Big losses for Merkel in German state elections

Berlin (CNN) -- A political shift of historic proportions is unfolding in Germany as preliminary state election results indicate big losses for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Party, CDU. The CDU now seems poised to lose a major stronghold to a Green Party-led coalition in a key state. Green Party members were celebrating a major triumph Sunday in the prosperous southwestern state of Baden-Wurtternberg, ruled by the CDU since 1953 and home to 11 million people. Early results showed that Merkel's party won 39% of the popular vote in Baden-Wurttermberg but failed to gain a majority. The Greens, which won 24.2% of the votes, are expected to form a coalition with the Social Democrats, which polled 23%. This will be the first time a liberal Green Party premier will be elected in Baden-Wurtternberg, known for its conservative, pro-business voting practices। http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/03/27/germany.elections/index.html

Marketers embracing QR codes, for better or worse

CNN) -- A confused crossword puzzle. A psychedelic postage stamp. A bar code on drugs. This is how a QR, or Quick Response, code may appear to most people. You may have noticed these black-and-white squares showing up in subway ads or in pages of magazines. Thanks to our growing addiction to our smartphones, you'll likely be seeing more of them. QR codes are showing up in more and more places: posters, storefront window displays, TV advertisements, business cards, websites and even on T-shirts। When accessed with your phone, a QR code takes you to a landing page where you'll usually find special promotional content http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/03/28/qr.codes.marketing/index.html

Yahoo debuts 'future of search'

(WIRED) -- Yahoo is looking to one-up Google and its own search partner Bing, offering a new search experience it describes as the "fastest thing you have ever seen."

The new product called Search Direct combines instant search -- showing results as you type -- with instant answers, so that typing in "amzn" instantly shows a full box with stock quotes about Amazon.com. For searches it has no answer to, it shows search links immediately in an easy-to-navigate box above a typical search-results page.

Yahoo, which looked to have abandoned the search game when it outsourced its search backend to Microsoft, says Search Direct -- and its emphasis on user experience -- is the future of search.

"I want you to remember three words: 'answers, not links,'" Shashi Seth, Yahoo's vice president for search told a room of tech reporters in San Francisco as he demo'd the product.

Search Direct is live on search.yahoo.com and other U.S. Yahoo search properties, but not the homepage yet. The same experience will soon come to all search boxes on Yahoo, Seth said, and it will find its way to non-Yahoo properties as well.

The product has "answers" for 15 categories of entities, including movies, professional athletes, music, celebrities, weather info, news, shopping, local and stocks.

The new search builds on Yahoo's attempt to stay relevant in the lucrative search market by focusing on user experience, now that it has farmed out the expensive infrastructure to Microsoft, in exchange for ad-revenue sharing.

"People still come to Yahoo and search on Yahoo," said Yahoo chief product officer Blake Irving।
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/03/24/yahoo.future.wired/index.html

Corruption hits China's high-speed railway

FT) -- Investigators have found evidence that nearly $30m of funds budgeted for China's Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail line was misappropriated last year, in another blow to the country's scandal-plagued high-speed rail sector.

China's state audit office said on Wednesday it had identified numerous cases of embezzlement and other irregularities from just a three-month period of construction on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line last year and has passed the cases on to judicial authorities for formal investigation.

China's railway minister and the rail ministry's deputy chief engineer were both removed from their positions last month for "severe disciplinary violations" -- an allegation that usually results in criminal charges for corruption.

The former minister, Liu Zhijun, is the most senior government official to be implicated in corruption in the past five years and his downfall has raised doubts about the future of the hugely ambitious high-speed rail expansion plans he championed
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/03/24/china.corruption.speed.rail.ft/index.html

Obama facing mounting criticism over Libya

Washington (CNN) -- Top Obama administration officials are expected to face continued criticism Thursday over their handling of the crisis in Libya, and louder calls for a clearer explanation of U.S. policy in the war-torn North African nation.

The president, who returned home from a five-day trip to Latin America on Wednesday, has insisted that the goal of the U.N.-sanctioned military mission is strictly to prevent a humanitarian crisis. Specifically, the mission is meant to prevent a slaughter of Libyan rebels and other civilians by forces loyal to strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

Obama, however, has also said the administration's ultimate objective is Gadhafi's removal from power. U.S. officials have indicated they hope the dictator will be removed quickly by forces currently loyal to him, though they haven't publicly called for a coup.

"Gadhafi has a decision to make and the people around him each have decisions to make," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday। "We would certainly encourage that they make the right decision."

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/24/libya.obama.criticism/index.html?hpt=T1

How your bad boss can become a great leader

Can leadership be taught to someone who's already in charge? Fortune recently spoke with Deloitte CEO Jim Quigley to discuss his concept of leadership and his outlook on American competitiveness।
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/01/how-your-bad-boss-can-become-a-great-leader/

What to watch for at today's Apple iPad

San Francisco (CNN) -- Apple got a huge head start in the touch screen tablet race with its iPad, but in recent months its rivals have begun catching up.

Now Apple is hoping to widen its lead again.

Apple appears poised to announce an upgraded version of its iPad tablet computer on Wednesday in San Francisco. CNN will be reporting live from the event, which starts at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET). Look for live updates on our @cnntech Twitter feed and on CNN.com/tech.

The Cupertino, California, company sent out invitations last week featuring a calendar page with a "2" on it, peeling back to reveal a glimpse of an iPad-shaped device underneath।
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/03/02/ipad.2/index.html?hpt=C1

Yahoo! in talks to unload Japan stake: report

TOKYO (AFP) – Yahoo! Inc. has been in talks to potentially unload its $7 billion stake in Yahoo! Japan, a report said on Wednesday, citing a source close to the matter.

However, negotiations are in early stages and no deal is near, according to the Wall Street Journal. Yahoo! owns a 30 percent stake in its Japanese namesake.

Japan's Softbank holds 41.9 percent and is the largest shareholder in the Japanese firm. On Wednesday it denied earlier reports that it was in talks with Yahoo! to also buy the US firm's stake.

"We have no intention to acquire the (Yahoo! Japan) shares," Softbank said in a statement.

The Journal cited a person familiar with the matter as saying one of the many options currently being considered by Yahoo! was a sale of the stake, but no deal has been finalised।
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110302/ts_alt_afp/japanusinternetcompanyyahoosoftbank_20110302122300

Intel launches high speed Thunderbolt connector

Chip manufacturer Intel has announced it is to roll out a new technology for connecting computers and peripherals.

The system, known as Thunderbolt, promises transfer speeds twice as fast as USB 3.0.

However it won't reach its theoretical maximum because Intel has opted to use copper wires rather than fibre optic cables.

The company said it would gradually move to higher speeds over time.

Apple will become the first manufacturer to use Thunderbolt, on its Macbook Pro computers.

The Cupertino firm is said to have been a major driver of its development, although it remains to be seen how may other manufacturers will adopt the new standard।
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12570323

Most locked-in patients 'happy'

The majority of people with locked-in syndrome are happy, a small French study suggests.

The disease "traps" people in their own body, able to think, but incapable of moving or talking.

The study of 65 patients, published in the British Medical Journal's BMJ Open, found 72% reported being happy, with just 7% wanting help to commit suicide.

Experts said it showed it would be unwise to make assumptions about people's mental state.

The findings could also have implications on the assisted suicide debate, the researchers said.

However, they warned that there could be some bias in the study with the most unhappy patients refusing to take part.

The participants, from the French Association for Locked in Syndrome, responded by blinking or moving their eyes।
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12551753

Escape from Libya: Your stories

Further rescue missions are planned to airlift an estimated 300 British nationals still stranded in Libyan desert camps.

Two RAF Hercules flew 150 oil workers, many of them British nationals, to the safety of Malta on Saturday.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has revised upwards its original estimate of the number of British oil workers still in the desert.

BBC News website users have been getting in touch to tell us of their experiences of leaving Libya and of trying to find out what is happening to friends and family
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12590943

Here's your iPhone. Want service with that?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- What if you could buy your iPhone and wireless service directly from Apple, without having to sign a contract with AT&T or Verizon? Imagine going to Google।com and buying an Android phone that comes with Google Wireless.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/24/technology/lightsquared/index.htm

8 ruling party lawmakers resign in Yemen

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- Eight lawmakers from Yemen's ruling party, General People's Congress, have resigned in part to protest the violence that anti-government demonstrators have faced as they call for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down.

The parliamentarians submitted their resignations Wednesday.

"I resigned because there's been no respect by the government for human rights, because of the attacks against protesters and journalists, because the security forces are not doing their jobs," said lawmaker Abdu Bishr.

A second lawmaker echoed those sentiments.

"It's their right to protest, according to the law here," Abdulaziz Jubari said।
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/24/yemen.protests/index.html?hpt=T2

OIL FUTURES: Crude Pushes Past $100 On Libya Turmoil

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Crude futures surged above $100 a barrel Thursday, reaching the highest level in two and a half years, as violent clashes in Libya disrupted oil supplies from the key exporter.

Light, sweet crude for April delivery recently traded $1.57, or 1.5%, higher at $99.67 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after hitting $103.41 earlier in the session, the highest price since September, 2008.

Brent crude on the ICE futures exchange rose $3 to $114.25 a barrel.

Supporters of Moammar Gadhafi's decades-long rule in Libya struck back against protesters that now control much of the eastern part of the North African nation. Opposition groups have risen up in cities close to Tripoli, the capital, Thursday.

The unrest is disrupting oil supplies from the world's 12th-largest crude exporter, and raising concerns that turmoil in the Middle East will spread to other major oil producers, such as Algeria.

Libya's oil output has dropped 75% from pre-crisis levels of about 1।6 million barrels a day, according to Eni SpA Chief Executive Paolo Scarolini, head of the international energy company with the largest operations in the country. International oil companies in Libya are evacuating staff amid port closures and escalating violence.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110224-712464.html

Larry King launches one-man comedy tour

Veteran broadcaster Larry King, who left his CNN talk show in December after 25 years, is to tour the US with a one-man comedy show.

The 77-year-old will give fans "a hilarious and insightful look" at his life both behind and in front of the cameras, producers said.

Audiences will also be able to ask King questions during the tour, which starts on 14 April in Connecticut.

Seven dates have been announced so far, the last being in Las Vegas on 11 June.

"Larry King's style and wit will give audiences an evening to remember," producers Base Entertainment and Karl Engemann said.

After King left his nightly talk show, former tabloid editor and talent show judge Piers Morgan stepped in to replace him.

The broadcaster will be interviewed by his successor in an edition of Piers Morgan Tonight to be aired later this week.

Morgan has said he expects there to be "a little tension in the air" when he sits down to quiz his predecessor.

In an interview with the BBC last week, King said he thought Morgan had been "oversold" to US TV audiences and that his show "might have been better off starting quietly"।

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12550829

Saudi King returns home amid Arab unrest

RIYADH — Saudi King Abdullah arrived in his homeland on Wednesday after three months abroad, boosting social benefits for his people as he returned to a Middle East rocked by anti-regime uprisings.

As the king's plane touched down at King Khaled bin Abdul Aziz Airport, men in white garb performed a traditional Ardha dance while well-wishers including women, most in black niqabs, waited to see their ruler.

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz and Bahraini King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa were among a string of officials and royals who turned out to greet the 86-year-old monarch, who was seated in a black chair set up just outside the plane's door.

Saudi Arabia has declared Saturday a public holiday to mark King Abdullah's safe return home, following back surgery in New York and a recuperation period in Morocco.

Hours before his arrival, the king boosted social benefits for civil servants, the official Saudi Press Agency said.

He ordered the implementation of a 15 percent pay rise for state employees as well as an increase in the cash available for Saudi housing loans।
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gY5h_kOTIPZxovSk2cmJS4fJI4Bg?docId=CNG.79d866ad474fb0af8e19eab5322b6f36.3a1

Bahrain releases prisoners as king leaves country on trip

Manama (CNN) -- Bahrain has released about 25 high-profile political detainees, following an order by the king to free those he described as "prisoners of conscience" and halt proceedings against others, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights said Wednesday.

Among those released late Tuesday were the prominent blogger and human rights activist Ali Abdulemam, who runs bahrainonline.org; Abdul-Ghani Khanjar, a member of Committee for the Victims of Torture; and Mohammed Saeed, who works with the Bahrain Center for Human Rights.

In addition, several prominent Shiite clerics were released as was Dr. Abduljalil Al-Sengais, spokesman of the Haq Movement for Civil Liberties and Democracy.

Nabil Rajab of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights told CNN that the releases bring to about 100 the number of political detainees so far released, but he says an estimated 400 people are still detained on politically-inspired charges।
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/23/bahrain.protests/index.html?hpt=T2

Device 'could revolutionise blood pressure monitoring'

A device which can be worn like a watch could revolutionise the way blood pressure is monitored in the next few years, scientists say.

Researchers at the University of Leicester and in Singapore have developed a device to measure pressure in the largest artery in the body.

Evidence shows it gives a much more accurate reading than the arm cuff.

The technology is funded by the Department of Health and backed by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

It works by a sensor in the watch recording the pulse wave of the artery, which is then fed into a computer together with a traditional blood pressure reading from a cuff.

Scientists are then able to read the pressure close to the heart, from the aorta।


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12518633

Oil prices push higher on Libya supply concerns

Oil prices have continued to climb after Libya's Col Gaddafi refused to stand down and investors feared unrest could worsen across the region.

US light, sweet crude was up $0.61 at $96.03 - its highest for two years. It has now risen almost $10 since the start of the week.

Brent crude in London was $1.58 higher to $107.36 in early trading.

Two major European oil companies have suspended production amid continued anti-government unrest in Libya.

Stock markets in Asia were little changed after dropping on Tuesday। Investors said they are gauging the impact of Libyan unrest on the global economy and corporate profit growth.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12548471

Google faces new complaint in anti-trust probe

A new complaint about Google's alleged anti-competitive behaviour has been filed by specialist French search engine 1plusV.

It follows similar complaints from price comparison site Foundem and legal search engine ejustice.fr last year.

Those triggered a European Commission probe into Google's business practices, which is ongoing.

Google said it was working with the EC, adding that there "was always room for improvement".

"We have been working closely with the European Commission to explain many different parts of our business। While we have always tried to do the right thing for our users and advertisers, we recognise that there's always room for improvement," the firm said in a statement.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12540731

Cholesterol 'does not predict stroke in women'

High levels of cholesterol do not predict the risk of stroke in women, according to researchers in Denmark.

They did detect an increased risk in men, but only when cholesterol was at almost twice the average level.

The report in Annals of Neurology recommends using a different type of fat in the blood, non-fasting triglycerides, to measure the risk.

The Stroke Association said triglyceride tests needed to become routine to reduce the risk of stroke.

A total of 150,000 people have a stroke in the UK each year. Most are ischemic strokes, in which a clot in an artery disrupts the brain's blood supply.

The research followed 13,951 men and women, who took part in the Copenhagen City Heart Study.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12505230

Mobile phones 'affect the brain'

A study by the National Institutes of Health in the US suggests that mobile phones could have an effect on the brain.

They reported higher sugar use in the brain, a sign of increased activity, after 50 minutes on the phone.

The research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association said the clinical significance was unknown.

Experts in the UK said there was no suggestion of a health risk.

Since the boom in mobile phone use, there has been considerable interest in the effect on the body.

The largest study on 420,000 mobile phone users in Denmark, has not shown a link between phone use and cancer.

This small study on 47 people investigated the effect of magnetic fields (RF-EMFs) coming from a phone's antenna।


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12541117

US, Other Nations Send Ferries, Planes to Libya for Evacuations

The U.S. State Department says it has chartered a ferry to evacuate Americans from the Libyan capital, Tripoli, as other nations make similar efforts to help tens of thousands of foreigners flee a deadly uprising against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

A U.S. notice sent to Americans in Tripoli advises those wishing to leave to report to the city's As-Shahab port Wednesday morning for a ferry departing at 3 p.m. local time for the Mediterranean island of Malta. It says U.S. citizens will be required to reimburse the U.S. government for the cost of the trip.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/US-Other-Nations-Send-Ferries-Planes-to-Libya-for-Evacuations-116720514.html

Borders shares dive on cashflow concerns

Shares in Borders have fallen 15% after the US bookselling group said it would delay payment to some publishers in a bid to preserve cash.

The company has been left short of money after its available credit under existing agreements was cut because the value of its inventories has fallen.

Borders said it was seeking to replace those credit facilities.

But if it failed to do so, the second largest bookseller in the US said it could face a "liquidity shortfall".

Company spokeswoman Mary Davis said that the firm would work with the publishers that supply it with books in order to restructure their payment arrangements।

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12097769

Australian flooding 'to last weeks'

Devastating flood waters across the Australian state of Queensland may not recede for weeks, the state's Premier Anna Bligh has warned.

More than 20 towns in Queensland have been cut off or flooded, with more than 200,000 people affected.

Military aircraft are flying supplies into Rockhampton, which has been isolated by the still-rising waters।


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12107131

2011 goals: Divorce, job and travel

(CNN) -- Quit dating? Get a divorce? Not get upset at idiots?

New Year's resolutions can be very personal or can be the perennial favorites of losing weight or spending less money.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/01/01/resolutions.ireporters/index.html?hpt=C1

Napolitano: U.S. committed to combating terror threats in Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The United States has made "significant progress" in combating terrorist threats to the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Saturday after meeting with the Afghan president and the minister of finance.

Napolitano is in Afghanistan to discuss progress made in securing the region.

"The Obama administration remains fully committed to combating threats of terrorism in Afghanistan," Napolitano said in a statement released Saturday।
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/01/afghanistan.napolitano/index.html

Sudan delegation to leave Darfur peace talks

government delegation plans to leave peace talks with rebels from the country's western Darfur region Friday, the country's official news agency reported.

The presidential advisor in charge of the talks for the government, however, said the departure does not mean the government is withdrawing from the talks, which have been taking place in Doha, Qatar।

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/12/31/sudan.darfur.peace.talks/index.html

Base bails on Democrats in droves

The once-dominant party holds 85 of 236 seats in the House and Senate, Democrats’ lowest ebb since Reconstruction. And the number has been slipping.

Since the November election when the party lost control of all statewide offices, nine Democratic legislators have become Republicans, including Athens Rep। Doug McKillip, who switched less than a month after his colleagues elected him chairman of the House Democrats.


http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/base-bails-on-democrats-792627.html