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