Democrats aim for unity at Denver convention

Thousands of U.S. democrats have gathered for the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. The four-day event will see Senator Barack Obama formally nominated for president.

Obama is due to give an acceptance speech on Thursday evening to a crowd of nearly eighty thousand.

He also hopes his supporters will endorse veteran Senator Joe Biden, who was announced as his running partner on Saturday.

Ahead of the rally, around 1,000 anti-war demonstrators marched in the city. They're expected to protest further in an attempt to disrupt celebrations.