Image: EWN

Why I Did It: Zuma Vandal Explains – One of the men accused of vandalising a painting depicting President Jacob Zuma said he thought a white person should remove the painting, as it was created by a white person and the gallery was owned by a white person. [News24]

Hewlett-Packard Cuts 27K Jobs Globally – Saying it needed to reduce expenses to reinvigorate its struggling business, Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday said it will cut its workforce by 27,000 employees, while reporting a drop in sales and profit for its second quarter. The cuts, which amount to about 8 percent of the company’s global workforce will be completed by next year. [Monterey County Herald]

Spoiler Alert: New American Idol Winner Announced – Phillip Phillips, a bluesy Georgia guitar man, was crowned the new “American Idol” on Wednesday after defeating teenager Jessica Sanchez in record viewer voting. He was the fifth male “Idol” winner in a row. [STLToday]

Els Secures US Open Spot – Two-time US Open winner Ernie Els was among 24 golfers who were confirmed on Wednesday as having earned berths in next month’s US Open based upon a top-60 spot in this week’s world rankings. [Sport24]

SA Tax Base Doubles – South Africa’s tax base has grown dramatically over the past few years. SA Revenue Service (Sars) commissioner Oupa Magashula told Parliament’s standing committee on finance yesterday that the number of individuals registered rose from 5.2 million in the 2007/08 fiscal year to 10.3 million in 2010/11, while companies registered increased from 1.6 million to 2.1 million. [Business Report]

Pakistani Who Helped US Track Down Osama Bin Laden Convicted, Sentenced To 33 Years – A doctor who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden has been convicted of conspiring against the state and sentenced to 33 years in prison, adding new strains to an already deeply troubled relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan. [Washington Post]

An Intriguing Sports Car Deal Between Fiat And Mazda – Fiat of Italy, which owns Alfa, and Mazda of Japan announced Wednesday that they’ll team up to do a two-seater, based on the platform of the Miata, officially known as the MX-5. The two companies plan to come up with distinctly different models, and each will use its own engine. [Forbes]

Euro Zone To Prepare For Greek Exit Scenario – Each euro zone country will have to prepare a contingency plan for the eventuality of Greece leaving the single currency, euro zone sources said on Wednesday. Officials reached the consensus on Monday afternoon during an hour-long teleconference of the Eurogroup Working Group (EWG). [Reuters]

A Revolutionary New Interface, Straight Out Of Hollywood – Co-founded by Michael Buckwald and David Holz, Leap Motion’s mini-candy bar-shaped device connects to a computer via USB and emits infrared light that recognizes objects — arms, hands, fingers, pens, even chopsticks — within a distance roughly equivalent to arm’s-length. The key to Leap is that it’s 100 times more accurate than the current version of the Kinect sensor. [CNN Money]

Google Did Not Breach Oracle Patents, A Court Has Found – Google did not infringe patents owned by software developer Oracle, a jury in a California court found on Wednesday. The Silicon Valley giants had fought over whether Google used Oracle’s Java programming language in its Android mobile operating system [The Beeb]

Facebook, Banks Sued Over Pre-IPO Analyst Calls – Facebook Inc FB.O and Morgan Stanley MS.N, the lead underwriter of social networking company’s IPO, were sued by shareholders who claimed the defendants hid Facebook’s weakened growth forecasts ahead of its $16 billion initial public offering. [The Gazette]

Early Evidence Of Bethlehem Found – Archaeologists have uncovered a tiny clay seal inscribed with the word “Bethlehem” in what is believed to be the earliest evidence for the existence of the ancient biblical city. [News24]

Playboy Sachs’ Art Collection Fetches $56 Million – Selections from an art collection that belonged to German playboy Gunter Sachs have drawn 36.6 million pounds ($56 million, 45 million euros) at a Sotheby’s auction in London. [DW]

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COMING UP TODAY

The Bailey Schneider Show – Bailey is joined by Danny K for the full hour of her show.[baileyschneider]

Balls ‘n All – Four rugby players from Western Province’s Vodacom Cup winning side join the show. Captain & Flank Nick Fenton-Wells, Vice-Captain & scrumhalf Nic Groom, Centre Marcel Brache and Wing Danie Poolman.[ballsnall]

FRESH PODCASTS

Biz Connect With Mark McChlery – Bob chats to Mark McChlery, MD of ITEC Innovate, about creating a solution to mitigate, reduce and offset carbon where possible. [podcast]

Bob’s Weekend Getaways – Enjoy majestic views of the Atlantic Ocean at The Bantry Bay Luxury Villas. Their sun-filled balconies in the sea-facing luxury suites offer the perfect setting for relaxation. They follow the green credo and endorse the protection of carbon footprints. They also carry the Green Leaf Efficiency stamp of approval.[podcast]