U.S. Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle greet supporters at a rally in St. Paul, Minnesota,

HISTORIC DAY: U.S. Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle greet supporters at a rally in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Tuesday. Washington: Taking a giant leap towards the White House, Barack Obama has become the first black American to seal the Democratic Presidential nomination setting up a poll battle with Republican John McCain, as defiant Hillary Clinton refused to concede angling to be his running mate. "Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States," a beaming Obama told a boisterous crowd of supporters in St Paul, Minnesota last night after crossing the magic figure of 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the nomination for the November polls. After the two end-game primaries in South Dakota and Montana saw the Democrat rivals sharing honours, Obama's tally reached 2,149.5, compared to 1925.5 of the former first lady. "Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another -- a journey that will bring a new and better day to America," Obama, 46, said, marking the end of the marathon race spreading over 17 months that pitted two historic candidates - a woman and an African-American - against each other. However, 60-year-old Clinton did not concede defeat and her supporters lobbied hard to secure the joint ticket for her to be the party's nominee for the post of Vice President. "Obviously, it's on the table," Clinton's campaign Chairman Terry McAuliffe told CNN, recalling her victories in some swing states during the epic nomination battle with Obama. "She has always said, I will do whatever it takes to win in the fall. Whatever that option may be." Terming his capturing of the nomination a "defining moment" for the US, Obama sought to reach out to Clinton in a bid to unite the Democratic party after a bitter and prolonged slanging match that brought out deep racial and gender divide in the open. Clinton "has made history in this campaign not just because she's a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she's a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight," Obama said. Clinton praised Obama warmly in an appearance before supporters in New York. But she neither acknowledged his victory nor offered a concession of any sort. "This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight." US media reports quoted lawmakers as saying that during a conference call Clinton expressed willingness to serve as Obama's running mate in November if she was asked to. The Obama campaign, however, maintained that it was "too early" to discuss the issue. "We don't have a long list or a short list," said David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist. "Obviously she's an incredibly formidable person." The Democratic Convention will be held in Denver in August while for Republicans it will be in September in Minnesota. Obama supporters gathered in large numbers outside a convention centre in St Paul. Festive mood prevailed all over as Obama walked in with wife Michelle amid loud cheers in an arena draped with huge American flags and the trademark "Change We Can Believe In" banners. Diving into general election mode, Obama took on McCain, saying it's "time to turn the page on the policies of the past." The 71-year-old Vietnam war veteran also did not mince his words while addressing a gathering in Louisiana, the home state of Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal who has been apparently shortlisted as Republican vice-presidential nominee. "No matter who wins this election, the direction of this country is going to change dramatically. But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward," McCain said. Anxious to end the highly antagonistic campaigns run by Obama and Clinton, super delegates put their weight behind the Illinois Senator after it became clear the former first lady could not beat him. But several party leaders were disappointed when Clinton, in a defiant address to her supporters, did not concede and said she was not taking any decision immediately as to the direction in which her campaign should go. The crowd chanted "Denver," "Denver" as Clinton asked her supporters to visit her website and give their suggestions. The reference was to the party convention in August and message that she should fight till then. She also stressed that she was more electable, pointing out that 18 million people had voted for her in the primaries which was more than any other candidate had ever got and that she had won swing states to underline her strength. The New York Senator also pledged that she would ensure the promises she had made to her supporter who voted for her are fulfilled. That, analysts said, was a message to the party leaders and the Obama campaign that they would need to reach out to her. Some Obama supporters said her speech would further antagonise his advisers who oppose she being offered vice presidentship as they saw no signs of reconciliation. However, party bosses would also weigh in when the time for the selection comes. In an apparent effort to reach out to Clinton, Obama began his victory speech with high tribute for her, praising her work in healthcare and other issues affecting the people and said any progress in those areas would have her imprint. Promptly, Obama's victory moved the elections campaign into a new phase as he and McCain attacked each other's agendas. Bobby Jindal, who is very close McCain, introduced him as a man who would stand by his principles despite all opinion polls before the Republican candidate fired the first shot of the general election campaign. Conceding that both want change, McCain told a huge rally of his supporters in New Orleans that Obama is pressing for wrong type of change, has nothing new to offer and was only dusting the old liberal agenda. He also took shot at his experience, saying he has no record to show for what he say he would achieve. In his reply about an hour later, Obama repeated his charge that McCain would mean third term of President George Bush's policies for which the nation cannot afford. When the primaries began five months ago, Clinton was the favourite to become the first woman nominee for the post of the president. But a well-oiled campaign run by Obama and full backing of African Americans turned the tables and gave him the victory something no one had expected a year ago. -- PTI

Myanmar forces raid monasteries

YANGON, Myanmar - About 10,000 anti-government protesters gathered in downtown Yangon on Thursday, provoking soldiers to fire on the crowds with tear gas and resume the crackdown that has drawn international appeals for restraint.
The demonstrators shouted at the soldiers, angry about early morning raids by security forces on Buddhist monasteries during which soldiers reportedly beat up and arrested more than 100 monks.
The monks have spearheaded the largest challenge to the military junta in the isolated Southeast Asian nation since a failed uprising in 1988. In that crisis, soldiers shot into crowds of peaceful demonstrators, killing some 3,000 people.
The government acknowledged that at least one man was killed and others wounded in chaotic clashes in Yangon on Wednesday. Led by thousands of monks in their cinnamon robes, protesters have been demanding more democratic freedoms, the release of political activists and economic reforms in the impoverished nation also known as Burma.
As the stiffest challenge to the generals in two decades, the crisis that began Aug. 19 with protests over a fuel price hike has drawn increasing international pressure on the regime, especially from its chief economic and diplomatic ally, China.
"China hopes that all parties in Myanmar exercise restraint and properly handle the current issue so as to ensure the situation there does not escalate and get complicated," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Thursday at a twice-weekly media briefing.
The United States called on Myanmar's military leaders to open a dialogue with peaceful protesters and urged China to do what it can to prevent further bloodshed.
"We all need to agree on the fact that the Burmese government has got to stop thinking that this can be solved by police and military, and start thinking about the need for genuine reconciliation with the broad spectrum of political activists in the country," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill in Beijing.
Myanmar's state-run newspaper blamed "saboteurs inside and outside the nation" for causing the protests in Yangon, and said the demonstrations were much smaller than the media are reporting.
"Saboteurs from inside and outside the nation and some foreign radio stations, who are jealous of national peace and development, have been making instigative acts through lies to cause internal instability and civil commotion," The New Light of Myanmar, which serves as a mouthpiece for the military government said Thursday.
In Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, about 50 monks confronted soldiers when they tried to block the Buddhist clergy from marching out of a monastery. About 100 onlookers shouted and jeered at the soldiers.
Earlier Thursday, security forces arrested Myint Thein, the spokesman for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's political party, family members said.
Several other monasteries that are considered hotbeds of the pro-democracy movement were raided by security forces before dawn in an apparent attempt to prevent the demonstrations spearheaded by the Buddhist clergy.
A monk at Ngwe Kyar Yan monastery pointed to bloodstains on the concrete floor and said a number of monks were beaten and at least 100 of its 150 monks taken away in vehicles. Shots were fired in the air during the chaotic raid, he said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
"Soldiers slammed the monastery gate with the car, breaking the lock and forcing it into the monastery," the monk said. "They smashed the doors down, broke windows and furniture. When monks resisted, they shot at the monks and used tear gas and beat up the monks and dragged into trucks."
Empty bullet shells, broken doors, furniture and glass peppered the bloodstained, concrete floor of the monastery.
A female lay disciple said a number of monks also were arrested at the Moe Gaung monastery, which was being guarded by soldiers. Both monasteries are located in Yangon's northern suburbs.
Dramatic images of Wednesday's protests, many transmitted by dissidents using cell phones and the Internet, riveted world attention on the escalating faceoff between the military regime and its opponents.
The government said one man was killed Wednesday when police opened fire during the ninth consecutive day of demonstrations, but dissidents outside Myanmar reported receiving news of up to eight deaths.
Some reports said the dead included monks, who are widely revered in Myanmar, and the emergence of such martyr figures could stoke public anger against the regime and escalate the violence.

Russian woman's 12th baby weighs in at 7.75 kg

BARNAUL, Russia (Reuters) - A Siberian woman who gave birth to her 12th child -- doing more than her fair share to stem Russia's population decline -- was stunned to find that little Nadia weighed in at a massive 7.75 kg (17.1 lb).
Nadia was delivered by caesarean section in the local maternity hospital in the Altai region on September 17, joining eight sisters and three brothers, a local reporter said.
"We were all simply in shock," said Nadia's mother, Tatyana Barabanova, 43. "What did the father say? He couldn't say a thing -- he just stood there blinking."
"I ate everything, we don't have the money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes," she told the reporter, adding that all her previous babies had weighed more than 5 kg.
The Guinness World Records lists a 10.2 kg baby boy born in Italy in 1955, and a 10.8 kg baby boy who was born in the United States in 1879 but died 11 hours later.
The average weight for most healthy newborn babies is around 3.2 kg (7.06 lb), according to World Health Organisation figures.

Singapore : Mindef maintains Mandate - again

By: Marcus Chhan, SG
Published: 18 hours 2 min ago
Delicious Reddit
Singapore - After a tedious six-month pitch process, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) has decided to retain incumbent Mandate Advertising to its $3 million account, which comprises both advertising and media components for the Army's corporate and recruitment requirements.
As reported by Marketing, the final shortlist of agencies included Formul8, JWT, Ogilvy & Mather and Mandate - the latter has held the account for the past 10 years.
"On behalf of the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) has awarded Mandate Advertising International with a one-year contract, with a two-year option, to work on the Army's advertising and publicity campaigns. The contract requires Mandate to provide branding advice and conceptualise the Army's corporate and recruitment publicity materials in a cost-effective manner," read a DSTA statement issued to Marketing.
Mandate director and GM of Singapore and Malaysia, Alan Cheng described the win as "sweet" and said that it "reflects the Army's recognition of our contributions over the last decade".
Creative executions will run across the internet, press, magazine, TV, cinema, radio and outdoor.

USA Remembers 9/11

From the tolling of bells near Shanksville, Pa., to a moment of silence on the White House lawn and a procession of families to the depths of Ground Zero, the nation paused Tuesday to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed six years ago when suicidal terrorists struck America.
On a windy, rainy morning so unlike that warm, cloudless day in 2001, the observance in New York City was more muted if no less poignant than past years. Thousands of family members gathered for the first time at a nearby park instead of on the site where the World Trade Center stood and fell.
PHOTO GALLERY: America remembers 9/11 six years later
Construction of a memorial and skyscrapers is underway at Ground Zero, so the city initially was not going to allow anyone inside. But family members ultimately were permitted to descend briefly to lay flowers and write messages.
Christine Reilly of Huntington, N.Y., attended the ceremony for the first time in five years. Because of the construction, it probably was the last time she would be able to stand on the foundation of the building where her 25-year-old brother James Reilly died on the 89th floor of the south tower.

Being down there, she said, "is always hard, always sad, but also somehow comforting."
Relatives made a pilgrimage to the temporary memorial near the Pennsylvania field where United Flight 93 crashed after passengers stormed the cockpit to wrest control of the jet hijackers had commandeered and turned back toward Washington.
At the site, bedecked with 40 metallic red, white and blue angels in honor of the passengers and crewmembers lost, Kay Roy remembered her sister, Colleen Fraser of Elizabeth, N.J. "I'm glad that one of my family members happens to be one of these heroes," she said.
In Washington, President and Laura Bush attended a prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House and later joined Vice President Cheney and his wife, Lynne, on the South Lawn for a moment of silence.
At the Pentagon, where 184 people were killed, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke at the wall where the jet struck. "We cannot touch our loved ones today," he said, his voice quavering. "Therefore, we ask God to hug them for us. … We will serve this nation in their honor."
Ground Zero was a backdrop this year, but other elements of the New York ceremony stayed the same, so hauntingly familiar that they have taken on the aura of ritual. There were the four moments of silence marking the times when the jets struck the twin towers and when each fell. There were spoken remembrances by family members. Again, there was the reading of the names of the dead.
That list grew by one this year, to 2,750, with the inclusion for the first time of a person who did not die at the World Trade Center. Felicia Dunn-Jones died five months later of lung disease, one of many whose families say their loved ones became ill after breathing the dust from Ground Zero.
In past years, the names were read by spouses, children and siblings. Tuesday, that duty went to rescue workers.
Former mayor Rudy Giuliani also spoke, his brief remarks garnering tepid applause. He said 9/11 "was a day with no answers, but with an unending line of people who came forward to help one another." Though he has participated in every other anniversary observance, this year's appearance was controversial because he is running for president and making his 9/11 leadership a focal point of his campaign.
Some relatives of those who died, particularly 343 firefighters, blame Giuliani for placing the city's emergency operations center near the World Trade Center, which meant that it was of no use that day. Some are also angry radio communications among rescuers were defective.
"Being that we're a firefighter family, I think he (Giuliani) failed us. … I don't think he's a hero in any way," said Marisol Torres, 41, of Dutchess County, N.Y. Her firefighter cousin, Manuel Del Valle Jr., 32, died on 9/11.
This anniversary, the first to fall on the same day of the week as the attacks themselves, was particularly difficult for her, Torres said. "Wherever I am on this day, whether New York City holds these observances or not," she said, "it's always going to be a day of reflection."
Others say the large, public events no longer are necessary.
"It's time that the world heals," said Nick Chiarchiaro, 64, whose wife, Dorothy, 62, and niece, Dolores Costa, 50, died on the 93rd floor of the north tower.
He and six others who lost a loved one that day in 2001 call themselves the "September Seven," having forged a friendship from sorrow. Every year they come together to the anniversary ceremony. Last year, Chiarchiaro stood on the stage and read his wife's name. This year's observance is probably his last.
"I don't think we're going to be coming back," said Chiarchiaro, who lives in Vernon, N.J. "To reopen the wound year after year after year … it's too heart wrenching."
Contributing: Rick Hampson in New York, David Jackson in Washington, the Associated Press

Pakistan sends Sharif back into exile

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - - Pakistan deported former premier Nawaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia Monday, just hours after he returned from exile hoping to ignite a popular campaign to oust military ruler President Pervez Musharraf.

In a dramatic showdown at Islamabad airport, the 57-year-old Sharif refused to hand over his passport as he returned from seven years abroad, sparking an immediate confrontation and prompting police to board his plane.
The two-time premier, ousted by close US ally Musharraf in a bloodless 1999 coup, was then arrested on corruption charges and deported, put on a plane to the Saudi city of Jeddah hours after he landed.
The combative Sharif had pledged his return would provide "a final push to the crumbling dictatorship" of Musharraf, who is facing the worst crisis since he took power amid a wave of political turmoil and Islamist violence.
"Nawaz Sharif is now out of Pakistan. He is going back to Saudi Arabia," Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul Haq told AFP.
"The Saudis have openly demanded his return to Saudi Arabia. He has not only embarrassed Pakistan but also the leadership of Saudi Arabia by violating the agreement," he said.
Sharif had agreed to remain in Saudi Arabia until 2010 as part of a deal that saw him released from prison, where he was locked up on corruption charges soon after Musharraf's coup toppled him from power.
The deportation defied Pakistan's increasingly independent Supreme Court, which has been sparring with the president and last month ordered the government not to hinder Sharif's homecoming.
Sharif had arrived earlier on a Pakistan International Airlines flight from London. He shook people's hands and his supporters on board chanted "Go, Musharraf! Go!" and "Long live Nawaz Sharif", a passenger told AFP.
"After negotiations he accepted an offer to go back and returned in a special plane to Jeddah," a senior government official told AFP.
"He came to the VIP lounge and he was shown the arrest warrants. He was also shown the agreement that he has made with the Saudi government to remain out of the country for 10 years," the official said.
Baton-wielding police clashed with around 100 of Sharif's supporters and arrested key members of his party as he returned, while security forces threw up a five-kilometre (three-mile) security cordon around Islamabad airport.
Another five Sharif supporters were injured in an exchange of fire with police in northwest Pakistan, police said.
Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party condemned his deportation and filed a legal challenge in the Supreme Court against what it said was contempt of court by the government.
"I believe that Saudi government has also interfered in Pakistan's internal affairs and shown disrespect to constitution and the Supreme Court," party spokesman Siddique-ul Farooq told AFP.
Sharif said before his flight left London that it was time for president-in-uniform Musharraf to go.
"I am going back to my country with the resolve to rid my motherland of problems and lawlessness it is plunged into because of the policies of one man -- General Pervez Musharraf," he told Pakistan television.
The Supreme Court ruled last month that they could fly back. The court has repeatedly proved to be a thorn in the side of Musharraf since he tried to sack its chief judge, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, earlier this year.
That bid set off the protests which spiralled into a full-blown political crisis for Musharraf, who has recently been negotiating a power-sharing deal with another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, to try to stay in office.
Musharraf has also faced growing criticism from the United States, which has taken him to task over Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants operating on Pakistani soil and urging him to make good on pending elections.
Deputy US Secretary of State John Negroponte was set to arrive in Islamabad later on Monday for talks with Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and civil society representatives.

Hurricane Felix bore down on Honduras and Belize

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - Planes shuttled tourists from island resorts in a desperate airlift Monday as Hurricane Felix bore down on Honduras and Belize. But thousands of Miskito Indians were stranded along a swampy coastline where the Category 4 storm was expected to make landfall.

Grupo Taca Airlines provided special free flights to the mainland, quickly touching down and taking off again to scoop up more tourists. Some 1,000 people were evacuated from the Honduran island of Roatan, popular for its pristine reefs and diving resorts. Another 1,000 were removed from low-lying coastal areas and smaller islands.
Felix's top winds weakened slightly to 135 mph as it headed west, but forecasters warned that it could strengthen again before landfall along the Miskito Coast early Tuesday. From there, it was projected to rake northern Honduras, slam into southern Belize on Wednesday and then cut across northern Guatemala and southern Mexico, well south of Texas.
A storm surge of more than 18 feet above normal tides could devastate Indian communities along the Miskito Coast, a swampy, isolated region straddling the Honduras-Nicaragua border where thousands live in wooden shacks, get around on canoes and subsist on fish, beans, rice, cassava and plantains.
"There's nowhere to go here," said teacher Sodeida Rodriguez, 26, who was hunkering down in a concrete shelter.
The only path to safety is up rivers and across lakes that are too shallow for regular boats, but many lack gasoline for long journeys. Provincial health official Efrain Burgos said shelters were being prepared, and medicine and sanitation kits were being brought in, but that 18,000 people must find their own way to higher ground.
"We're asking the people who are on the coasts to find a way to safer areas, because we don't have the capability to transport so many people," he said. "The houses are made of wood. They're going to be completely swept away. They're not safe."
The storm was following the same path as 1998's Hurricane Mitch, a sluggish storm that stalled for a week over Central America, killing nearly 11,000 people. But Felix was expected to maintain a much more rapid pace.
By Monday afternoon, crashing waves reached 15 feet higher than normal on Honduras' coast, but there was no rain yet.
"We are ready to face an eventual tragedy," said Roatan fire chief Douglas Fajardo.
Most tourists took the free flights out, but locals prepared to ride out the storm.
"We know it's a tremendous hurricane that's coming," said real estate worker Estella Marazzito.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Felix could dump up to 12 inches of rain in isolated areas. In the highland capital of Tegucigalpa, more than 100 miles inland, authorities cleared vendors from markets prone to flooding.
Across the border in Belize City, skies grew increasingly cloudy and winds kicked up as residents boarded windows and lined up for gas. Tourists competed for the last seats on flights to Atlanta and Miami. Police went door-to-door forcing evacuations. Liquor sales were banned, and stores were running out supplies.
"I just wish they had more airplanes to take care of everyone who has to leave," said Atlanta, Georgia, resident Mitzi Carr, 48, who cut short her weeklong vacation on Hatchet Caye.
Belize is still cleaning up from last month's Hurricane Dean, which killed 28 people as plowed through the Caribbean and slammed into Mexico as a Category 5 storm. Dean damaged crops everywhere it passed, including an estimated $100 million in Belize alone.
Erol Semplis, 54, helped a friend board up his house in Belize City, before heading to his own house to do the same. He planned to leave with his girlfriend later Monday.
"A lot of people take chances with their lives," he said.
Authorities said police will work overtime to ensure there is no looting and they had prepared buses in case there is a mandatory evacation.
Carlo Scaramello, World Food Program representative in El Salvador, said the U.N. agency is ready to send food to any Central American country affected by Felix.
Over the weekend, Felix toppled trees, flooded homes and forced tourists indoors on the Dutch islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, but caused little damage. It then grew to a Category 5 storm Monday before losing a bit of its punch.
This is only the fourth Atlantic hurricane season since 1886 with more than one Category 5 hurricane, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Only 31 such storms have been recorded in the Atlantic, including eight in the last five seasons.
If Felix regains Category 5 winds before striking land, it would be the first time in recorded history that two such killer storms have made landfall in the same season, hurricane specialist Jamie Rhome said in Miami.
At 8 p.m. EDT, Felix remained a fearsome hurricane, though it had a very small wind field, with hurricane-force winds extending just 30 miles from its center. It was centered 205 miles east of the Nicaragua-Honduras border, moving west at 18 mph.
Off Mexico's Pacific coast, meanwhile, Tropical Storm Henriette was nearing hurricane strength on a path to hit the resort-studded tip of the Baja California Peninsula on Tuesday.
With maximum sustained winds near 70 mph, Henriette caused flooding and landslides that killed six people in Acapulco.
At 8 p.m. EDT, Henriette was centered 195 miles south-southeast of the tip of the peninsula, pushing waves up to 22 feet high as it moved northwest at 9 mph.
In Cabo San Lucas, civil defense chief Francisco Cota Marquez said authorities expected to evacuate at least 8,000 families to shelters in public buildings. Long lines formed at gas stations and grocery stores as residents began bracing for the storm.
Sandra Klein, 49, waited in the airport to board a flight home to Irvine, Calif.
"I've been through a few hurricanes. It's miserable. I don't want anything to do with it," she said. "I like my creature comforts."
Dorothea Manns, 57, a county manager from Alta Loma, Calif., said she was happy the hurricane didn't arrive Monday. "Those waves were, like, tremendous."
She said she wanted to fill up her rental car at gas station but lines were too long.
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Associated Press Writers John Pain in Miami and Olga Rodriguez in Belize City contributed to this report.