The XXI century will be a сentury either of total all-embracing crisis or of moral and spiritual healing that will reinvigorate humankind. It is my conviction that all of us - all reasonable political leaders, all spiritual and ideological movements, all faiths - must help in this transition to a triumph of humanism and justice, in making the XXI century a century of a new human renaissance.
Mikhail Gorbachev honoured at 80th birthday charity bash
Mkhail Gorbachev honoured at 80th birthday charity bash
By Bridget KendallDiplomatic correspondent, BBC News
A sincere moment of real respect, whatever the gaudy trimmings.
So who had come to pay homage? The glitterati crowd included both glamorous Russians as well as Londoners, plus many other stars and political heavyweights.
The ex-Terminator and former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was there. So was the former British Foreign Secretary Lord David Owen. The one-time Solidarity leader and Polish President Lech Walesa was among the guests, as was Israeli President Shimon Peres.
And alongside the politicians, Mel C of the Spice Girls had been invited. Goldie Hawn arrived - tripping down the red carpet in characteristically ditzy fashion - and the punk-haired German rock band The Scorpions had come too to sing the song Wind of Change, which once summed up the mood as the communist bloc fell apart. The four of them posed for the cameras in a well-rehearsed group action shot, as though poised to leap on stage and grapple a microphone to the ground.
London, not Moscow
You cannot deny it: this was an incongruous mix of people and a weird, though memorable, event. The co-hosts on stage were both Hollywood megastars, Sharon Stone and Kevin Spacey. They had learnt their political show lines diligently. She was the straight guy. His job was to crack the jokes.
Sharon: "Where would Russia be if not reaping the benefits of its new democracy?"
Kevin: " Well, we wouldn't be in this room tonight and Chelsea football team wouldn't be able to afford its new players."
A polite titter rippled through the hall. Oscar night razor-sharp wit it was not.
But to give him his due, Kevin Spacey also had a serious point to make, which he delivered eloquently when he stopped to talk to us on the way in.
"If you look at our world now," he told us, "all of the things that are happening in Egypt, Belarus, Iran and Libya, people are fighting for the very kind of freedoms and access and ability to cross borders that Mikhail Gorbachev did so many years ago... I suspect that you could draw a direct line to Mikhail Gorbachev and say that's where a lot of this began."
A sentiment that probably quite a lot of different people in Britain would agree with.
In Moscow you might find it harder to come across Gorbachev fans who would make the same connection. Many Russians still blame him for the Soviet collapse. For them he is not a hero. No wonder his main birthday bash was being held in London.
The inventor of the worldwide web, Sir Tim Berners Lee; the media mogul and founder of CNN television, Ted Turner; and a 25-year-old Kenyan engineer called Evans Wadongo were all honoured at a gala to celebrate the former Soviet leader's 80th birthday at the Royal Albert Hall.
The London Symphony Orchestra struck up a rousing classical medley under the baton of the famous Russian conductor, Valery Gergiev, filling the hall with music.
Framed by mock neoclassical columns and an arch overhead inscribed with the phrase "The Man who Changed the World", a giant screen showed highlights from Mikhail Gorbachev's career, interspersed with images of other global heroes and celebrities ranging from Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa to Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher. It was all a bit cheesy and over the top.
But then finally the screen filled with the live image of Mr Gorbachev as he is today, sitting in the front row with his daughter, more portly than in his heyday, with the telltale wine-red birthmark on his forehead but still with the same charming smile and lively manner than so struck Western politicians when he first emerged as Soviet leader.
Scorpions and Schwarzenegger
Slowly the former president clambered up on stage to make an opening speech. He pondered that he had lived through much in his eight decades, seen many things, experienced loss as well as joy and addressed many crowds, but he had rarely been at an event like this one.
Around the cavernous hall in all the red velvet-upholstered boxes, VIP couples, many in black tie and slinky ball gowns, set down their champagne glasses to rise to their feet and applaud him.
Mikhail Gorbachev celebrates 80th with star-studded London party
By Myles Burke
High profile guests, including Israeli President Shimon Peres and actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger joined the 1990 Nobel Peace laureate at Royal Albert Hall, underlying the stature Gorbachev enjoys in the West, where he is credited as playing a pivotal role in ending the Cold War and freeing Eastern Europe from Soviet rule.
The concert hosted by actors Kevin Spacey and Sharon Stone, saw performances from Bryan Ferry, Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins and German rockers The Scorpions, who first played for Gorbachev at the Kremlin in 1991.
Tickets for the event ranged from £195 to £100,000, with the money raised going to The Gorbachev Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support and The Raisa Foundation – named after Gorbachev's late wife who died from leukaemia in 1999, aged 67.
Gorbachev used the event to launch annual awards recognising individuals who have changed the world.
CNN founder Ted Turner, inventor of the world wide web Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Evans Wadongo, the Kenyan engineer who created a solar lamp which is used by tens of thousands in Africa, all received awards
Former Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev has celebrated his 80th birthday by honouring Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the founder of the world wide web, as a "man who changed the world".
Mr Gorbachev personally chose Sir Tim, CNN founder Ted Turner and Kenyan engineer Evans Wadongo as the winners of the inaugural Gorbachev Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Wednesday's black-tie event was hosted by actors Kevin Spacey and Sharon Stone and attended by VIPs from the world of politics including ex-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, former PM John Major and California's ex-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Dame Shirley Bassey, Katherine Jenkins, Bryan Ferry and the London Symphony Orchestra all performed at the event to honour Mr Gorbachev's achievements.
They were joined by internationally acclaimed Russian baritone Dmitry Hvorostovsky, rock stars Andrey Makarevich and Mashina Vremeni and the Turetsky Choir, a choir founded by conductor Michael Turetsky from the Moscow Central Synagogue.
The Gorbachev Special Achievement Awards were presented for outstanding contribution in various categories and proceeds from the evening will be shared between the Gorbachev Foundation and Macmillan Cancer Support.
The former Soviet leader said: "These three people have each, in their own way, changed the world for their fellow men and women in ways which affect all our lives.
"Each and every one possesses the ability to make a difference and the Gorbachev Awards have been established to those people who achieve this and to provide inspiration to all of us to try."
Arriving at the event, Mr Turner credited Mr Gorbachev with "peacefully ending a Cold War" and "saving millions of lives", commenting: "That's pretty good, don't you think? And that ain't all he did - that's just some of it."
The evening was the last of several over the past six months celebrating the former Soviet President's 80th year - his actual birthday was March 2.
The fund-raising events are aimed at raising £5m for the charities.
