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[aryan]

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tops Newsweek Magazine's list of 10 world leaders who have won respect and is described as "the leader other leaders love" though India figures at 78th place in the list of 100 best countries.

77-year-old Singh, who is into his seventh year in office, has played a "key role in India's emergence as one of the rising powers of the 21st century."

In an article titled "The Leader Other Leaders Love", the magazine said the economist-turned-politician Singh, engineered the transition "from stagnant socialism to a spectacular takeoff in the global economy."

"But it's Singh's unassuming personal style that really inspires awe among his fellow global luminaries, who praise him for being modest, humble, and incorruptible," the magazine said in the article.

It also quotes former International Atomic Energy Agency director-general and Egyptian presidential challenger Mohamed ElBaradei as saying that "the soft-spoken Singh is the model of what a political leader should be."

Besides Singh, British Premier David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz al-Saud also figure in the list.

However, India figures 78 in the list of 100 best countries in the world with a score of 55.70 out of 100.

The rank was based on five categories of national well-being, education, health, quality of life, economic competitiveness, and political environment.

Besides, India is described as the 'Best Place to Fly a Kite'.

"Flying a kite from the roof is part of everyday life in India. But each year, on January 14, an international kite festival, Makar Sankranti, draws more than 1 million enthusiasts from 36 countries," the magazine said.