This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/7787887.stm
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Obama named 'Person of the Year' | Obama named 'Person of the Year' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Time magazine has given its annual Person of the Year award to US President-elect Barack Obama. | |
| Mr Obama was awarded the title "for having the confidence to sketch an ambitious future in a gloomy hour," said the US-based magazine. | Mr Obama was awarded the title "for having the confidence to sketch an ambitious future in a gloomy hour," said the US-based magazine. |
| It said he showed "the competence that makes Americans hopeful he might pull it off". | It said he showed "the competence that makes Americans hopeful he might pull it off". |
| Recent winners have included Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the American soldier and the public. | Recent winners have included Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the American soldier and the public. |
| Four runners-up were also announced, as well as 17 "people who mattered". | Four runners-up were also announced, as well as 17 "people who mattered". |
| The runners-up were US Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, French and current EU President Nicholas Sarkozy, Republican vice-presidential candidate and Alaskan governor Sarah Palin and Zhang Yimou, creative director of August's Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing. | The runners-up were US Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, French and current EU President Nicholas Sarkozy, Republican vice-presidential candidate and Alaskan governor Sarah Palin and Zhang Yimou, creative director of August's Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing. |
| "We would have had to have had some pretty compelling reasons to not chose President-elect Barack Obama," Michael Elliot, Time's international editor, told CNN. | |
| "His is an extraordinary story which has captured the imagination of people from Jakarta to Dublin to Iowa to New Hampshire. | |
| "There is a degree of excitement surrounding Barack Obama which we tried to capture in our choice," Mr Elliot said. | |
| The BBC's Andy Gallacher in Washington says receiving the accolade is usually considered an honour. | |
| But is has also been awarded to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin in the past, for very different reasons. |