Now that he is the Republican presidential nominee, John McCain has a big decision ahead of him — who to choose as his vice-presidential running mate. A top priority for him is to pick a running mate whose presence on the ticket would reassure Americans concerned about McCain’s age.
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom accused the Ukraine on Wednesday of planning to siphon off gas that Russia transits through Ukrainian territory to the European Union, as a payment dispute escalated. Ukraine is the main transit route for Russian supplies to the European Union and a previous such dispute in 2006 led to knock-on disruption in EU countries.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wrapped up a Middle East trip on Wednesday after failing to secure a resumption of peace talks as Palestinians insisted on a truce and Israel vowed more strikes on Gaza. Rice met senior Palestinian negotiators and Israeli ministers at the end of a visit aimed at mending peace efforts hobbled by Israeli attacks.
Madiba’s 90th birthday celebrations have already begun and will continue throughout the year, the Nelson Mandela Foundation said on Wednesday. Mandela was joined by his wife and daughters in Johannesburg to hear what events have been planned around his 90th birthday, which falls on July 18.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called for police to investigate circumstances surrounding an unmarked grave near a mine clinic in the Northern Cape. Spokesperson Tshepo Motsumi said in a statement that construction workers found the remains of a mineworker on Wednesday near the PrimCure Clinic in Kuruman.
More than 100 people died in clashes between demonstrators and police in Cameroon last week, a local human rights group said on Wednesday in the absence of an official toll. "We can already say there are more than 100 dead. News comes in to us every day and we are still checking it out," Madeleine Afite of the Maison des Droits de L’Homme said.
The United Nations said on Wednesday it had launched a flash appeal for ,4-million to assist cyclone-stricken areas in the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar. ”This appeal is a tool aimed at outlining a coordinated response in the coming three months,” local UN humanitarian coordinator Jean-Marie Stratigos said.
South Africa cricket coach Mickey Arthur said on Wednesday his team hope to topple Australia from the top of the one-day charts by winning all their one-day internationals against Bangladesh. Australia are currently the best one-day side with 127 points, ahead of South Africa on decimal points.
In a dramatic about-face, Ask.com is abandoning its effort to outshine internet search leader Google and will instead focus on a narrower market consisting of married women looking for help managing their lives. As part of the new direction outlined on Tuesday, Ask will lay off about 40 employees.
Facebook has raided Google to hire a new chief operating officer, providing the popular online social network with more seasoned management and advertising savvy as it strives to make more money without alienating its audience. Sheryl Sandberg’s defection from Google, announced this week, represents a coup for Facebook.