WSJ Today's Front Page News

Obama formally won the Democratic nomination, making him the first African-American presidential nominee. The delegates were electrified again when Bill Clinton took the stage, calling Obama "ready."

The SEC kicked off a process that could ultimately require all American companies to follow international accounting standards.

Nonprofit hospital systems like Carilion in Roanoke, Va., have seen their power increase as their incomes have surged. Critics say this is creating untaxed local health-care monopolies that drive the costs of care higher.

The Catholic Church has for centuries commissioned statues of saints and other pious heroes. It is now wrestling with a more sensitive tribute -- a monument to a man who may be its most illustrious heretic.

Hillary Clinton declared her full support for Obama, urging her supporters to help elect him president. The New York senator has become critical to uniting a party that remains divided. Half of Clinton's supporters tell pollsters they aren't yet ready to embrace Obama, and McCain's camp has been stepping up efforts to lure her base. (Full speech)

Russian President Medvedev said that he has signed a decree recognizing the independence of the breakaway Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Medvedev said Russia is not afraid of a new Cold War, but does not seek it.

U.S. and European banks, already burdened by losses and concerns about their financial health, face a new challenge in coming months: how to pay off hundreds of billions of dollars they borrowed before the credit crunch hit.

A group of Pittsburgh locals are turning into amateur robot designers, as Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute launches a citywide outreach program to bring robots to the masses. Many of these civilian creators are looking to the robots to solve problems in their own backyards.

Obama is proposing to use the government to remake economic policies in a way that Washington hasn't seen in decades. If an Obama administration pursues an activist agenda, it could alienate the rising number of conservative Democrats.

U.S. News & World Report is considering reworking its ranking system to crack down on "gaming," which could affect the status of dozens of U.S. law schools. The practice channels lower-scoring applicants into part-time programs that don't count in the rankings.

Governments and firms are awaiting a state vote, which would lease the 537-mile Pennsylvania Turnpike to a group of private investors. A green light could bolster the political will of officials in other states trying to hash out similar deals.

The U.S. Census Bureau releases two reports on income and poverty, including health-care coverage. The reports are expected to show that the number of uninsured Americans has grown. Webcast news conference at 10 a.m. EDT.

A majority of the three million people in Mauritania ditched rural life long ago and moved into cities. For many, however, their savings are back in the bush, in the form of goats, camels, sheep and cattle.

As a 2008 presidential candidate, Biden dropped out of the race quickly. But as a candidate to be Obama's running mate, the veteran Delaware senator outcampaigned rivals by successfully arguing that his benefits outweighed some considerable baggage. (Complete coverage)

After a killing, and a spate of other close encounters with Komodo dragons, Indonesian villagers are blaming the policies drafted by American-funded environmentalists, which prohibit their tradition of animal sacrifice.

Democrats gather in Denver armed with a presidential campaign strategy that hinges on winning a handful of reliably Republican states. Atop the list: Colorado. In what increasingly looks to be a tight race for the White House, employing such an unconventional electoral map may be a necessity.

Weaker commodity prices and higher costs are starting to take a toll on the mining industry as the billions of dollars being spent on new projects could take years to recoup.

Monday, Aug. 25 Democratic National Convention begins in Denver. A4

To the rest of the world, he's Michael Phelps. But for most Chinese, he's Maikeer Feierpusi. Like most of the other 10,000 athletes who aren't Chinese, Phelps has been assigned a Chinese name that is used by a vast domestic audience for whom Western names are just so much Greek.

The Bush administration's landmark nuclear-cooperation accord with Russia is unlikely to gain passage this year, the latest sign of how Russia's offensive in Georgia has roiled the international scene. Russia said it had pulled its troops back from Georgia, but its forces remained in heavily armed posts deep in Georgian territory. (Complete coverage)