World at a glance
Friday, 05 Sep 2008 12:14
Death-toll from tropical storm Hanna in Haiti rises to 137 as storm heads to US
John McCain has accepted the Republican nomination for president and warned that he will fight to change the United States.
The Arizona senator told supporters in St Paul, Minnesota, that he and running-mate Sarah Palin were committed to getting the country "back on the road to prosperity and peace".
"Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming," he said.
But Mr McCain, who said he accepted the party's nomination with "gratitude, humility and confidence", also praised George Bush for protecting America from further attacks following the worst attack on US soil on September 11th 2001.
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The Haitian government has appealed for international aid after tropical storm Hanna left large parts of the country flooded and 137 people dead.
Hanna, which is forecast to regain hurricane strength, is now on a collision course with the United States.
In Haiti 80 people died in flooded Gonaives, with 22 deaths around the port city and 35 elsewhere in the country.
Haitian president Rene Preval has called on the international community to help the impoverished island nation recover from the damage.
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Angola's ruling party faces its first major test of multiparty democracy since the west African country's civil war ended six years ago.
Genuinely competitive elections have not been held in Angola since 1992 and are being viewed positively by westerners, who are carefully monitoring the country's post-conflict transition.
Today's parliamentary elections are seen as a key step in that process and they are widely expected to be completed peacefully.
But there are still fears the election will be criticised by international observers. The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) is closely tied to the state apparatus and media access is heavily biased towards it, while last-minute changes to electoral procedures have raised eyebrows.
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A group of Sudanese doctors have begun working in their home country, over 20 years after they escaped from the country's devastating civil war.
Eleven doctors were rescued from wartorn Sudan in 1985 where, with 600 other children, they were sent to Cuba and Canada to pursue the medical education they have now completed.
"Despite severe challenges, they have convinced many of their commitment to remain," Rodney Crutcher of the University of Calgary said.
"Through relationships forged along their journey, they have inspired others to commit time, medical donations, and other support to further their work in southern Sudan."
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Back in Britain, the mother of Shannon Matthews has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the disappearance of her daughter.
Shannon, nine, went missing for 24 days in February after failing to return to her home in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire, after school.
Her disappearance attracted considerable media attention and sparked a widespread search by West Yorkshire police.
She was eventually found by officers hidden inside a bed belonging to Ms Matthews' former partner's uncle Michael Donovan.
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Andy Murray has warned world number one Rafael Nadal he is in the form of his life ahead of their US Open semi-final.
The British number one reached his first-ever grand slam last-four tie when he beat Juan Martin del Potro in the previous round.
Murray, 21, is certain to rise to fourth in the world rankings whatever the outcome of his semi-final with Nadal.
But the Scot said he had his eyes firmly on glory at Flushing Meadows. "I don't care what happens throughout the course of the match as long as I win," he said.
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