Crowds rally for Obama’s presidential nomination

Barack Obama has accepted the Democratic party's nomination to run for president, becoming the first African-American to lead a major party ticket. In a speech delivered to tens of thousands of supporters, he promised he would reverse George Bush's failed

The race for the presidential seat, now in its final stage, was taken to Invesco Field – the enormous stadium that Obama chose as the arena for the most important speech of his career. It can hold up to 76,000 people, with many arriving hours early.

Expectations were extremely high. They had no doubt that what Barack Obama was going to say would be inspirational. Even before the speech was made, it was being called historic.

With the crowds all hyped up, and all eyes on him, Obama knew this was his chance. And he said exactly what the crowds wanted to hear.

He promised to cut taxes, set up a time frame to end the war in Iraq, end the turmoil of the economy, and make education and healthcare available for all.

“On November 4, we must stand up and say: 8 is enough,” he said.

He added it’s the end of America holding onto the past. But for many Americans, real change for the U.S. starts with realising that foreign relations are not a one-way street.

However, it seems that Barack Obama may keep up the finger-pointing when it comes to America’s ties with other countries.

“I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression,” he said.

A day earlier, Joe Biden – the man Barack Obama chose as his Vice President, who has decades of foreign policy experience – was tough on George Bush’s ignorance of other countries. But at the same time, he was also quick to echo Bush in his position on Russia.

“For the last seven years, the administration has failed to face the biggest forces shaping this century: the emergence of Russia, China and India as great powers. We will hold Russia accountable for its actions,” Biden said.

McCain names Sarah Palin as running-mate

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has named Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential candidate.

Palin – Alaska's female governor – was on the short list of candidates for nomination.

McCain has kept his vice-presidential pick a closely guarded secret.

He is due to hold a rally in the U.S. state of Ohio, where he decided to present his running-mate ahead of the Republican convention next week.