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China
President Hu Jintao
» Age: 68
» Family: Married, two children
» Background: Became president in 2003 after nearly 40 years with the Communist Party. Navigated China through the global economic crisis and criticized the U.S. for its lack of fiscal reform.
South Korea
President Lee Myung-Bak
» Age: 69
» Family: Married, four children
» Background: A former mayor of Seoul, Lee was elected president in 2007. Known for his tough stand against North Korea and as more pro-America than his predecessor.
Philippines
President Benigno Aquino
» Age: 51
» Family: Unmarried, no children
» Background: The son of democracy advocate Benigno S. Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon C. Aquino, he was elected president last year. He has worked on improving his nation’s economy and fighting political corruption.
Russia
President Dmitry Medvedev
» Age: 46
» Family: Married, one child
» Background: Elected in 2008, he is overshadowed by the former president and current prime minister, Vladimir Putin. He plans to step aside next year so that Putin can regain the presidency.
Japan
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda
» Age: 54
» Family: Married, two children
» Background: He has served as prime minister for just longer than two months and must tackle Japan’s recovery from March’s devastating earthquake and tsunami. He is known for his pro-nuclear power stance despite the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.
Canada
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
» Age: 52
» Family: Married, two children
» Background: He became prime minister in 2006 and has pursued free-trade deals with many countries. Under Harper, Canada recently ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in favor of a military-training role.
Mexico
President Felipe Calderon
» Age: 49
» Family: Married, three children
» Background: Elected in 2006, he is known for waging war against Mexico’s powerful drug cartels, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. Calderon has generally had close ties with America and President Barack Obama.
Australia
Prime Minister Julia Gillard
» Age: 50
» Family: Unmarried, no children
» Background: In June 2010 she became the first female prime minister of Australia. Gillard has continued Australia’s support for the allied war in Afghanistan.
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