Republican delegates are gathering in Philadelphia for a convention which is expected to endorse Texas Governor George W Bush as the party's official candidate for President of the United States. During the week Mr Bush nominated Richard Cheney as his running mate. Thousands of protesters are expected to converge on the event which gets underway tomorrow.
Protesters have already placed 18,000 pairs of shoes near convention headquarters. The shoes represent the 18,000 people killed by guns since the last Republican convention. The protesters are hoping that gun control will be high on the Republican agenda and they have begun street marches.
The city is anticipating up to 40,000 participants at the convention in the coming days and a big security operation is in place to avoid disruption. Delegates will need all the peace and quiet they can get: their job will be to discuss major issues affecting the Republican party. Foreign policy, missile defence, and medical care will be hotly debated.
