Senator John Edwards, the smooth-talking populist who emerged from the nominating campaign as John Kerry's chief rival, is favored among registered voters to be the Democratic vice presidential candidate, according to an AP poll. But his name on the ticket does not automatically boost Democratic prospects. A Kerry-Edwards pairing ties with the Republican tandem of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, which is no better than Kerry's current showing in head-to-head matchups against Bush, according to the AP poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs.
■ United States
Tourist leaps from helicopter
A passenger nearly caused the wreck of a sightseeing helicopter over the Grand Canyon when he leapt from the aircraft at an altitude of 1,200m in an apparent suicide, a newspaper reported on Saturday. The passenger was on an aerial tour on Thursday over the canyon in a private helicopter with several other tourists on board when without warning he unbuckled his safety harness, lunged toward a door, unlocked it and jumped. The pilot tried to stop him from opening the door, but she was unable to react in time, the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff reported.
■ Germany
Voting results scrutinized
German voters began going to the polls Sunday for a total of eight elections at the community, state and European level in results which will be closely watched as a litmus test of the popularity of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats. Nationwide, Germans were called to the polls in the voting for a new European parliament, an event which failed to generate much interest and even less controversy in the past several weeks. In addition, the eastern German state of Thuringia is holding elections for a new state parliament, while six other German states are holding votes at the local government level.
■ United States
Probe approaches Phoebe
The Cassini-Huygens international space probe has neared the largest moon of Saturn, the planet it is to orbit on June 30, NASA said on Saturday. The probe passed within 2,068km of the moon Phoebe on Friday, according to data received by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The probe's final course correction is scheduled for June 16, before it becomes the first man-made object to orbit Saturn. The US$3 billion international mission is to carry out a four-year study of Saturn, its rings and larger moons. During the probe's four-year mission, it will orbit Saturn 76 times and execute 52 close encounters with seven of the planet's 31 known moons, NASA said.
■ Lithuania
Early elections held
Polling opened in Lithuania yesterday for an early presidential election, sparked when the Baltic state became the first European country to impeach its head of state, Rolandas Paksas, two months ago. Voters could also cast ballots in the EU newcomer's first elections to the European Parliament. Ballot boxes opened at 7am at the country's 2,039 voting stations on a cloudy day, and were due to close at 8pm. Lithuania's 2.6 million voters have five candidates to choose from to lead them for the next five years. Seventy-seven year-old former president Valdas Adamkus, who led Lithuania from 1998 until last year before being ousted by Paksas in the 2002 elections, is the favorite to win, according to opinion polls.
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