With Mitt Romney now all but assured of winning the Republican nomination, he embarks on one of his critical quests of the campaign: finding a running mate who can help him defeat President Barack Obama.

A COMMUTER plane carrying 21 people crashed into an airport hangar on take-off yesterday and burst into flames, killing everyone aboard, US authorities said.

The cause of the plane crash in North Carolina – the first fatal airliner accident in the US for more than a year – is not immediately clear but investigators are examining the windy conditions as the plane sped down the runway .