francois Hollande.

Hollande has no previous experience in a national government position.

the mother of his four children is Segolene Royal, with whom he shared a 30-year relationship.

he was born in 1954 in the city of Rouen to an extreme-right physician father and progressive social worker mother.


Germany

Germany is a federal republic headed by President Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel graduated from University of Leipzig in 1978 with a degree in Physics and Physical chemistry; earned a PhD in quantum chemistry from the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin in 1986

Has been Chancellor since November 2005

Merkel has earned the top spot on the FORBES list of Most powerful Women in the world for eight of the past 10 years.


India

India is a federal republic headed by President Pranab Mukherjee.

He taught political science at the Vidiyanagar College, and worked as a journalist before entering politics.

Mukherjee was rated as one of the best finance ministers of the world in 1984 and was adjudged the best parliamentarian in 1997.

He had a conflict with Rajiv Gandhi (who took over as prime minister from his mother Indira after she was assassinated in 1984) and started his own party - Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress.


Iran

Iran is a theocratic republic, ruled by Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-Khamenei, and President Hasan Fereidun Ruhani.

Khamenei-

In 1963, in street protests against the US-backed Shah of Iran.  After the uprising was quashed, Khamenei was exiled.  Khamenei was imprisoned multiple times and, in 1975, was internationally exiled to a remote religion in southern Iran.

Was elected President of Iran in 1981 and re-elected in 1985.  Became Iran's Supreme Leader in 1989.

Hasan Fereidun Ruhani-

Mr Rouhani has held several parliamentary posts, including deputy speaker and has also served on the supreme National Security Council.

Was just elected President of Iran- June 2013

HE has been openly critical of the outgoing president, saying Mahoud Ahmadinehad's "careless, Uncaluculated and unstudied remarks" have colst the country dearly.

Israel

a parliamentary democracy, headed by President Shimon Peres and

Peres-

was born in Belarus.  to escape the Persecution of Jews there, the family fled to Palestine in 1934.

when Arab forces launched their attack on the new state of Israel in 1948, Peres was given the chief responsibility for securing military equipment for Israel from abroad.

Later he organized Izrael's nuclear program and is regarded as the father of Israel's tomic Bomb.

as Israel's minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres was in charge of the Israeli negotiations during peace talks with the Palestinians.  in the autumn of 1994 he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with his own Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the Palestinian leader Yasser....

Binyamin Netanyahu.....

Mexico

 Mexico is a federal republic headed by President Enrique Pena Pieto.

he was the eldest of four siblings in a middle-class family; his father, Gilberto Enrique Pena del Socorro Nieto, a schoolteacher.

reports that he fathered two children in extramarital affairs while his wife Monica raised the couple's 3 children, plus the investigation into the sudden death of his wife at home in 2007, have prompted many to call him the Teflon candidate because trouble seems to slide off him.

two years later he announced his engagement to soap opera actor Angelica Rivera.  Rivera became his wife in a star-studded wedding ceremony two years ago and is now the first lady of Mexico.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is a kingdom ruled by Abdallah bin Abd al-Al Saud, who is both king and Prime Minister.

he has fathered 22 children, the youngest when he was 79.

he is wirth approximately 21 billion dollars.

he was appointed commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, a post he was still holding when he became king.

in November 2007, King Abdallah visited Pope Benedict in the Apostolic Palace.  he is the first Saudi monarch to visit the Pope.  in march 2008, he called for a "botherly and sincere dialogue between believers from all religions."

United Kingdom

the UK is a constitutional

Afghanistan: president Hamir Karzai
Brazil: President Dilma Rousseff
China:President Xi Junping
France: President Francois Hollande
Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel
India: President Pranab Mukerjee
Iran: Supreme leader Ali Hoseni-Khameni
Israel: President Shimon Peres
Mexico: President Pena Nieto
Saudi Arabi
England: Prime Minister David
Venezuela: President Nicolas Maraudo