Authorities: 245 Dead in Brazil Nightclub Fire

A fire swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing at least 245 people and leaving at least 200 injured, police and firefighters said.

Police Maj. Cleberson Braida told local news media that the 245 bodies were brought for identification to a gymnasium in the city of Santa Maria.

That toll would make it one of the deadliest nightclub fires more than a decade.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, officials said. Officials earlier put the death toll at 180.

Civil Police and regional government spokesman Marcelo Arigoni told Radio Gaucha earlier that the total number of victims is still unclear and there may be hundreds injured,

The newspaper Diario de Santa Maria reported that the fire started at around 2 a.m. at the Kiss club in the city at the southern tip of Brazil, near the borders with Argentina and Uruguay.

Rodrigo Moura, whom the paper identified as a security guard at the club, said it was at its maximum capacity of between 1,000 and 2,000, and partygoers were pushing and shoving to escape.

Ezekiel Corte Real, 23, was quoted by the paper as saying that he helped people to escape. "I just got out because I'm very strong," he said.

"Sad Sunday", tweeted Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. He said all possible action was being taken and that he would be in the city later in the day.

Santa Maria is a major university city with a population of around a quarter of a million.

A welding accident reportedly set off a Dec. 25, 2000, fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309.

At least 194 people died at an overcrowded working-class nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2004.

A blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia, broke out on Dec. 5, 2009, when an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches, killing 152

A nightclub fire in the U.S. state of Rhode Island in 2003 killed 100 people after pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling.

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Court says Obama exceeded authority in making appointments

President Obama exceeded his constitutional authority by making appointments when the Senate was on a break last year, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The court’s broad ruling would sharply limit the power that presidents throughout history have used to make recess appointments in the face of Senate opposition and inaction.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit flatly rejected the Obama administration’s rationale for appointing three members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) while the Senate was on a holiday break.

Chief Judge David B. Sentelle sharply criticized the administration’s interpretation of when recess appointments may be made, saying it would give the president “free rein to appoint his desired nominees at any time he pleases, whether that time be a weekend, lunch, or even when the Senate is in session and he is merely displeased with its inaction.” He added, “This cannot be the law.”

The issue seems certain to end up before the Supreme Court, which ultimately could clarify a president’s authority to fill his administration and appoint federal judges when a minority of the Senate blocks consideration of his choices.

Although recess appointments have been made throughout the nation’s history, they have been more commonly made by modern presidents who face partisan opposition that has made it hard for nominees to even receive a vote in the Senate.

Additionally, Friday’s decision casts doubt on hundreds of decisions the NLRB has made in the past year, ranging from enforcement of collective-bargaining agreements to rulings on the rights of workers to use social media.

The ruling also raises questions about the recess appointment of former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray to head the fledgling Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and about the actions taken by the agency during his tenure, including major new rules governing the mortgage industry. Obama named Cordray at the same time as the NLRB nominees, and his appointment is the subject of a separate lawsuit in D.C. federal court.

The White House criticized the court ruling. “The decision is novel and unprecedented, and it contradicts 150 years of practice by Democratic and Republican administrations,” White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters Friday. “We respectfully but strongly disagree with the ruling.”

Presidents from both parties have made hundreds of recess appointments when the Senate has failed to act on nominations. Ronald Reagan holds the record with 243. Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, made 105, and it was during his term that Senate Democrats began holding pro-forma sessions, some lasting less than a minute, when the Senate went on break. They contended that that kept the Senate in session and did not allow Bush to make recess appointments.

Republicans took up the practice when Obama was elected. But Obama decided to challenge it in January 2012, when the Senate was on a 20-day holiday but holding pro-forma sessions every three business days to block presidential action.

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SDA's Lim concedes defeat

SINGAPORE: Singapore Democratic Alliance's Desmond Lim has conceded defeat.

He said he would like to thank his supporters, adding that he ran in the election to keep the SDA flame alive.

In a statement, Mr Lim said: "It has been a fast but hard race to the end. Entering this contest, I was well aware of the risks and challenges. But it was something the SDA had to do to keep its political flame alive.

"The results have not dampened me, nor the SDA. It only means we will have to fight harder and work harder when the next contest comes.

"I thank Punggol East residents for their support nonetheless."

- CNA/al

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Rajasthan must act against Nandy for casteist comments: Mayawati

NEW DELHI: BSP leader Mayawati on Saturday demanded that the Rajasthan government take strong action against social scientist Ashis Nandy for his comments linking OBCs, the SCs and the STs to corruption and that he be told to leave the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Talking to reporters here, Mayawati said Nandy's comments were "wrong, baseless and unfortunate" and reflected casteist mindset.

They were made as part of a thought-out conspiracy to defame people from these communities, said the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo.

"Hence, the Rajasthan government should take strong action against him without delay," Mayawati said.

She said the organisers should also immediately "throw out" Nandy from the festival for his "casteist remarks".

Asked if the BSP will raise the issue in the budget session of parliament, she said the party will take into account steps taken by the Rajasthan government, the organisers and the "kind of apology" tendered by Nandy.

Nandy stirred up a row at Jaipur Literature Festival on Saturday, saying most of the corrupt in the country were people from the other backwards classes (OBC), the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs).

"It will be an undignified, even vulgar statement. But it is a fact that most of the corrupt come from the OBC, the Scheduled Castes and now increasingly the STs and as long as it is the case, the Indian republic will survive," he said at a session titled "Republic of Ideas".

"I will give an example. The state of least corruption is West Bengal. In 100 years, nobody from the backward classes and SC and ST have come anywhere near power in West Bengal. It is an absolutely clean state," he said.

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Pictures: The Story Behind Sun Dogs, Penitent Ice, and More

Photograph by Art Wolfe, Getty Images

If you want the beauty of winter without having to brave the bone-chilling temperatures blasting much of the United States this week, snuggle into a soft blanket, grab a warm beverage, and curl up with some of these natural frozen wonders.

Nieve penitente, or penitent snow, are collections of spires that resemble robed monks—or penitents. They are flattened columns of snow wider at the base than at the tip and can range in height from 3 to 20 feet (1 to 6 meters). The picture above shows the phenomenon in central Chile. (See pictures of the patterns in snow and ice.)

Nieve penitente tend to form in shallow valleys where the snow is deep and the sun doesn't shine at too steep an angle, said Kenneth Libbrecht, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena who studies ice crystal formation.

As the snow melts, dirt gets mixed in with the runoff and collects in little pools here and there, he said. Since the dirt is darker in color than the surrounding snow, the dirty areas melt faster "and you end up digging these pits," explained Libbrecht.

"They tend to form at high altitude," he said. But other than that, no one really knows the exact conditions that are needed to form penitent snow.

"They're fairly strong," Libbrecht said. "People have found [the spires] difficult to hike through."

—Jane J. Lee

Published January 25, 2013

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Cops Using More Private Cameras to Nab Suspects

Philadelphia detectives were able to quickly make an arrest in the murder and burning of a female pediatrician by viewing surveillance video of nearby stores and a hospital that captured the suspect entering the doctor's home and later getting into his truck.

In the hours after Dr. Melissa Ketunuti's body was found strangled and burning in her basement, city's Homicide Task Force collected surveillance footage from a coffee shop, drug store and hospital overlooking Ketunuti's block. It was footage taken from Ori Feibush's coffee shop that allowed cops to identify Smith.

The suspect, an exterminator named Jason Smith, soon confessed to detectives, police said.

Lately a range of crimes have been solved by the seemingly ubiquitous security videos maintained by private companies or citizens, and investigators have been able to quickly apprehend suspects by obtaining the video, deftly turning private cameras into effective police resources.

Philadelphia Police Arrest Suspect in Doctor's Killing Watch Video

Pa. Doctor Killing: Person of Interest in Custody Watch Video

Private surveillance cameras have become so pervasive that the face of a suspect who allegedly shot a Bronx, N.Y., cab driver in a botched robbery on Jan. 14 was splashed throughout the media within days because the cabbie had rigged his vehicle with a camera.

The New York Police Department arrested Salvatore Perrone after he was caught on surveillance video recorded near two of three shopkeeper slayings in Brooklyn, N.Y., in November. He has since been charged with murder.

And in Mesa, Ariz., surveillance footage taken in November by resident Mitch Drum showed a man rolling on the ground trying to extinguish flames that had engulfed his shirt, which had caught fire while he was allegedly siphoning gas from a car by Drum's house. The man was arrested.

Though surveillance cameras have been a staple of security since a network of government operated cameras dubbed the "ring of steel" was introduced in London in the early 1990s, police have recently launched programs to partner with more businesses.

In Philadelphia, police have launched a program for businesses to register private cameras with the department. According to the SafeCam website, businesses will only be contacted when there is a criminal incident in the vicinity of the security camera. At that point, police will request a copy of the footage for their investigation.

"Businesses are saying, 'I have a camera at this location, and it may or may not be of use to you. It's a registration to say, 'feel free to call me,'" Sgt. Joseph Green told ABCNews.com

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Obama to tap Denis McDonough as chief of staff

President Obama will name deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough, a longtime trusted aide, as his new White House chief of staff Friday, officials said.

McDonough, 43, has spent the past two years as the No. 2 official in the National Security Council, helping guide some of the administration’s most high-profile decisions, including the military drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the response to earthquakes in Haiti and Japan and the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last September.

Obama considers McDonough one of his “closest and most trusted advisers for nearly a decade,” a White House official said.

The president also intends to announce a slew of other moves including naming Rob Nabors, currently the White House director of legislative affairs, to deputy chief of staff for policy. Tony Blinken, a foreign policy adviser to Vice President Biden, will replace McDonough at the NSC.

Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director, will be promoted to senior adviser to the president, as Obama’s longtime adviser, David Plouffe, prepares to leave the administration. Pfeiffer’s deputy, Jennifer Palmieri, will replace him as communications director.

Obama will make the personnel announcements at 12:10 p.m. in the East Room. McDonough will be Obama’s fourth chief of staff, succeeding Jack Lew, who has been nominated to head the Treasury Department. Lew followed Rahm Emanuel and William Daley.

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Three residential projects in Orchard Boulevard expected to be completed by 2015

SINGAPORE: Three new high-end residential projects in the prime Orchard Boulevard area are expected to be completed over the next two years.

They include luxury development 21 AngulliaPark - a Hong Kong-based China Sonangol's first Singapore property project.

TwentyOne AngulliaPark and Skyline@Orchard Boulevard are expected to receive their temporary occupancy permits at around end 2013 and Boulevard Vue at around 2015.

Still, China Sonangol is confident that its targeted clientele will not be deterred by Singapore's latest round of cooling measures.

Luxury property developer S.C. Global's high-end development The Marq on Paterson Hill has been completed for more than a year, but nearly half of its units are still unsold.

But the developer of neighbouring project TwentyOne AngulliaPark is undaunted by the rising inventory levels in the Orchard area... even with the recent cooling measures in Singapore.

Hong Kong-based China Sonangol Group set up its Singapore property arm in 2008 and is currently developing two residential projects in Singapore.

The company says it may also be adding commercial properties to its portfolio.

Mr Alain Fanaie, CEO of China Sonangol Group, said: "We believe that they are going to be limited to time and there are temporary ones. We don't believe it is going to affect substantially our types of clients we are targeting."

The Sino-Angolan developer bought the the District 9 plot from Overseas Union Enterprise at S$283 million in December 2009.

Real estate analysts are expecting this development along Orchard Boulevard to fetch around S$,4000 to S$5,000 per square foot.

Mr Colin Tan, CEO of District 65 Pte Ltd, said: "We must always have a situation where there are more homes than people so that we can ease the population growth.That is something I believe will happen over time. So, I think this China developer is also predicting the same thing that this oversupply will ease as more and more super rich around the world come over."

Experts say this niche group of buyers are not chasing investment yields, but are attracted by the opportunity to own a freehold property in Singapore's prime Orchard Road shopping belt... much like how some investors are buying into the exclusivity of Sentosa Cove.

Mr Alan Cheong, Director of Research and Consultancy at Savills, said: "That's the traditional playground for the Indonesians in Orchard Road - Districts 9, 10, 11. Sentosa Cove - because this is a leasehold - natural although the quantum of investment is large, but it appeals more to the first generation businessman where money is easily made and easily lost."

Still, some analysts feel smaller units in business districts like Shenton Way may offer better rental yield and capital gains.

- CNA/de

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Jaipur Lit Fest: Spat between Javed Akhtar, Kancha Ilaiah

JAIPUR: A row over religion broke out between Bollywood lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar and Dalit activist and writer Kancha Illaiah at the Jaipur Literature Festival on Friday.

The tiff erupted after Akhtar, who was in the audience at a packed venue, interjected during a session on God and Buddhism, saying he was an atheist and no religion gave equality to women and weaker sections.

"Discussing religion was like discussing which cave will be better to live. If you want to follow a religion, follow any religion. It does not matter. If you have decided to commit suicide, does it matter how you do it?" Akhtar said, triggering applause.

To this, a fuming Ilaiah, one of the speakers, said: "Real life is not like cinema, certainly not Hindi cinema. Crores of Buddhists in India have more knowledge than intellectuals."

As the mood in the gathering got tense, moderator Patrick French wound up the session despite protests from the audience.

The other two speakers were Hindi writer and Jamia Millia Islamia teacher Ajay Navaria and Punjabi poet and writer Nirupama Dutt.

Akhtar, who was to address the next session, then took the stage and said: "All religious values should be based on justice and equality."

Ilaiah told IANS later: "What he said was bad. He can be an atheist but the rest of world cannot be atheist."

"All (Bollywood) superstars are superstitious," he added.

Akhtar countered: "If you watch cinema, it tells you a lot about life. Indians worship films."

But Ilaiah, who teaches at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad, told IANS his argument was for retrieving Buddhism to change modern Indian society.

"Buddhism in ancient India was the first religion to institutionalise the concept of justice, the concept of 'dharma'," he said, as he signed copies of his book, "God as Political Philosopher: Buddha's Challenge to Brahminism".

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Deformed Dolphin Accepted Into New Family

In 2011, behavioral ecologists Alexander Wilson and Jens Krause of the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Germany were surprised to discover that a group of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)—animals not usually known for forging bonds with other species—had taken in an adult bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

The researchers observed the group in the ocean surrounding the Azores (map)—about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal—for eight days as the dolphin traveled, foraged, and played with both the adult whales and their calves. When the dolphin rubbed its body against the whales, they would sometimes return the gesture.

Among terrestrial animals, cross-species interactions are not uncommon. These mostly temporary alliances are forged for foraging benefits and protection against predators, said Wilson.

They could also be satisfying a desire for the company of other animals, added marine biologist John Francis, vice president for research, conservation, and exploration at the National Geographic Society (the Society owns National Geographic News).

Photographs of dogs nursing tiger cubs, stories of a signing gorilla adopting a pet cat, and videos of a leopard caring for a baby baboon have long circulated the Web and caught national attention.

A Rare Alliance

And although dolphins are known for being sociable animals, Wilson called the alliance between sperm whale and bottlenose dolphin rare, as it has never, to his knowledge, been witnessed before.

This association may have started with something called bow riding, a common behavior among dolphins during which they ride the pressure waves generated by the bow of a ship or, in this case, whales, suggested Francis.

"Hanging around slower creatures to catch a ride might have been the first advantage [of such behavior]," he said, adding that this may have also started out as simply a playful encounter.

Wilson suggested that the dolphin's peculiar spinal shape made it more likely to initiate an interaction with the large and slow-moving whales. "Perhaps it could not keep up with or was picked on by other members of its dolphin group," he said in an email.

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But the "million-dollar question," as Wilson puts it, is why the whales accepted the lone dolphin. Among several theories presented in an upcoming paper in Aquatic Mammals describing the scientists' observations, they propose that the dolphin may have been regarded as nonthreatening and that it was accepted by default because of the way adult sperm whales "babysit" their calves.

Sperm whales alternate their dives between group members, always leaving one adult near the surface to watch the juveniles. "What is likely is that the presence of the calves—which cannot dive very deep or for very long—allowed the dolphin to maintain contact with the group," Wilson said.

Wilson doesn't believe the dolphin approached the sperm whales for help in protecting itself from predators, since there aren't many dolphin predators in the waters surrounding the Azores.

But Francis was not so quick to discount the idea. "I don't buy that there is no predator in the lifelong experience of the whales and dolphins frequenting the Azores," he said.

He suggested that it could be just as possible that the sperm whales accepted the dolphin for added protection against their own predators, like the killer whale (Orcinus orca), while traveling. "They see killer whales off the Azores, and while they may not be around regularly, it does not take a lot of encounters to make [other] whales defensive," he said.

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