St Paul, Minnesota - John McCain touted his military service and reform record in seeking to reclaim the mantle of change from his Democratic opponent in a speech accepting the Republican Party's presidential nomination on Thursday.

St Paul, Minnesota - Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the handpicked running mate of presidential candidate John McCain, will introduce herself to US voters in a primetime address on Wednesday night.

Earlier in the evening, 2,380 national convention delegates will formally nominate Palin and McCain as the centre-right Republican Party's presidential ticket.

St Paul, Minnesota  - The Republican presidential nominating convention was put on ice Monday by the unfolding natural disaster of Hurricane Gustav along the Gulf Coast.

But the pregnancy of the 17-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin, Senator John McCain's vice presidential choice, kept McCain in the headlines during a day otherwise devoted to coverage of Hurricane Gustav's arrival in storm-weary New Orleans.