Robert Mugabe, Raul Castro, Omar Al-Bashir and Hugo Chavez go to a military parade. It sounds like the beginning of a one of those bar jokes. But it's what is happening today in Tripoli to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a coup that brought Moammar Gadhafi to power.

Libya wants desperately to integrate the club of non-pariah nations. It started doing so first by giving up its embryonic nuclear program, then, by settling compensations claims with the victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing. Libya was on its way out of isolation.

The liberation by Scottish justice officials of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset Al Megrahi and his hero's welcome home irked some in the West – but the fact that Libya is today open for business, ready to strike lucrative deals with Western oil companies, remains.

It may be an old-school political ruler, but a lot of what might soon happen in Libya will feel new.

Also today, we'll go live to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico where in 24 hours, a major hurricane is expected to make landfall. Betty Nguyen will bring us up to date on preparations before the storm.

Plus, we'll discuss Iran's offer of talks about its nuclear package.

Iran says it will offer a new "nuclear package" to the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany. We'll talk with Reza Sayah about the significance of this step and what might come out of upcoming talks with Western nations afraid Iran might be developing a nuclear weapons program.

We will take you then to Poland, where on this day 70 years ago, the first shots of World War II were fired and Germany's invasion of Poland. Days later, France and Britain would declare war on Germany and the calamnity that killed at least 50 million people began.

Paula Newton is in Gdansk with more on how Poles are marking the event and some sharp criticism from Poland's leader directed at Russia for its role in World War II.

And all the rest of the day's top news, business and spots stories, as always.

Hala

Posted by: CNN Anchor, Hala Gorani
Filed under: Today At The I-Desk