Nevertheless, the news of his resignation, on Friday August 29th, was a surprise.

ECONOMIST: Dr Spin quits | The

In the second quarter its GDP grew at an annualised rate of 1.7%, according to revised figures published on August 29th.

ECONOMIST: The global economy: Summertime blues | The

On August 29th, the Supreme Court in Tokyo ruled that the Ministry of Education's policy of screening textbooks was constitutionally sound.

ECONOMIST: The secret behind the screen | The

By August 29th the number of documented West Nile infections in Dallas had reached 309, and the deaths had crept to 13.

ECONOMIST: Infectious diseases are creeping in from abroad

Dr. MINYARD: We're putting on or about August 29th.

NPR: New Orleans Begins Probe into Katrina Deaths

His choice of vice-president, expected on August 29th, will be crucial too, playing a bigger part in the voters' ultimate decision than Mr Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running-mate on the eve of his own convention.

ECONOMIST: The presidential race

Overall, Chrysler posted a 14-percent sales increase for August over 2011, for its 29th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains and its best August sales since 2007.

FORBES: Stick This: Chrysler Gets Dart Sales On The Right Trajectory

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, the film by Spike Lee on HBO, starts August 21st and 22nd and then an encore presentation on the 29th.

NPR: Spike Lee Produces a Vision of Katrina