McCain Chooses Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin As Running Mate

Republican presidential candidate John McCain indeed augment another historic nature for this year's United States election by announcing that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be his running mate. Palin was the second woman to appear on a major presidential ticket according to some reports.

Palin, 44, defeated a number of better-known candidates for the nod, including Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, Homeland Security secratary Tom Ridge (also the former governor of Pennsylvania), and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Running on a ticket promising heavy reform, Palin won election to the governor's mansion in Alaska in 2006 after she unexpectedly beat then-Gov. Frank Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

The only other woman to feature on a major-party presidential ticket was Geraldine Ferraro, who was Democrat Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984.

Palin was expected to appear with McCain at a rally in Ohio on Friday afternoon.

The Democratic ticket is also groundbreaking this year, with Barack Obama being the first African-American major-party candidate for president. Obama selected Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate on Aug. 23.

Ingrid Betancourt Release by FARC - Her Health A Main Concern

French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three US military contractors were among a group of hostages rescued Wednesday, July 2, 2008 from Marxist FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels in a daring jungle operation, Colombian officials said. The rescue is the most serious blow ever dealt to the 44-year-old Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, who considered Betancourt and the three Americans their most valuable bargaining chips.

Betancourt was captured and became a hostage in 2002, and the three Americans were held since 2003. Betancourt's health is a concern due to the pictures that came out and she appears on a not so good health condition. American hostages Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell were also freed in the operation, some 72 kilometers (45 miles) from the city of San Jose del Guaviare.

Santos said the military intelligence agents infiltrated the guerrilla ranks and led the local commander in charge of the hostages, alias Cesar, to believe they were going to take them by helicopter to Alfonso Cano, the guerrillas' supreme leader. The group was surrounded by military commandos, Cesar and the other guerrillas gave up without a fight as they helicopters took the hostages to a military base in Guaviare.