Nigerian Times

Mikhail Gorbachev to Receive 2008 Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center WHO: Mikhail Gorbachev WHAT: Will receive the 2008 Liberty Medal in an outdoor ceremony at the National Constitution Center in Historic Philadelphia. WHEN: Thursday, September 18 Media Check-In: 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. Press Q&A with President Gorbachev: 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Ceremony: 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. WHERE: National Constitution Center Front Lawn 525 Arch Street Independence Mall Philadelphia, PA 19106 DETAILS: The National Constitution Center's 2008 Liberty Medal will be awarded to former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev for his courageous role in ending the dangerous, decades-long Cold War and in giving hope and freedom to millions who lived behind the Iron Curtain. The public ceremony will set the stage for international commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 2009. A special press Q&A opportunity with President Gorbachev will take p...

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday July 14, 2008, on charges of crimes against humanity. Sudan alerted the U.N. that the indictment could jeopardize the peace process on the resolution of the Darfur crisis. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague found President Bashir guilty of the murder and rape committed by the Sudanese government troops and their militias against the people of Darfur. The ICC sought for the warrant to arrest President Umar al-Bashir for trial. Related reports: 14 Jul 2008 15:16, USAID Memorial Ceremony Planned 12 Jul 2008 00:49 Embassy of Sudan: Ocampo's Political Pursuits Jeopardize Peace 11 Jul 2008 23:30 Ros-Lehtinen Condemns UN Failure to Pass Resolution on Zimbabwe 10 Jul 2008 20:27 Donation Helps Expand Water Well Work in Darfur 9 Jul 2008 21:52 USAID Memorial Ceremony Planned 09:56 National Elections Act: A Milestone Towards Peace And Democrac...

Mr. Marc Cooper, Your article "Hillary's Ignominious Finale" is an irrational character analysis of Senator Hillary Clinton and a public exhibition of your political ignorance and intellectual naivety. If you think the Clinton Era is over, you are ignorant of the facts. You are ignorant of the long term goals of Senator Hillary Clinton, because the end of the current presidential campaign is not the end of her political career. Did Senator John McCain succeed in his previous presidential campaign before 2008? But today, John McCain is the frontrunner in the race for the Republican nomination and now leads Barack Obama in the national poll for president. How old is he? Are you ignorant of the political history of America? The fact is, the prevailing political realities in Americaa do not favour Senator Hillary Clinton and the latest Bloomberg/Times poll shows that the majority of American voters are not ready to elect a female president, but 80 percent of them are ready...

15 Feb 2008 11:20 Africa/Lagos Why Obama Won a Grammy Barack Obama won the 2008 Grammy Award for the Best Spoken Word Album Where will his speaking skills take him next? RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Since 1959, the Grammy Awards have included a category for the spoken word. Actors usually win this category, which is why Obama's win this year is noteworthy. The handful of politicians who were well-spoken enough to win a Grammy in the past have also found success in their political aspirations. Toastmasters International looked at presidential candidate Barack Obama, as well as some past politically-inclined winners, to define elements of their speaking techniques that helped each win a Grammy. Obama follows in the footsteps of other well-known politicians who have been awarded the Grammy. In fact, fellow candidate Hillary Clinton won for her book, It Takes a Village, in 1997. Also, Republican U.S. Congressman and Senator from Illinois, Ev...

The hallmarks of leadership are not judged by political stump speeches or designer suits, but by the demonstration of bravery and wisdom in the service of humanity. I have noticed undemocratic political rancor among the Democrats and I am disappointed that Senator Barack Obama is acting more like a Republican in his press statements and his wife Michelle Obama has been using subtle tirade against Senator Hillary Clinton. The Obamas’ look more desperate than the Clintons, because they have staked so much on winning the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party and losing it could be devastating to their egos. Barack Obama does not want to contest for the presidency when he is over 50 years, because his egocentric ambition is to become the first “Black” President of America before he clocks 50 and he is most likely to give up if he fails to make it in 2008. I am impressed by the spirit of endurance of Senator John McCain who has not given up since he lost in 2000 and 2004 and eve...

The hypocrisy of the American news media has become more pronounced in the coverage of the American presidential campaign in 2008. Presidential candidates have been misquoted, their statements distorted and reported out of context for sensational headlines and to start controversies to perpetrate malicious campaigns and turn voters against the targets of their offensives and the Clintons have been at the receiving end. That is why David Runciman’s article “Vote Hypocrite” on the Boston Globe online edition of February 3, 2008, is a good analysis of the conflict of interests among the Democrats and Republicans in their power struggle for political supremacy. I have seen spurious endorsements of the leading presidential candidates by those who have personal grudges against their political rivals. Malice and prejudice are so evident that only an ignorant observer would be fooled. These dishonest and ill-conceived approval ratings have only exposed the rot in American Democracy. It is n...