The latest news on McCain picks Palin, Democratic Convention, Republican Convention, Hurricane Gustav, India, Mexico-abortion, Russia-Georgia, Iran, Bolivia, Iraq, Canada, Opinion.

Breaking News-McCain picks Palin. McCain Introduces Alaska Governor Palin as Running Mate "Republican presumptive presidential nominee John McCain introduced first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate here Friday at a raucous rally before thousands of his supporters." McCain picks Alaska Gov. Palin as running mate "Palin, 44, who's in her first term as governor, is a pioneering figure in Alaska, the first woman and the youngest person to hold the state's top political job."

Democratic convention. Obama melds policy with punch "Barack Obama accepted the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night on a specially constructed soundstage in Denver's Invesco Field. His 44-minute speech mixed a searing indictment of his Republican opponent and the Republican incumbent with Clintonesque personal touches and Reaganesque optimism," The Message That the Party Wanted to Hear "Barack Obama's speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday night was what many nervous Democrats were hoping for: a forceful challenge to John McCain and the Republicans, and a restatement of the message to change Washington and the nation that propelled him." Obama gets it in gear with acceptance speech "The new Obama, unveiled before about 84,000 cheering supporters in a football stadium, is more combative than the old Obama -- and more sharply focused on the economic problems of the nation's working class." Bringing Lofty Words Down to Earth "Good, great or something else, Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech Thursday night unquestionably confronted two of his greatest challenges."

Republican convention. Democrats glowing, but now come the Republicans "Now America pivots to John McCain, and Obama's bounce could be unusually short-lived. It's only the fourth time in history that the two parties have had their national conventions back to back."

Hurricane Gustav. A fearful New Orleans prepares for a potential Hurricane Gustav "The tropical storm is about five days away from possible landfall in Louisiana and is predicted to build to a Category 3 hurricane." GOP Considers Delaying Convention "Republican officials said yesterday that they are considering delaying the start of the GOP convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul because of Tropical Storm Gustav, which is on track to hit the Gulf Coast, and possibly New Orleans, as a full-force hurricane early next week."

India. Faiths Clash, Displacing Thousands in East India "At least 3,000 people, most of them Christians, are living in government-run relief camps after days of Christian-versus-Hindu violence in eastern India, government officials said." Catholic schools in India protest "Thousands of Catholic schools are shut across India in protest against continuing anti-Christian violence in the eastern state of Orissa."

Mexico-abortion. Mexican Supreme Court upholds legalized abortion law "In a lopsided ruling, Mexico's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a year-old law in Mexico City legalizing abortions during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy."

Russia-Georgia. Putin Suggests U.S. Provocation in Georgia Clash "As Russia struggled to rally international support for its military action in Georgia, Vladimir V. Putin, the country's paramount leader, lashed out at the United States on Thursday, contending that the White House may have orchestrated the conflict to benefit one of the candidates in the American presidential election." Putin suggests U.S. may have provoked Georgia conflict "The United States and Russia on Thursday traded some of their sharpest words over the conflict in Georgia, including a suggestion by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that Washington provoked the fighting to sway the outcome of the U.S. presidential race." Russia Deal May Fall, a Casualty of Conflict "Just three months ago, President Bush reached a long-sought agreement with Russia intended to open a new era of civilian nuclear cooperation and sent it to Congress for review. Now, according to administration officials, Mr. Bushis preparing to scrap his own deal."

Iran. 'Israel reaches strategic decision not to let Iran go nuclear' "Israel will not agree to allow Iran to achieve nuclear weapons and if the grains start running out in the proverbial egg timer, Jerusalem will not hesitate to take whatever means necessary to prevent Iran from achieving its nuclear goals, the government has recently decided in a special discussion."

Bolivia. Bolivian Is an Uneasy Ally as U.S. Presses Drug War "Mr. Morales, a former grower of coca, the raw ingredient of cocaine, is both an antagonist and an active partner in American antidrug policy for the region."

Iraq. Iraq's Sadr extends militia truce "Iraq's influential Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, has indefinitely extended a ceasefire being observed by members of his Mehdi Army militia." Iraq Signs Oil Deal With China Worth Up to $3 Billion "In the first major oil deal Iraq has made with a foreign country since 2003, the Iraqi government and the China National Petroleum Corporation have signed a contract in Beijing that could be worth up to $3 billion."

Canada. Dion, Harper sparring "With the election countdown on, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion took aim at each other yesterday, each accusing his political rival of being too radical for Canadians."

Opinion. Ukraine, Russia and European stability ( David Miliband, Guardian) "The Georgia crisis provided a rude awakening. The sight of Russian tanks in a neighbouring country on the 40th anniversary of the crushing of the Prague Spring has shown that the temptations of power politics remain. The old sores and divisions fester. Russia remains unreconciled to the new map of Europe."

It's politics at its finest, if news media will let folks see it (Neal Justin, Minneapolis Star Tribune) "Much of this week's coverage in Denver has been dedicated to journalists and pundits polluting the airwaves with bullying, bile and baloney ... But when the media shut their mouths and aimed their cameras at the podium, viewers were treated to something that's exceedingly rare in this sound-bite era: Full, articulate, inspiring oratory."