The Premier, who had earlier in the day sacked his Education Minister Randy Horton, said he joined with millions around the world in congratulating the new President-elect.

"There are moments in the annals of history that give us pause," said the Premier. "Tonight we have experienced such a moment. We are elated and humbled by an occurrence that many of us never believed we would see in our lifetime.

"We are also buoyed by the knowledge that beyond the symbolism of this historic election, America has elected as its newest President a man who has ignited fires of hope around the world.

"I join with our American friends and people across the planet in offering my heartfelt congratulations," Brown said.

Opposition leader Swan declared it a "great day for us all", adding," this is a truly breathtaking historical event ? a man of black and white lineage becoming President of the United States.

"It is such an uplifting, positive victory because it was built on a message of inclusiveness and togetherness, a message that held true through more than two years of campaigning, often against extremely negative attacks.

"Mr Obama, by his lineage, his words and his vision has brought us closer to that 'brighter day' that he spoke of so often, when we can overcome the barriers that divide to move forward together."

Former ruling Progressive Labour Party deputy leader Walter Roberts, who owns a home in Florida, was one of hundreds of Bermudians living in the United States who knocked on doors in support of Obama.

The Bermuda leaders' reaction was mirrored across the island as many election parties erupted into joyful celebrations when it became clear just after midnight local time that Obama had beaten his Republican opponent John McCain in the race for the White House.

At the Somerset home of Amani Flood, an American citizen and long-time Bermuda resident who is coordinator of web site Bermuda4Barack, the reaction was immediate.

Loud cheering, laughing, horns being blown and drums being beaten was heard for several minutes as the revellers hugged and danced with one another.

Asked if she was ecstatic, Flood, 50, said: "You need a better word. We are overwhelmed, we are overjoyed. We have got the flag flying; we have got the TV on in every room."

The Californian corporate administrator and mother of two, who has lived here for 25 years, said partygoers counted down to the moment as US media called the result. At that point, she added, "everyone just went wild".

Obama's plans to clamp down on US offshore business operations and plug tax loopholes in Bermuda and other so-called tax havens did nothing to dampen the spirits of his fans in Bermuda.

Brothers Marico and Belcario Thomas held a party at a Flatts restaurant so that people could come together to watch the contest unfold on multiple TV screens.

Restaurant owner Marico, 42, described himself as a huge supporter of the man set to become the 44th President of the United States but admitted that his stance on tax havens could impact the island.

"I like change and I like the principles that he suggests," he said. "He actually has his eye on the international business that is here. As a Bermudian, it's going to hurt. I think we have just got to be prepared for some difference that's going to happen in the future."

Entrepreneur Belcario, 33, said: "I'm a big-time Obama supporter. Barack is definitely inspirational for my political future. He has taken me off the fence regarding whether I should go into politics. I know now that I will."

Source: Caribbean Media Corporation news agency website, Bridgetown, in English 1640 gmt 5 Nov 08

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He said the government had chosen the WWF because this institution paid big attention to nature conservation development which was one of the important elements of eco-tourism.

"We have so far been looking for the right institution to become the government's partner and we found the WWF, which had an experience and expertise and understood well concept of nature conservation-based eco-tourism development," he said.

He said the government had also chosen the WWF because of the common view it shared with the government on conservation and people's empowerment.

WWF Indonesia executive director Mubariz Ahmad said the WWF's decision to support eco-tourism development in Indonesia was based upon an idea of developing sustainable economic activities that involved the people but did not harm the environment.

The WWF has so far had activities in the Borneo region and Coral Triangle and therefore it welcomed when the government offered cooperation to develop people-based sustainable economic development.

He said "one of the targets to be met by the WWF is the establishment of a grassroot institution that is linked to natural conservation in the area for eco-tourism development project."

The WWF Indonesia is an independent part of the WWF network headquartered in Switzerland that work with its affiliations in 100 countries in the world with a vision to realize a world where people can live in harmony with the nature.

In Cape Town this week for a meeting of the SA [South Africa]-EU Joint Cooperating Council, he urged the government to get off the fence and accept its responsibility as sub-Saharan Africa's most influential voice.

"We have invested a lot in a political process of strategic partnership, we have set up an EU summit with Africa - and we only do that with the key actors in the world - but still the relationship is hampered by a number of small things which are polluting it in a small way, which are not allowing this strategic partnership to take off," he told Business Times.

He said that among issues South Africa was reluctant to complete were:

Implementation of the Cotonou Agreement of 2000, which offers former European colonies free access to EU markets in return for substantial opening of their own markets over up to 15 years;

Ratification of an agreement to replace bilateral aviation accords with separate European states and recognise the EU's single-sky approach;

Negotiation of a common position on climate change to take to upcoming global environmental talks; and

Resolution of disputes in the wine and spirits industry.

He says the reluctance to sign off on agreements is costing SA and the region an important say in global events.

South Africa has resisted finalisation of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the EU largely because of differences over the status of service imports.

Pretoria is also unhappy about the EU's insistence that any concessions given by South Africa to rival countries or blocs in future should automatically be extended to the EU.

In a move that could split SACU [Southern African Customs Union], Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland broke ranks last year and signed interim EPAs with the EU while South Africa continued to hold out.

Manservisi, who has been the EU's director-general for development in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific for four years, insisted there was no lack of trust among the EU and SA negotiators. But there was a sarcastic edge to his comments on why South Africa refuses to see the EU's offer quite as positively as Brussels does.

"Nobody understands why it is this way - maybe this is a difficult moment for South Africa ... maybe they have a major plan that is so clever as to be invisible or it's just small things, but it is not a matter of trust," he said.

Manservisi said that with the world economic order up for review following the credit crisis, South Africa also should be more willing to speak for Africa.

"South Africa should be in a sense a representative of Africa. I know this is difficult as South Africa is always reluctant to speak on behalf of Africa, but it is one thing to have the process towards this new economic governance forged by the G8 plus China, India and Brazil and quite another to have it with South Africa participating," he said.

South Africa is among countries at this weekend's G-20 economic summit in Washington, which could launch a major review of global financial regulation.

But Manservisi said South Africa should also advise the EU on its own review.

"A bilateral partnership with South Africa is more than a bilateral partnership with an ordinary country, it is a partnership which can teach us how the new South perceives its needs and how we can interact in this global world in a different way," he said.

Source: Sunday Times, Business Times supplement website, Johannesburg, in English 9 Nov 08

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Mofaz is trying to portray himself as the Kadima candidate with the greatest chance of forming a new coalition, while Livni is touting her chances for victory in a national election.

For now, the polls favor Livni, giving her a six to 10-point lead over Mofaz in the primary race. They also show Kadima under her leadership winning up to eight seats more than Mofaz in the general election.

With elections only scheduled for November 2010, Kadima members would prefer not to go the polls right now: they fear losing some of their 29 seats in parliament, as well as losing the election overall to Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister and head of the center-right Likud party. That might increase support for Mofaz, but within political circles the conventional wisdom is that a new Kadima leader, regardless of who it is, will not succeed in reconstituting a ruling coalition, and that an election will be held by early next year.

This might explain why more key party members are lining up behind Livni, as Kadima ministers and lawmakers come off the fence with the primary only a month away. Internal Security Minister and former Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter and Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit are also in the race, but polls show both of them trailing badly with only single-digit support.

The race is shaping up as a fight between "Mr. Security" and "Mrs. Clean." The 60-year-old Mofaz, a former army chief and former defense minister, has been trying to portray himself as tough on security, especially with regard to Iran. If Tehran continued developing its nuclear program, he said in early June, an Israeli attack on its nuclear installations would be "unavoidable" -- a comment that sparked a dramatic $11 spike in oil prices.

Mofaz insists that his more hawkish views will make it easier for him to draw in more hard-line parties when it comes to rebuilding a Kadima-led coalition. Accordingly, he has also sounded skeptical about the prospects of peace with the Palestinians, and has been critical of a year-end deadline for reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

Talya Somech, a senior aide to Mofaz, recently said that a much longer period of time was required before trust could be established between the sides.

"He believes that years and mutual confidence will be needed in order to reach these topics," she said, referring to the core issues such as borders, refugees and security arrangements that are currently being discussed in talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Those talks are being led by Livni, who as foreign minister has been in charge of negotiations with the Palestinians. A former agent in Israel's Mossad spy agency and a lawyer by training, Livni used to oppose a land-for-peace deal with the Palestinians early in her political career, but her stance has softened over time. The final ideological break came in 2005 when she abandoned the Likud Party to join former prime minister Ariel Sharon in setting up Kadima, because of strong opposition within the Likud Party to territorial compromise with the Palestinians.

The 50-year-old Livni, who is also the acting premier and has served as justice minister, has been one of Ehud Olmert's greatest critics and has portrayed herself as the antithesis of the prime minister, who has been embroiled in no fewer than six corruption scandals since taking office in May 2006. It was the latest scandal -- involving the charge that he illicitly received hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from a Jewish U.S. businessman -- that finally led the prime minister to announce late last month that he would resign as soon as Kadima had chosen a new leader.

After a government-appointed inquiry into the 2006 Lebanon war determined that Olmert was responsible for mismanaging the military campaign, Livni called on the prime minister to resign but did not resign herself.

As the corruption allegations mounted, so did her criticism of the prime minister. She again demanded that he step aside after Morris Talansky, a U.S. businessman, told a Jerusalem court in late May that he had given Olmert some $150,000 in cash to cover, among other things, personal expenses such as hotel rooms and a family holiday to Italy, in a 15-year period before he became prime minister.

One of Livni's latest catches is influential Kadima figure Tsahi Hanegbi, who is well connected with the party's grassroots political bosses. "Three years ago I answered the call of prime minister Sharon to help him found the Kadima movement," Hanegbi told reporters last week, as he announced his support for Livni. "Today I am announcing my decision to answer the call of the acting prime minister [Livni], and help her in her bid for the premiership."

Mofaz hopes his stronger connection to Kadima's field operatives will help him close the gap on Livni. But the decision by Hanegbi -- an astute politician with a highly developed political snout -- to back the foreign minister is another sign that Livni may well become the party's next leader.