China's Hu Jintao

Hu Jintao has been president since March 15, 2003, replacing Jiang Zemin who had held the position since 1989. He also currently serves as general secretary of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) Central Committee and chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC). Before entering into politics Hu worked as an engineer. He joined the CPC in April 1964, and began working with the party in 1968. In 1992, he was elected member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central and re-elected in 1997. He became vice-president of China in March 1998 and vice-chair of the CMC in 1999. In 2002, Hu was elected general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. He was born in Jiangyan, Jiangsu, China, on December 21, 1942. In 1965 he received his engineering degree from Tsinghua University. He is married to Lui Yongqing.

France's Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy became president on May 16, 2007, taking over from Jacques Chirac, who had held the position since 1995. France holds the presidency of the European Council from July 1 to December 31, 2008. Sarkozy worked as a lawyer while he pursued politics. From 1983 to 2002, he was mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine. He has been president of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) since 2004. During his time in parliament he held a number of cabinet portfolios including minister of state of economy, finance and industry, minister of the budget and minister of the interior. He was born in Paris on January 28, 1955. In 1978, he received his degree in law from the University of Paris. He is married to Carla Bruni.

Germany's Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel became chancellor on November 22, 2005, replacing Gerhard Schr?der, who had been in power since 1998. She is the first female chancellor of Germany. Before entering into politics she worked as a researcher and physicist. Merkel was first elected to the Bundestag in 1990. She held the cabinet portfolios of women and youth minister and environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety minister. She was born in Hamburg, Germany, on July 17, 1956. In 1978, she received her doctorate in physics from the University of Leipzig. She has also received honorary doctorates from the University of Technology in Poland, Leipzig University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is married to Joachim Sauer.

India's Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh became prime minister on May 22, 2004, replacing Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who held the position from 1998 to 2004 and in 1996. Before entering into politics, Singh worked as an economist, including for the International Monetary Fund. He was governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1982 to 1985. He was first elected to the upper house of Indian parliament in 1995 and re-elected in 2001 and 2007. He held cabinet positions including minister of finance and minister for external affairs. He was born in Gah, Punjab (now known as Chakwal district, Pakistan), on September 26, 1932. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Punjab University in 1952 and 1954, an additional undergraduate degree from Cambridge University in 1957 and a PhD from Oxford University in 1962. He is married to Gursharan Kaur. He also currently holds the position of finance minister.