Four foreign hostages freed by Algerian army: APS

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Twenty-five foreign hostages escaped and six were killed on Thursday when Algerian forces launched an operation to free them at a remote desert gas plant, Algerian sources said, as one of the biggest international hostage crises in decades unfolded. Fast-moving details of the military operation to free the hostages were difficult to confirm. Algeria's official APS...

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Sembcorp signs 20-year water purchase agreement with ADWEC

SINGAPORE: Sembcorp Industries has signed a 20-year water purchase agreement with the Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Company (ADWEC). In a statement, the mainboard-listed firm said the agreement was signed through its joint venture, Emirates Sembcorp Water & Power Company (ESC), in which it holds a 40 per cent stake.It added that the expansion of the hybrid desalination plant, Fujairah...

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Want a TV now-ish? Get the Panasonic ST50 rather than waiting on the ST60

The Panasonic ST60 is shipping this spring, and pre-order pricing has already been announced.(Credit:Panasonic) I can't tell you how many times last year I told people "just get the Panasonic ST50 plasma." A lot. More times than I shaved, surely. Turns out I'll be saying it a lot at the beginning of this year too, at least until the TV sells out. One of the most important products announced at CES...

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Americans believed to be among hostages in Algeria

Updated at 12:24 p.m. ET ALGIERS, Algeria Islamist militants attacked and occupied a natural gas field partly operated by BP in southern Algeria early Wednesday, killing two people and holding an unknown number of foreigners hostage while surrounded by Algerian forces. U.S. officials believe that Americans are among the hostages, but how many exactly was still unclear, CBS News national security...

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NRA Ad Calls Obama 'Elitist Hypocrite'

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP PhotoAs the White House prepares to unveil a sweeping plan aimed at curbing gun violence, the National Rifle Association has launched a preemptive, personal attack on President Obama, calling him an “elitist hypocrite” who, the group claims, is putting American children at risk.In 35-second video posted online Tuesday night, the NRA criticizes Obama for accepting armed...

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Pakistan government digs in as cleric keeps up pressure

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan will not bow to the demands of a Muslim cleric who has brought thousands of protesters to the heart of the capital Islamabad calling for the resignation of the government and electoral reforms, the information minister said on Wednesday. The government has also been rocked by a Supreme Court order on Tuesday to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf within...

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More 4G spectrum to be up for auction by telcos: IDA

SINGAPORE - The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) announced on Wednesday it plans to release more spectrum bandwidth for telcos to utilise for 4G networks. Some 270MHz (megahertz) of additional spectrum space will be up for grabs in an auction set for some time in the middle of this year. 4G is the next generation of data networking, allowing for data transfer rates that...

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X-Wing Fighter coffee table goes galactic in your living room

This just needs some "Star Wars" action figures to complete the look.(Credit:Barry Shields)If Luke Skywalker had a living room with a big-screen TV, he would also have a hand-carved X-Wing Fighter coffee table made of wood and glass. The detailed model looks like it's in mid-flight, except instead of blasting the forces of the Dark Side, it's calmly guarding your coffee.The table is designed so that...

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Long Island high school on lockdown

Last Updated 12:31 p.m. ET ELMONT, N.Y. Children at Elmont Memorial High School remain in lockdown mode after a report of a suspicious person, possibly with a weapon, in the area, CBS Station WCBS reports. The lockdown was put into effect shortly after 8 a.m., in response to a 911 call from a woman who said she saw a male teenager with a backpack and a lime green gun. No injuries have been reported....

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Oprah Describes Intense Armstrong Interview

Oprah Winfrey said today that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong came well prepared for their highly anticipated interview, although he "did not come clean in the manner [she] expected."Winfrey, who discussed the interview on "CBS This Morning" today, said, "We were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers. I feel that he answered the questions in a way that he was ready....

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