Angela Merkel: TIME person of the year

For the first time in 29 years, Time magazine named a woman Person of the Year, selecting German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the honor.
"In a year where world leaders were tested, no one was tested the way she was," explained Time Editor-in-Chief Nancy Gibbs on NBC's "Today."
Merkel managed the economic collapse in Greece this summer, and has been at the forefront of handling Europe's massive refugee influx this fall along with the "return of terrorism" in Europe, Gibbs said.
"She has stepped up in a way that was uncharacteristic," Gibbs added, given her history of leading from behind. 
"Merkel brandished a different set of values -- humanity, generosity, tolerance -- to demonstrate how Germany’s great strength could be used to save, rather than destroy," Gibbs wrote in Time's cover story. Germany is poised to accept up to one million refugees by the end of 2015. France, in comparison, is taking in 30,000 over the next two years.
The last woman POTY was Corazon Aquino, the first female president of the Philippines. She was awarded the title in 1986 for "leading a democratic revolution that captured the world’s imagination,” Time essayist Pico Iyer wrote at the time.
Time's Deputy Managing Editor Radhika Jones explains that those who "affect the news and our lives" still tend to be men. Most world leaders and the pope are all men. Time is hopeful that as more women take on roles of power around the world, "we will have more female candidates in the Person of the Year pipeline."
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, made it to Time's number two spot. "This year, he went from building a regional power to building a transnational terrorist franchise. He poses such a significant challenge," Gibbs noted. "We have named great villains in the past, but in his case this is a year in which he has lost ground -- literally --  and his power is part opportunism. He has taken great advantage."
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump nabbed third place. "All year long he has been saying things that were disqualifying," Gibbs said. Time has never named a presidential candidate as POTY.
Others included on Time's shortlist are Black Lives Matter activists, Caitlyn Jenner, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Source: HuffingtonPost