Daily News Digest

The latest news on the Republican Convention, Global Poverty, Angola Election, Campaign, Convention Protests, Hurricanes, Unemployment, Health Care, Death Penalty, Soldier's Suicides, Global Poverty, Iraq-Afghanistan, Angola Election, India, Burma/Mayanmar, Georgia, and Pakistan.

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Republican convention. McCain vows own kind of change "John McCain launched his final drive for the White House on Thursday night by stepping away from President Bush and toward the political center, vowing to forge a government focused on problem-solving rather than party labels." 'Change Is Coming,' McCain Says "Sen. John McCain of Arizona completed a long and often improbable journey to the Republican presidential nomination Thursday night, offering himself as an "imperfect servant" who will never surrender in his fight to change Washington and the country." McCain vows to fight, fight, fight for better America "John McCain cast himself Thursday night as a lifelong fighter for his country who's ready to lead new battles for dramatic change as he accepted the Republican Party's presidential nomination. He said he was eager to cross party lines and lead new missions." McCain Vows to End 'Partisan Rancor,' Seizing Theme of Change From Rival "Senator John McCain accepted the Republican presidential nomination Thursday with a pledge to move the nation beyond 'partisan rancor' and narrow self-interest in a speech in which he markedly toned down the blistering attacks on Senator Barack Obama that had filled the first nights of his convention."

Campaign. Galvanized Parties Head to Homestretch "Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama will begin the final 60 days of their general-election campaign with a political climate still more favorable for Democrats but with Republicans newly united and confident that they can compete for the undecided voters who still harbor doubts about both presidential nominees." Now for the main event "And now that the back-to-back political conventions are over, the longest-running presidential campaign in memory enters its home stretch - finally - with the promise of new drama."

Convention Protests. Antiwar march ends in tense standoff away from Xcel Center "Police arrested scores more people Thursday night after another series of tense showdowns with protesters on the final night of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul." Nearly 400 arrested in final anti-war march of the Republican National Convention "Percussion grenades, tear gas and nearly 400 arrests marked the final anti-war march during the Republican National Convention. More than 800 arrests were reported during a week of sometimes peaceful, sometimes violent dissent."

Hurricanes. US East Coast braces for Tropical Storm Hanna "Beach vacationers in the Carolinas prepared to pack up and head inland Friday as Tropical Storm Hanna cruised steadily toward the coast, while others decided to ride out the fast-moving storm that had only a slight chance to become a small hurricane before crashing ashore overnight." Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic hit hard by string of storms "Already soaked and battered from Hurricane Gustav, the Caribbean took another thrashing Wednesday as an enormous Tropical Storm Hanna drenched the region with heavy rains, killing at least 26 people in Haiti, where bodies were seen floating down some streets." As Gustav evacuees return to New Orleans, a varied homecoming "As Gustav evacuees return home, and as those who stayed put survey the terrain, it's apparent how much a hurricane's unpredictability can cause varying degrees of damage."

Unemployment. U.S. unemployment rate hits 6.1% "The nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, dramatic proof of the mounting damage a deeply troubled economy is inflicting on workers and businesses alike."

Health care. Study finds that workers will pay more for health care as employers pass on costs "Get ready for another hike in copays and deductibles. A survey being released Thursday by the Mercer consulting firm found 59 percent of companies intend to keep down rising health care costs in 2009 by raising workers' deductibles, copays or out-of-pocket spending limits."

Death penalty. As Texas Execution Nears, Hearing Is Set on a Claim That Judge and Prosecutor Had Affair "With less than a week to go before the scheduled execution of a man who contends his murder trial was tainted by a love affair between the judge and the prosecutor, a state judge on Thursday ordered a hearing into the accusation and the Texas attorney general called for a review of the fairness of the trial." Hood's hearing reset to before his execution date "[Judge] Brewer ordered retired Judge Verla Sue Holland and former Collin County District Attorney Tom O'Connell to be ready to be interviewed by lawyers Monday - if Brewer agrees with Hood's attorney that the pair should be deposed."

Soldier's suicides. Soldiers' Suicide Rate On Pace to Set Record "Suicides among active-duty soldiers this year are on pace to exceed both last year's all-time record and, for the first time since the Vietnam War, the rate among the general U.S. population, Army officials said yesterday."

Global poverty. Donors' Aid to Poor Nations Declines, U.N. Reports "Aid to poor nations has slumped even as higher food and energy prices and slowing global economic growth have made such assistance more urgent, according to a report released Thursday by the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon." Poverty-reduction aid lags, study finds "Development aid from the United States and other wealthy countries has declined since the middle of this decade, jeopardizing the ambitious U.N. goal they had embraced for reducing poverty by 2015, according to a report issued Thursday."

Iraq-Afghanistan. Gen. Petraeus recommends delay in Iraq troop cuts "Army Gen. David H. Petraeus has recommended that President Bush postpone sharp troop cuts in Iraq until next year, delaying a large-scale shift of combat forces to Afghanistan and reflecting concerns that widespread violence could return to Iraq." Pentagon Urges Extended Pause in Iraq Drawdown "Pentagon leaders have recommended to President Bush that the United States make no further troop reductions in Iraq this year, administration officials said yesterday." Plan Would Shift Forces From Iraq to Afghanistan"The reduction is smaller than some officials had earlier suggested might be possible before President Bush leaves office in January, given the significant decline in violence in Iraq. But it reflects the caution of Gen. David H. Petraeus, who is leaving his post as the senior American commander in Iraq this month, about the still-unsettled situation in Iraq." Most Canadians say Afghan mission too costly, poll suggests "The Canadian Press-Harris Decima survey shows a majority of Canadians believe the country is paying too high a price in blood and treasure for its involvement in Afghanistan."

Angola election. Angolans Heading to Polls for First Vote in 16 Years "More than eight million people - nearly half of the population - have registered to vote in war-ravaged Angola, a country with an abundance of oil, diamonds and grinding poverty that is holding its first election in 16 years on Friday." Angolans vote after 16-year wait "The opposition National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (Unita) party hopes that discontent over the government's failure to address economic issues will boost its campaign." Angola: Economy Weighing on Voters' Minds "Angola's economy may be booming on the back of high oil prices and strong diamond exports, but six years after a peace deal ended the 27-year civil war, unemployment stands at around 65 percent."

India. U.S. Letter Puts India's Premier On Defensive Over Nuclear Deal "As international negotiators met in Vienna to decide the fate of the contentious nuclear energy agreement between India and the United States, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government found itself facing a revived political battle at home over the deal because of the release of a secret letter in Washington." NSG meet: Positive response to India's case "As Austria and New Zealand remained unconvinced over the present form of the nuclear draft and sought changes, India's case for a clean and unconditional waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) got a boost earlier in the day after New Delhi's reaffirmation of its commitment to non-proliferation goals."

Burma/Myanmar. Unnoticed by world, Myanmar opens up to cyclone relief "Away from public view, Myanmar has opened up to global relief efforts to an unprecedented degree after initially thwarting foreign attempts to help victims of a devastating cyclone last spring, a U.S. relief agency said in a report issued Friday."

Georgia. Cheney: US will back Georgia for Nato "The US vice-president, Dick Cheney, yesterday issued a direct challenge to Moscow's sway over Georgia, pledging Washington's support for its eventual membership of Nato, while denouncing Russia's "illegitimate" invasion." Georgia linked to Nato early warning system "Nato's early-warning surveillance system has been plugged into Georgia's air-defence network in the first evidence that the US-led alliance is shoring up the country's shattered military."

Pakistan. Bhutto Widower With Clouded Past Is Set to Lead "Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, is set to become president on Saturday, an accidental ascent for a man known more as a wheeler-dealer than a leader. He will start his tenure burdened by a history of corruption allegations that cloud his reputation even as they remain unproved." Pakistan 'needs help' on economy "Pakistan needs a 'substantial' injection of external funds if it is to improve its worsening economic situation, an IMF official has said."