Hougang by-election ballot papers destroyed

SINGAPORE: Ballot papers and other documents used in the Hougang by-election were destroyed on Saturday morning.

According to the Parliamentary Elections Act, the ballot papers and other documents used in the election were retained, sealed and kept in safe custody for a period of six months.

On Saturday morning, the ballot boxes were removed from the Supreme Court vault and then destroyed at Tuas South Incineration Plant.

The Returning Officer, candidates and election agents involved in the Hougang by-election witnessed the process.

The Hougang by-election was held on 26 May to fill the seat vacated by former MP Yaw Shin Leong, who was expelled over his alleged marital affairs.

Mr Png Eng Huat from The Workers' Party won the seat with 62 per cent of the votes, over Desmond Choo from the People's Action Party with 38 per cent of the votes.

- CNA/ck

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Photos: Kilauea Lava Reaches the Sea

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Into the Sea

  Photograph by Hugh Gentry, Reuters

  A spectacular natural phenomenon was on display early this week as lava from a vent in Hawaii's Kilauea volcano flowed into the ocean, sending up plumes of steam as it made contact with the waves.

  Though lava can still be viewed from Kalapana near the Big Island's Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, ocean entry is no longer occurring, according to the National Park Service.

  Published November 30, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Sea of Fire

  
  Photograph by Hugh Gentry, Reuters
  

  The lava traveled 7 miles (11 kilometers) from Kilauea’s Pu'u O'o vent to the ocean. When lava reaches the water, it cools and hardens, forming a lava delta that can be dangerous to nearby onlookers, according to Reuters.

  The news service reported that no communities on the Big Island were threatened by the lava flow.

  Published November 30, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Volcanic Flare

  
  Photograph by Hugh Gentry, Reuters
  

  A burst of volcanic activity erupts from Kilauea’s crater in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on November 27.

  The volcano has been erupting continuously for nearly 30 years. No major damage has been suffered by a town since 1986, according to Reuters.

  Published November 30, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Fiery Encounter

  Photograph by Hugh Gentry, Reuters

  “Ocean entries are beautiful but dangerous,” said Janet Babb, spokeswoman for the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, in a statement reported by Reuters. She warned that the steam could be more hazardous than it appears.

  Published November 30, 2012

  
  











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  Point of Contact

  
  Photograph by Matt Northam, My Shot
  

  A plume of smoke billows where lava from Kilauea meets the sea in this aerial photo taken November 27.

  Published November 30, 2012

  
  











• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Photograph by Peter Vancoillie, Your Shot

  Published November 30, 2012

  
  

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Could Outgoing Republicans Hold Keys to 'Cliff' Deal?

Nov 30, 2012 1:45pm

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

The outlook for reaching some sort of bipartisan agreement on the so-called “fiscal cliff” before the Dec. 31 deadline is looking increasingly grim. Shortly after noon today, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, appeared before the cameras to say the talks had reached a “stalemate.”

But there may be a glimmer of hope. There are currently 33 outgoing members of Congress — they’re either retiring or were defeated last month — who have signed the Grover Norquist pledge stating that they will not raise taxes. Those members, particularly the ones who have traditionally been somewhat moderate, could hold the key to that stance softening.

“You have 33 people who do not have to worry about the future political consequences of their vote,” said ABC political director Amy Walter. “These are people who theoretically can vote based purely on the issue rather than on how it will impact their political future.”

One outgoing member has publicly indicated a willingness to join with Obama and the Democrats on a partial deal.

“I have to say that if you’re going to sign me up with a camp, I like what Tom Cole has to say,” California Republican Rep. Mary Bono Mack said on CNN on Thursday. Cole is the Republican who suggested that his party vote to extend the Bush tax-rates for everyone but the highest income earners and leave the rest of the debate for later. Mack’s husband, Connie, however, also an outgoing Republican member of Congress, said he disagreed with his wife.

But in general, among the outgoing Republican representatives with whom ABC News has made contact, the majority have been vague as to whether or not they still feel bound by the pledge, and whether they would be willing to raise tax rates.

“[Congressman Jerry Lewis] has always been willing to listen to any proposals, but there isn’t,” a spokesman for Rep. Lewis, Calif., told ABC News. “He’s said the pledge was easy because it goes along with his philosophy that increasing tax doesn’t solve any problems. However, he’s always been willing to listen to proposals.”

“Congressman Burton has said that he does not vote for tax increases,” a spokesman for Dan Burton, Ind., said to ABC.

“With Representative Herger retiring, we are leaving this debate to returning members and members-elect,” an aide for Wally Herger, Calif., told ABC News.

The majority of Congress members will likely wait until a deal is on the table to show their hand either way. However, it stands to reason that if any members of Congress are going to give in and agree to raise taxes, these would be the likely candidates.

An agreement will require both sides to make some concessions: Republicans will need to agree to some tax increases, Democrats will need to agree to some spending cuts. With Republicans and Democrats appearing to be digging further into their own, very separate territories, the big question is, which side will soften first?

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"Halo 4": More of the same with a sprinkle of change

SINGAPORE: "Halo 4" is the latest instalment of the popular "Halo" game franchise.

It traces the adventures of human super soldier Master Chief, and his artificial intelligence companion Cortana, as they unravel the mystery of Requiem, an uncharted planet inhabited by the hostile Prometheans.

Following the departure of Bungie Inc, the developers who did the previous "Halo" games, 343 Industries was tasked with developing "Halo 4".

To their credit, 343 Industries has managed to retain all the good points of the previous "Halo" games, like their tight controls and frenetic gameplay, in "Halo 4".

It has even improved upon its predecessors in certain areas – "Halo 4" boasts much better graphics, as well as more types of enemies, along with more weapons to kill them with than the earlier games.

But the game on the whole, is essentially similar to past "Halo" games.

The new Promethean weapons, for example, look cool and actually assemble themselves in the player's hands, but they behave more or less the same way as the Human and Covenant weapons.

However, this is great news for diehard "Halo" fans.

"More of the same" isn't always a bad thing, especially when it's done well.

The fluid action, the familiar mechanics from the other games in the series, which have sold over 43 million copies so far in total, are reproduced faithfully in "Halo 4".

What truly sets "Halo 4" apart from the previous "Halo" games is probably its storyline, which has a slightly darker tone.

Some story threads in the game, like Master Chief's relationship with an increasingly unstable Cortana are also quite intriguing, and will leave players wanting to play on in order to find out what happens next.

While the main campaign clocks in at slightly over ten hours, there is a lot more content for players to explore and get their money's worth from the game long after the end credits roll.

343 Industries has created extra content in the form of Spartan Ops, a series of free downloadable episodic missions that draws the player deeper into the "Halo" universe, and fills in narrative gaps in the main game.

In addition, the compelling multiplayer modes also serve to extend the longevity of the game.

At the end of the day, hardcore "Halo" fans will find "Halo 4" very familiar and absolutely adore all the extra new content, but those who are looking for something more than "Halo 3 (2)" may walk away a tad disappointed.

-CNA/ha

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CBI director's appointment: Madras HC issues notice to Centre

CHENNAI: The Madras high court has issued notice to the Centre, on a quo warranto petition questioning the validity of the appointment of Ranjit Sinha as director of the CBI.

Justice K Venkataraman, before whom the petition filed by retired police officer Jebamani Mohanraj, came up for admission on Friday, asked the Centre to file its counter within a week.

When the matter was taken up for hearing, Manikandan Vathan Chettiar, counsel for the PIL-petitioner, submitted that an officer facing charges should not have been named the next head of the premier investigating agency.

Jebamani had said in the petition that Sinha had been unceremoniously removed from the fodder scam case by the Patna high court.

Opposing the petition and questioning its very maintainability, additional solicitor-general of India, P Wilson, said it had been based solely on newspaper reports. The appointment was made in accordance with law, he said adding that before the Cabinet committee on appointment cleared the name of Sinha, it was vetted by a committee.

Justice Venkataraman, however, said media reports need not be completely ignored and said merits of the issue could be considered after the Centre files it's counter in the matter.

As for Wilson's demand for deletion of an offending paragraph from the petition, the judge asked counsel if it could be deleted. To this Chettiar said the Centre must give reasons for seeking the deletion of averments.

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Pictures: Inside the World's Most Powerful Laser

Photograph courtesy Damien Jemison, LLNL

Looking like a portal to a science fiction movie, preamplifiers line a corridor at the U.S. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF).

Preamplifiers work by increasing the energy of laser beams—up to ten billion times—before these beams reach the facility's target chamber.

The project's lasers are tackling "one of physics' grand challenges"—igniting hydrogen fusion fuel in the laboratory, according to the NIF website. Nuclear fusion—the merging of the nuclei of two atoms of, say, hydrogen—can result in a tremendous amount of excess energy. Nuclear fission, by contrast, involves the splitting of atoms.

This July, California-based NIF made history by combining 192 laser beams into a record-breaking laser shot that packed over 500 trillion watts of peak power-a thousand times more power than the entire United States uses at any given instant.

"This was a quantum leap for laser technology around the world," NIF director Ed Moses said in September. But some critics of the $5 billion project wonder why the laser has yet to ignite a fusion chain reaction after three-and-a-half years in operation. Supporters counter that such groundbreaking science simply can't be rushed.

(Related: "Fusion Power a Step Closer After Giant Laser Blast.")

—Brian Handwerk

Published November 29, 2012

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Man Arrested in Fla. Girl's 1993 Disappearance

Police have arrested a 42-year-old man and charged him with murder in the case of a Florida girl who vanished almost 20 years ago.

Andrea Gail Parsons, 10, of Port Salerno, Fla., was last seen on July 11, 1993, shortly after 6 p.m. She had just purchased candy and soda at a grocery store when she waved to a local couple as they drove by on an area street and honked, police said.

Today, Martin County Sheriff's Department officials arrested Chester Duane Price, 42, who recently lived in Haleyville, Ala., and charged him with first-degree murder and kidnapping of a child under the age of 13, after he was indicted by a grand jury.

Price was acquainted with Andrea at the time of her disappearance, and also knew another man police once eyed as a potential suspect, officials told ABC News affiliate WPBF in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Handout/Martin County Sheriff's Office

"The investigation has concluded that Price abducted and killed Andrea Gail Parsons," read a sheriff's department news release. "Tragically, at this time, her body has not been recovered."

The sheriff's department declined to specify what evidence led to Price's arrest for the crime after 19 years or to provide details to ABCNews.com beyond the prepared news release.

Reached by phone, a sheriff's department spokeswoman said she did not know whether Price was yet represented by a lawyer.

Price was being held at the Martin County Jail without bond and was scheduled to make his first court appearance via video link at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

In its news release, the sheriff's department cited Price's "extensive criminal history with arrests dating back to 1991" that included arrests for cocaine possession, assault, sale of controlled substance, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and violation of domestic violence injunction.

"The resolve to find Andrea and get answers surrounding the circumstances of her disappearance has never wavered as detectives and others assigned have dedicated their careers to piecing this puzzle together," Martin County Sheriff Robert L. Crowder said in a prepared statement. "In 2011, I assigned a team of detectives, several 'fresh sets of eyes,' to begin another review of the high-volume of evidence that had been previously collected in this case."

A flyer dating from the time of Andrea's disappearance, and redistributed by the sheriff's office after the arrest, described her as 4-foot-11 with hazel eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing blue jean shorts, a dark shirt and clear plastic sandals, according to the flyer.

The sheriff's department became involved in the case after Andrea's mother, Linda Parsons, returned home from work around 10 p.m. on July 11, 1993, to find her daughter missing and called police, according to the initial sheriff's report.

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High-powered ‘Fix the Debt’ group draws attention, scrutiny in Washington

In the discussions about the “fiscal cliff” consuming Washington, a powerful new group stands out, touting the virtue of bipartisanship and shared sacrifice.

The business leaders who set up the Campaign to Fix the Debt appear nearly every day on network talk shows and have won coveted time with President Obama in pushing for increased tax revenue, reduced government spending, and changes to Social Security and Medicare. The group’s leaders met Wednesday with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and returned, yet again, to the White House.

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Tokyo governor election kicks off

TOKYO: The race to elect a successor to colourful and controversial Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara kicked off Thursday with his handpicked nominee expected to cruise to an easy victory.

Ishihara, a veteran right-wing firebrand who is widely blamed for exacerbating a territorial row with China, abruptly resigned to lead a new political party in a December 16 general election that coincides with the poll in the city of 13 million.

His chosen successor, deputy governor Naoki Inose, 66, a prize-winning author like Ishihara, has a commanding lead among the nine candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring, analysts say.

The Tokyo vote will essentially be a referendum on Ishihara, who was a year into his fourth four-year term and provoked a flare-up with Beijing over his plans to buy a group of islands at the centre of a dispute with China.

Inose, seen as a tough-minded reformer, has pledged to continue Ishihara's bid for Tokyo to host the 2020 Olympic Games, despite the city's costly failure to win the 2016 Games.

Despite the overall financial gloom in Japan, the capital exists in something of a bubble, and still boasts eye-wateringly expensive eateries and shops stocking the world's finest luxury goods.

Because of this relative wealth and stability, Tokyoites are unlikely to seek any real change, said Tomoaki Iwai, political scientist at Nihon University, meaning Inose is all but guaranteed victory.

"A focus, if any, will be how big a victory Mr Inose will be able to pull off," Iwai said.

Inose's rival candidates are likely to attack him and Ishihara on an ill-fated bank the Tokyo government launched in 2005 to help local small businesses.

The bank's balance sheet quickly turned to tatters with a series of loans that went bad and it is now using public cash to try to get back on an even financial keel.

The only one of his eight opponents who could come close to Inose is Kenji Utsunomiya, 66, a veteran human rights lawyer and a former president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.

He has won endorsement from left-leaning parties for his calls to permanently close Japan's nuclear plants following the atomic catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant after last year's tsunami.

The plant, around 220 kilometres (135 miles) from Tokyo, supplied the capital with electricity until its reactors went into meltdown, spewing radiation over the land and sea.

Little radiation is recorded as having reached Tokyo, but the disaster left the city's inhabitants wary of the technology.

The Tokyo government is a major shareholder in the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power, but Inose is credited as having been tough on the utility, which has since been taken into public ownership.

- AFP/lp

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No time frame for electoral reforms: Govt

NEW DELHI: Government on Thursday said that it cannot lay down any time frame for electoral reforms keeping in mind the "complexity" of the subject.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union law and justice minister Ashwani Kumar said, "In view of the complexity of the subject, it is not possible to lay down any rigid time-frame in this regard."

He was asked whether the government proposes to carry out comprehensive electoral reforms.

Giving details of the steps taken by government in this regard, Kumar said, "With a view to carrying out comprehensive electoral reforms, a Core Committee was constituted on October 1, 2010 under the chairmanship of Vivek K Tankha, additional solicitor general."

The talking points of the committee included decriminalisation of politics, funding of elections, conduct and better management of elections, regulations of political parties, audit and finances of political parties and review of anti-defection law, he added.

The committee under the aegis of legislative department and in co-sponsorship of the Election Commission of India conducted seven regional consultations at Bhopal, Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Guwahati, the reply said.

The consultations included various stakeholders such as leaders and workers of political parties, legislators, legal luminaries, representatives of NGOs, eminent persons, civil servants and students.

"On basis of the inputs received in these consultations, discussion with all political parties is contemplated," Kumar said.

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