Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has chosen a woman as his new foreign minister - only the second such appointment in the country's history. Tzipi Livni, 47, who is also Israel's justice minister, replaces Silvan Shalom, who resigned last week. Olmert, who has taken over from ailing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, also expanded his diminished cabinet. Only one other woman has ever held the foreign affairs portfolio - Golda Meir, who went on to become prime minister. Ms Livni's appointment is the most eye-catching in the new line-up, BBC correspondent Katya Adler said in a report. The Labour party has meanwhile chosen candidates for Israel's elections, to be held on March 28. Labour leader Amir Peretz is guaranteed the number one slot on the list, while former housing minister Isaac Herzog and Ophir Pines-Paz won the second and third spots. Recent polls suggest Kadima will score a comfortable majority in the elections, with Labour second and Likud trailing third.
