US diary

* We are accepting nominations for the 2009 Joe Biden Prize for ill-chosen political utterances. At the top of the list already is Italy's Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who yesterday complimented Barack Obama on the depth of his tan. Mr Berlusconi was talking to reporters after meeting the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, recalling that a new – and similarly young – leader in the White House might mean a warming of US-Russian relations. "I told the President that [Obama[ has everything needed in order to reach deals with him," he said. "He's young, handsome and even tanned." The last bit was meant as a joke, or so we assume. Meanwhile, some quite unexpected congratulations to Mr Obama came from none other than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the first Iranian leader to wish a President-elect well since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. "I congratulate you on being able to attract the majority of votes of the participants of the election," he said in a message that contained no jokes at all. "You know the opportunities bestowed upon people by God are short-lived."

* The streets of Kenya have been ringing with the names of Barack and Michelle Obama this week, and who can be surprised, with a son of a native son winning the American presidency? But Kenyans had better get used to hearing them, because it might not be long before half of the population is named after the soon-to-be First Couple. More than half of the babies born in one Kenyan hospital since Tuesday night have been called Barack or Michelle. Ten years from now, call out either of those names and half the people will turn and ask what you want.

* By Tuesday night, some US political reporters were privately hoping for a McCain upset. Hey, wouldn't it make for better headlines? "The Mac Is Back", "Bradley Effect Clobbers Obama", "America Election Shock: Gallup Gives Up To Sell Groceries". Their proprietors, however, could not have been more delighted with the Obama victory because it sold newspapers – and how. The Chicago Tribune and New York Times were among those titles that had to restart their printing presses on Wednesday morning because every copy had sold out before breakfast as voters snapped up keepsakes of the historic day. Taking the lead from British newspapers such as The Independent, some US titles experimented with front covers showing just a photograph of Mr Obama and a short, pithy headline. "Change Has Come" was the message on the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which is selling a high-quality printed version of its final edition for a rather grand $54.95. But then who would have imagined that mint copies of the New York Times would be offered for sale online for $600 apiece as they were on Wednesday?