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Editors:

Here are the top stories at this hour from The Associated Press. At the Nerve Center, news producer Jerome Minerva can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). Times in EST.

DEVELOPING

BIG WAVE CONTEST Competition begins at 11 a.m.

OBAMA-INAUGURATION Obama takes oath of office at 11:55 a.m.

GERMANY-ELECTION Voting ends at noon, followed immediately by exit polls. Results expected late Sunday.

WASHINGTON

OBAMA-INAUGURATION

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama takes the oath of office surrounded by family in an intimate inauguration ceremony at the White House.

INTERNATIONAL

ALGERIA-KIDNAPPING

ALGIERS, Algeria Algerian de-mining teams are scouring a gas refinery that was the scene of a bloody four-day hostage standoff, searching for explosive traps left by Islamic militants who took dozens of foreigners prisoner. The siege left at least 23 hostages dead, and the U.S. government warns there were credible threats of more kidnapping attempts on Westerners.

GERMANY-ELECTION

BERLIN A major state election could shake up the campaign for Germany's national election later this year, with the center-left opposition hoping for a morale-boosting victory over Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition.

AUSTRIA-ARMY REFERENDUM

VIENNA With no wars to fight and friends on every border, neutral Austria has little reason to feel threatened which may explain why Sunday's referendum on the future of its army is being driven by concerns that seem to have nothing to do with how best to defend itself.

NEW ZEALAND-KIM DOTCOM

SYDNEY Indicted Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom launches a new file-sharing website, promising users amped-up privacy levels in a defiant move against the U.S. prosecutors who accuse him of facilitating massive online piracy.

NATIONAL

MILITARY-MOVIE THEATERS CLOSING

ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. Many U.S. military bases around the globe are losing their movie theaters as the industry converts from 35 millimeter film to digital projection. Sixty base theaters around the globe are closing.

BIG WAVE CONTEST

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. As massive swells lumber across the Pacific toward Northern California, 24 of the world's best big wave surfers will be waiting to meet them a half-mile offshore at the infamous surfing break Mavericks.

SPORTS

STAN & EARL REMEMBERED

One was born in St. Louis, the other became a star there. Aside from that, Earl Weaver and Stan Musial were about as different as two Hall of Famers could be. Both baseball legends died yesterday, Musial at 92 and Weaver at 82.

Sports Coverage: NFL playoffs, Australian Open, NBA, NHL, college basketball, golf and winter sports.

Guest lineup for the Sunday TV news shows:

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ABC's "This Week." Topics: President Barack Obama's inauguration and second-term challenges. David Plouffe, adviser to President Barack Obama; actress Eva Longoria, co-chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

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NBC's "Meet the Press." Topics: Obama's second term; gun control; and the national debt. Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas; David Axelrod, adviser to President Barack Obama.

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CBS' "Face the Nation." Topics: Obama's inauguration and second term. Plouffe; Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state under President George W. Bush; Dee Dee Myers, former press secretary for President Bill Clinton; Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas; Mayor Julian Castro of San Antonio.

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CNN's "State of the Union." Topics: Obama's inauguration and second term. Plouffe; Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Don Baer, a former Clinton speechwriter; Michael Gerson, a former Bush speechwriter; former Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.

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"Fox News Sunday." Topics: Obama's inauguration and second term. Plouffe; Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.