Two Winners in Record Powerball Jackpot

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Winning tickets for the record Powerball jackpot worth more than $587 million were purchased in Arizona and Missouri.


Missouri Lottery official Susan Goedde confirmed to ABC News this morning that one of the winning tickets was purchased in the state, but they would not announce which town until later this morning.


Arizona lottery officials said they had no information on that state's winner or winners but would announce where it was sold during a news conference later in the day.


The winning numbers for the jackpot were 5, 23, 16, 22 and 29. The Powerball was 6.


The jackpot swelled to $587.5 million, according to Lottery official Sue Dooley. The two winners will split the jackpot each getting $293.75 million. The cash payout is $192.5 million each.


An additional 8,924,123 players won smaller prizes, according to Powerball's website.


"There were 58 winners of $1 million and there were eight winners of $2 million. So a total of $74 million," said Chuck Strutt, Director of the Multi-State Lottery Association.


In Photos: Biggest Lotto Jackpot Winners


This is the 27th win for Missouri, ranking it second in the nation for lottery winners after Indiana, which has 38 wins. Arizona has had 10 Powerball jackpot wins in its history.


Players bought tickets at the rate of 131,000 every minute up until an hour before the deadline of 11 p.m. ET, according to lottery officials.


The jackpot had already rolled over 16 consecutive times without a winner. That fact, plus the doubling in price of a Powerball ticket, accounted for the unprecedented richness of the pot.






"Back in January, we moved Powerball from being a $1 game to $2," said Mary Neubauer, a spokeswoman at the game's headquarters in Iowa. "We thought at the time that this would mean bigger and faster-growing jackpots."


That proved true. The total, she said, began taking "huge jumps -- another $100 million since Saturday." It then jumped another $50 million.


The biggest Powerball pot on record until now -- $365 million -- was won in 2006 by eight Lincoln, Neb., co-workers.
As the latest pot swelled, lottery officials said they began getting phone calls from all around the world.


"When it gets this big," said Neubauer, "we get inquiries from Canada and Europe from people wanting to know if they can buy a ticket. They ask if they can FedEx us the money."


The answer she has to give them, she said, is: "Sorry, no. You have to buy a ticket in a member state from a licensed retail location."


About 80 percent of players don't choose their own Powerball number, opting instead for a computer-generated one.
Asked if there's anything a player can do to improve his or her odds of winning, Neubauer said there isn't -- apart from buying a ticket, of course.


Lottery officials put the odds of winning this Powerball pot at one in 175 million, meaning you'd have been 25 times more likely to win an Academy Award.


Skip Garibaldi, a professor of mathematics at Emory University in Atlanta, provided additional perspective: You are three times more likely to die from a falling coconut, he said; seven times more likely to die from fireworks, "and way more likely to die from flesh-eating bacteria" (115 fatalities a year) than you are to win the Powerball lottery.


Segueing, then, from death to life, Garibaldi noted that even the best physicians, equipped with the most up-to-date equipment, can't predict the timing of a child's birth with much accuracy.


"But let's suppose," he said, "that your doctor managed to predict the day, the hour, the minute and the second your baby would be born."


The doctor's uncanny prediction would be "at least 100 times" more likely than your winning.


Even though he knows the odds all too well, Garibaldi said he usually plays the lottery.


When it gets this big, I'll buy a couple of tickets," he said. "It's kind of exciting. You get this feeling of anticipation. You get to think about the fantasy."


So, did he buy two tickets this time?


"I couldn't," he told ABC News. "I'm in California" -- one of eight states that doesn't offer Powerball.


In case you were wondering, this Saturday's Powerball jackpot is starting at $40 million.


ABC News Radio contributed to this report.



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Holiday gifts: Books to give by

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Books to delight the scientifically curious

1



Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) by Richard P. Feynman
The Folio Society
£34.95

Richard Feynman had a knack for putting things in a novel way, as when he compared the study of physics to sex: "It may give some practical results," he reportedly said, "but that's not why we do it." This gorgeous edition of his popular work will add to any collection.






2



30-Second Maths: The 50 most mind-expanding theories in mathematics, each explained in half a minute by Richard Brown
Icon Books
£12.99

This plain-looking book unveils the wonder of mathematics, touching on ideas from the Möbius strip to infinity with clear, entertaining and delightfully concise explanations.



3



The Ultimate Book of Saturday Science The very best backyard science experiments you can do yourself by Neil A. Downie
Princeton University Press
£19.95/$29.95

What happens when a high-velocity carrot hits an armoured sandcastle? Discover for yourself with Neil Downie's experiments. This book is guaranteed fun, though parents of science-mad teenagers be warned: the section on oxygen fireworks may make you sweat.



4



The Medical Book: From witch doctors to robot surgeons, 250 milestones in the history of medicine by Clifford A. Pickover
Sterling Milestones
£19.99/$29.95

The history of medicine is filled with monumental and bizarre discoveries. In this well-illustrated work, Clifford Pickover describes his favourite 250 milestones - which include the first test-tube baby and oldest artificial eye (it dates from 2800 BC).



5



The Science Magpie: A hoard of fascinating facts, stories, poems, diagrams and jokes, plucked from science and its history by Simon Flynn
Icon Books
£12.99

"This is a remarkable book, sure to make a mighty stir among the philosophers - perhaps even among the theologians." So began a review of On the Origin of Species when it was published in 1859. Simon Flynn's cornucopia of curious facts, anecdotes and quotations such as this one may not make such a stir, but it is sure to entertain and surprise.



6



The Annotated and Illustrated Double Helix by James D. Watson
Simon & Schuster
£19.99/$30

James Watson's 1968 account of the discovery of DNA's structure offered an insider's take on the process of science. Fifty years after he won the Nobel prize, this edition adds new life with images, letters and hand-drawn diagrams.



7



The Rough Guide to Surviving the End of the World by Paul Parsons
Rough Guides
£11.99/$18.99

Whatever finally destroys humankind, be it a zombie plague or death rays from supernovas, it is best to be prepared. Paul Parsons's survival guide is a cheery lowdown on what may await us at the apocalypse.



8



A Bee in a Cathedral: And 99 other scientific analogies by Joel Levy
A&C Black/Firefly
£12.99/$29.95

Joel Levy offers up plenty of scientific facts to impress your friends, like this one: the most potent known poison is produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium - just 470 grams of the stuff could kill more than 6 billion people.



9



International Space Station 1998-2011 Owners' Workshop Manual by David Baker
Haynes Publishing
£21.99/$32.95

With this manual you'll be fine should you find yourself on the International Space Station with the airlock jammed or the robotic arm tangled in the, er, P5 integrated truss segment. Let's hope NASA also has a copy, just in case.



10



Science: The definitive visual guide by Adam Hart-Davis
Dorling Kindersley
£19.99/$50

This sweeping survey ranges from the discovery of fire to renewable energy, with handy diagrams and historical links that explain how ideas evolve. When it comes to science in a single volume, few books can match it.



11



The Cosmic Tourist: The 100 most awe-inspiring destinations in the universe by Brian May, Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott
Carlton Books
£25

The latest book by popular astronomy's oldest boy band is a travel guide to the universe's spectacular destinations. It includes old favourites and new finds - such as Hanny's Voorwerp, a green gas cloud 650 million light years away spotted by a Dutch schoolteacher during a crowdsourced science project.



12



Natural Histories: Extraordinary rare book selections from the American Museum of Natural History Library by Tom Baione
Sterling Signature
£35.65/$50

The library at the American Museum of Natural History is famous for its scientific illustrations. These essays celebrate 40 of the best, including works from Robert Hooke and Emile-Alain Séguy. Best of all, this boxed set includes prints ready to frame.




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Olam shares fall despite rebuttal of Muddy Waters' report

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SINGAPORE: Olam International's shares continued to slide Wednesday despite its rebuttal of a research firm's warning that the Singapore farm commodities giant could collapse like US energy trader Enron.

"Olam faces no risk of insolvency. We have proactively planned for an appropriate capital structure and raised the requisite equity and debt to meet our investment plans," it said in a posting to the Singapore Exchange.

"We have sufficient liquidity to pursue our current business as well as future investment plans," it said, adding that its accounting practices, also called into question, fully adhere to Singapore's standards."

The statement was issued following a temporary trading halt sought by Olam after Muddy Waters, a US-based firm founded by influential short-seller Carson Block, released a scathing 133-page report on Tuesday.

Olam shares dropped further on Wednesday despite its vehement 45-page response, closing at S$1.50, down 3.85 per cent. The fall is on top of the stock's 6.0 per cent decline on Tuesday.

Last week, media reports said the company would consider buying back shares if prices continued to fall because of Muddy Waters' allegations.

The Muddy Waters report was released despite a libel suit launched by Olam in Singapore's High Court following Block's remarks at a London business conference last week that Olam was in danger of collapse.

Olam said Wednesday that the report was aimed at creating investor panic and enabling "Carson Block and his associates to benefit from their short positions in Olam securities -- a strategy of shouting fire in a crowded room".

In its report, Muddy Waters said Olam faced a "significant risk" of default and likened it to Enron, which failed in 2001 amid government probes into its accounting practices -- one of the biggest scandals in US corporate history.

Olam, which reported sales revenues of S$17.1 billion in its 2012 financial year, accused Muddy Waters on Wednesday of taking facts out of context and described its conclusions as "without merit".

Justin Harper, an analyst with IG Markets Singapore, said in the tiff so far between Olam and Muddy Waters "the biggest winner is Muddy Waters which has achieved huge amounts of coverage for its attack on Olam as Carson Block looks to raise his profile as the scourge of Asian corporations".

But he added that "while he could have raised some valid points of concern to ponder, the finger-pointing comes across as driven by self-promotion rather than genuine concern for Olam shareholders."

Olam, which started out 23 years ago in Nigeria, sources products including cocoa, coffee, cashew, sesame and rice from 65 countries and supplies them to more than 11,600 customers.

Singapore's state investment firm Temasek Holdings is one of Olam's biggest shareholders, owning a 16 per cent stake as of March 31.

According a media report, Olam CEO Sunny Verghese said Temasek has stood by Olam "by staying invested as it battles short-seller Muddy Waters".

- AFP/jc



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U.K. student strikes deal to avoid U.S. extradition over copyright charges

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British student Richard O'Dwyer, who was facing trial in the U.S. on charges of copyright infringement, has signed a deal to avoid extradition.



British student Richard O'Dwyer.



(Credit:
Change.org)


The U.K. High Court was told today that O'Dwyer had signed a "deferred prosecution" agreement which would see him required to pay compensation instead of being extradited, the BBC has reported.


The agreement states that O'Dwyer will pay compensation, and promise not to breach copyright laws again. Should he do so, he will be liable for prosecution.


He will voluntarily travel to the United States in December to ratify the agreement, according to the BBC.


The charges against 24-year-old O'Dwyer were brought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in relation to his Web site, TV-Shack, which provided links to pirated TV programmes and movies hosted elsewhere on the Web.


U.K. judget John Thomas said the move was a "very satisfactory outcome" to the three-year legal battle launched after the TV-Shack domain was seized in 2010. The site generated more than $230,000 in advertising revenue during its lifetime, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.




O'Dwyer's extradition was initially approved by a U.K. magistrate in January, pending an approval from the U.K. Home Secretary, Theresa May. May approved the extradition order in March this year.


O'Dwyer's lawyer, Ben Cooper, argued at the time that as TV-Shack did not host any copyrighted materials, and instead linked to content hosted elsewhere on the Web, it was "no different to Google" in how it operated.


But critics of O'Dwyer, notably U.S. copyright lobbying groups, said that O'Dwyer was knowingly providing access to copyright-infringing content.


A leaked memo from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) earlier this year characterized TV-Shack as a pirate Web site that made a profit by providing aggregated links to copyrighted material.


"Richard O'Dwyer created TVShack.net, offering thousands of stolen movies and other pirated content to viewers in violation of both U.S. and U.K. law. In fact, O'Dwyer actively advertised the amount of money users would save by illegally streaming content via TVShack rather than by acquiring it legitimately."


"At the same time, he profited handsomely from advertizing on the site he profited heavily from this activity... To call him a 'middleman' suggests a lack of involvement in the illegal activity, which is simply not the case," the memo said.


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Pictures: Falcon Massacre Uncovered in India

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Photograph courtesy Conservation India

A young boy can sell bundles of fresh Amur falcons (pictured) for less than five dollars. Still, when multiplied by the thousands of falcons hunters can catch in a day, the practice can be a considerable financial boon to these groups.

Since discovering the extent of Amur hunting in Nagaland this fall, Conservation India has taken the issue to the local Indian authorities.

"They have taken it very well. They've not been defensive," Sreenivasan said.

"You're not dealing with national property, you're dealing with international property, which helped us put pressure on [them]." (Related: "Asia's Wildlife Trade.")

According to Conservation India, the same day the group filed their report with the government, a fresh order banning Amur hunting was issued. Local officials also began meeting with village leaders, seizing traps and confiscating birds. The national government has also requested an end to the hunting.

Much remains to be done, but because the hunt is so regional, Sreenivasan hopes it can eventually be contained and stamped out. Authorities there, he said, are planning a more thorough investigation next year, with officials observing, patrolling, and enforcing the law.

"This is part of India where there is some amount of acceptance on traditional bush hunting," he added. "But at some point, you draw the line."

(Related: "Bush-Meat Ban Would Devastate Africa's Animals, Poor?")

Published November 27, 2012

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Powerball Fever Sweeps the Nation, Fuels Jackpot

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The allure of the record $500 Powerball jackpot has led to long lines across the nation at local mini-marts and gas stations, with Americans hoping their champagne and caviar dreams become a reality when the numbers are drawn tonight.


The jackpot was boosted Tuesday from $425 million to the now historic $500 million sum, which is expected to get sweeter as millions of Americans rush to the store for their last chance to purchase a ticket and become a multi-millionaire overnight.


Powerball officials tell ABC News they expect to sell more than 105,000 tickets every minute before the drawing. When the dust settles, more than 189 million tickets would have been sold for the half a billion-dollar jackpot. That's more than double the number sold for Saturday's $325 jackpot that nobody won.


ABC News was allowed access to the Powerball studios in Tallahassee, Fla., where the 11 p.m. ET drawing will take place. The closely guarded machines and balls are locked in a vault before the numbers are drawn and only a select few are allowed inside the room during the actual broadcast.


Anyone who enters or leaves the vault is documented and workers who handle the lottery balls wear gloves, worried that human touch might change what numbers are randomly drawn.


Cameras are located in every nook and cranny of the Powerball studio, spying on workers as they ready the machines for the big moment. Lottery officials in several states will be watching those feeds in real time to monitor the proceedings.


Not everyone has Powerball fever in the country as tickets for tonight's jackpot are not offered in eight states. But that has not stopped many Californians and Nevadans who have flocked to Arizona to get in on the action.










Powerball Drawing No Winner; Jackpot Grows to $425 Million Watch Video









Powerball Fever: Millions Chase the Chance to Hit Jackpot Watch Video





"I'd say the line has to be like three, three and a half hours," one person told ABC News while waiting online to purchase tickets Tuesday.


Still, the long lines have not deterred those who hope to dramatically change their lifestyle and make their wildest dreams become a reality.


"I'm going to the Bahamas and enjoying myself on an island," said one Powerball hopeful.


Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Des Moines, Iowa-based Multi-State Lottery Association, said the chance of getting a winner tonight is approaching 60 percent.


"We call it the redneck retirement fund cause sooner or later, somebody is going to," said one man.


There has been no Powerball winner since Oct. 6 – that's 16 consecutive drawings without a winner. It's the second-highest jackpot in US lottery history, behind only the $656 million Mega Millions prize in March.


Powerball tickets doubled in price in January to $2, and while the number of tickets sold initially dropped, sales revenue has increased by about 35 percent over 2011, according to the Associated Press.


Lottery officials put the odds of winning Wednesday's Powerball pot at one in 175 million. With so many people plaything this time around, some are worried it may hurt their odds.


"Your odds of being a winner are still the same. With so many people playing, it does mean are more likely to split the jackpot if you want," said Scott Norris, math professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.


Everyone who lines up with cash in their hand and dreams in their head seems to have a strategy in picking the winning combination of numbers. Or, do you simply let the computer pick for you?


"It doesn't matter. Your odds of winning are actually the same no matter who picks it," said Norris.
Norris says the only real advantage that can help someone is buying more tickets.


"Your odds increase directly proportional to the number of tickets you buy. So if you buy 100, your odds are 1 in 7 million, but still astronomically small," he said.


With odds so small in a game where just about anyone who plays is a loser, there is some hope for those living in Illinois and New Jersey. Both states have sold three winning tickets for jackpots worth at least $300 million.


A single winner choosing the lump sum cash option would take home more than $327 million before taxes.


ABC News' Steve Osunsami and Ryan Owens contributed to this report.



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North Korea: What a terrible state to get into

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HK's securities watchdog urges support for new regulatory framework

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HONG KONG : The chief of Hong Kong's securities watchdog has called on regional regulators to fully participate in the global implementation of new financial rules or risk Asia being isolated.

He said a "one-size-fits-all" set of financial regulations imposed by the West could hurt Asian markets.

The financial world is facing regulatory changes in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, with another period of economic fragility on its hands.

And with the US and Europe taking steps to protect their markets, Hong Kong is urging Asian regulators to speak out against having the same set of rules imposed in this part of the world.

Ashley Alder, CEO of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), said: "If Asia does not get properly involved in the global regulatory agenda, we will find that the US and European rules will be extended to us whether we like it or not. The result could be an isolation of Asian markets from international finance."

Speaking at the 3rd Pan-Asian Regulatory Summit, other Asian regulators echoed his warnings against a "one-size-fits all" approach.

Kirk Vannikul, deputy governor of the Bank of Thailand, said: "So what Asia is trying to do is not trying to overturn the system or trying to undermine the reform. What we are asking for is only some greater flexibility so that we can have the framework, so that we can design our own measures to suit our systems."

There are growing concerns within the Asian financial industry that international regulation may result in a clash with characteristics of local markets, and could drain liquidity.

New rules such as those under the Dodd-Frank Act have sparked controversy, as US regulators want the rules to apply to cross-border trades.

Mr Alder said if Asian firms do not cooperate, "international firms will find it difficult to operate here and could withdraw from some activities, seriously harming liquidity in our markets. It could be a case of my way or the highway."

The head of the SFC said cross-border rules should be internationally agreed upon. He dismissed concerns about regulatory arbitrage, saying Asia does not intend to have laxer rules than the West.

- CNA/ms



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Ericsson sues Samsung for patent infringement

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Ericsson has filed a suit against Samsung for patent infringement.


The Swedish telecommunications equipment maker said on Tuesday that it launched the lawsuit after the two companies were unable to reach an agreement about renewing patent licensing deals.



Samsung previously licensed Ericsson's patents in 2001 and renewed terms in 2007, but licenses have now expired. According to Ericsson, Samsung refused to renew the licensing agreements for its patents on FRAND terms. FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms are used by industry groups to set standards for technology and products, and are aimed at encouraging competitiveness without allowing rights holders to abuse their position, and create a setting for patent holders to receive royalties.




No licensing deal was forthcoming "despite two years of negotiations", Ericsson said in a statement, so the company decided it "must take action to support a crucial system for technology sharing that has helped create today's mass market communications industry." Consequently, Ericsson decided to take legal action, filing a compliant in the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.


The two firms' dispute involves patents owned by Ericsson that it says are "essential" to several telecommunications and networking standards used in a number of Samsung's products. In addition, Ericsson says that other patented inventions, frequently used in wireless and consumer products, are involved in the dispute.


To date, the telecom network equipment maker has signed over 100 licensing agreements with other firms in the industry.
The Swedish firm currently owns over 30,000 patents worldwide.


"By the end of 2012 there will be approximately 6.6 billion mobile subscriptions in the world. The sharing of technology in the telecom industry is one of the main drivers behind this development. The telecom ecosystem builds on fair and reasonable terms that have created an attractive global mass market for mobility and broadband with Ericsson as a main contributor," Kasim Alfalahi, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Ericsson, said.

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Space Pictures This Week: Space "Horse," Mars Rover, More

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