Opposition beats Merkel team in knife-edge state poll: TV

BERLIN: Germany's centre-left opposition beat Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling alliance Sunday in a cliffhanger state poll eight months ahead of a national vote, estimates on public television showed.In one of the tightest German state races in recent memory, the Social Democrats together with the Greens eked out a one-seat lead in Lower Saxony, just ahead of the incumbent coalition of...

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Schmidt, daughter open up about trip to North Korea

Google's Eric Schmidt (right) arrives in North Korea on January 7, 2013, with former N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson.(Credit:CBS News/Screenshot by CNET) Google's Eric Schmidt is back from his much-publicized trip to North Korea, and he's got a few details to share about his humanitarian mission.The search giant's executive chairman had already revealed some of the reasoning behind his trip to reporters...

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Algeria hostage describes 4-day ordeal

A freed British hostage has told Sky News that he feared he had fallen "into the hands of the terrorists" after fleeing the Algerian gas complex where he had been holed up for four days.Alan Wright spent days hidden in a pitch-black room with colleagues at the Ain Amenas plant after hearing gunfire.He told Sky that the militants tried to entice them out of their hiding place with a friendly voice."We...

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President Obama Sworn In for Second Term

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden today officially embarked on their second term, taking the Constitutionally mandated oath of office in two separate private ceremonies inside their homes.Shortly before noon in the Blue Room of the White House, Obama raised his right hand, with his left on a family Bible, reciting the oath administrated by Chief Justice John...

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Veteran jihadist claims bloody Algeria siege for al Qaeda

ALGIERS/IN AMENAS, Algeria (Reuters) - A veteran Islamist fighter claimed responsibility on behalf of al Qaeda for the Algerian hostage crisis, a regional website reported on Sunday, tying the bloody desert siege to France's intervention across the Sahara in Mali. Algeria said it expected to raise its preliminary death tolls of 23 hostages and 32 militants killed in the four-day siege...

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Football: Pogba at double for Juve as Palermo hold Lazio

MILAN: French teenager Paul Pogba scored a sensational brace to inspire depleted Juventus to a 4-0 rout of Udinese which helped the Serie A champions extend their lead over Lazio on Saturday.Juve started their 21st match of the campaign with a three-point lead on both Napoli and Lazio but missing key midfielders Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal due to recent injuries.After...

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Microsoft blazes trail to next PC

Microsoft Surface Pro: the design isn't perfect, but the fact that it can function as a standalone tablet and is thin and light puts it ahead of the convertible-laptop pack.(Credit:CNET)PC makers take note. Microsoft is pioneering the next PC. Here are two simple reasons why the Surface Pro makes a good case as the template for the new PC. One, Microsoft realized that the device's electronics should...

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Hundreds join pro-gun rallies in state capitals

Last Updated 4:02 p.m. ET Hundreds of people gathered in state capitals nationwide Saturday to rally against stricter gun control measures.An estimated 600 people turned out so far for Saturday speeches in Austin, Texas. Many carried signs with messages such as, "An Armed Society is a Polite Society," and "The Second Amendment Comes from God."Meanwhile, police say hundreds more joined rallies in...

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Ex-Teammate: Armstrong Showed 'Genuine Emotion'

While critics railed against Lance Armstrong for coming off as detached in the two-part interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired Thursday and Friday nights, former teammate and friend, Tyler Hamilton, told "Good Morning America" today that he felt Armstrong was displaying "genuine emotion.""I've never seen Lance shed a tear until last night. Before I even heard one word from...

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Algerian army stages "final assault" on gas plant

ALGIERS/IN AMENAS, Algeria (Reuters) - The Algerian army carried out a dramatic final assault to end a siege by Islamic militants at a desert gas plant on Saturday, killing 11 al Qaeda-linked gunmen after they took the lives of seven more foreign hostages, the state news agency said. The state oil and gas company, Sonatrach, said the militants who attacked the plant on Wednesday and took...

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