Rubio, Ryan look to the future during award dinner speeches

Two high-profile Republican members of Congress who stand at the forefront of the effort to rebuild the party after a stinging presidential defeat delivered speeches Tuesday night aimed at turning the page with a fresh emphasis on inclusion and a renewed focus on growing the middle class.

“Nothing represents how special America is more than our middle class. And our challenge and our opportunity now is to create the conditions that allow it not just to survive, but to grow,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), the Leadership Award recipient at a dinner hosted by the Jack Kemp Foundation, a charitable nonprofit organization named for the late congressman and Housing and Urban Development secretary.

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PSYprise for 'Gangnam Style' fans

SINGAPORE: Tired of 'Gangnam Style'? Certainly not the more than 4000 people who turned up to catch PSY at the free Marina Bay Sands "Give back to Singapore" concert over the weekend.

As for those who can't get enough of the South Korean sensation and weren't fast enough to be among the lucky few to dance with the 'Gangnam Style' star, the good news is that it will take more than just fast fingers and a good internet connection to see PSY live in Singapore again.

Capping his one-night, under one-hour show in Singapore, the sensation from South Korea who repeatedly said he loved the Lion City, announced to whoops and cheers that he'd be back once his new single and album is released in March next year.

By then, more fans will hopefully get to see and hear more of PSY than what was offered at Saturday's open-air event at Marina Bay Sand's Event Plaza.

The gates for the free concert opened two hours ahead of the 8pm show that saw the main star showing up almost half an hour later.

The restless crowd was kept entertained and psyched to PSY's YouTube hit by 26 dancers from O School, a Singapore social enterprise that helps fund the education of teens from low income homes through its dance school.

On stage, the team of young dancers, including 10-year-old Calvin Go, added their own flavour to the now famous 'Gangnam Style' dance routine that was learnt in an hour on the concert day itself, according to Kenny Low, Managing Director of O School.

But there's nothing like the real thing.

When Psy finally took centre-stage, the crowd went wild with shouts of "oppa!", a Korean term of endearment used by females to refer to an older male friend or older brother, and also a key word in the Korean hit song.

And that was as close to 'Gangnam Style' anyone got at the start of the concert as the atypical K pop sensation launched into "Champion".

The single from his third album '3 Psy' released in 2002, seemed a fitting start to the concert organised by MBS that also showcased its adopted charity, O School, that helps keep teens from dropping out of school.

PSY, a college dropout who is now a champion in his own right, later told the crowd laughingly, "I was a really bad student... I got suspended so many times" as he "officially introduced" himself.

"Academically, I was (a) bad student, but creatively, I was (a) good student" was the piece of inPSYration delivered by the 34-year-old who swept four awards at the recent 2012 MNet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) with 'Gangnam Style' after years of being sidelined.

Despite a whirlwind tour of the region before landing in Singapore just hours before his concert, the hyperactive PSY continued to surprise during his appearance.

Even with concert-goers and non-ticket on-lookers standing around the Event Plaza loudly cheering, it wasn't enough for PSY, who suddenly stopped his second song to urge the crowd on.

"Show me energy and I'll show you energy! I want every single person to jump!" he yelled midway into "Right Now", the single from his fifth album "PSYFIVE" released in 2010.

But it seemed that the crowd was saving its energy for one song and of course, the man himself knew what it was.

"This song is called… No, no no, just give me the beat," Psy declared unable to hide the grin on his face as he dived into his third and final song for the night.

That's when the crowd really began to scream, almost drowning out the now-familiar electro-bass beats pounding out of the speakers around the Event Plaza.

Not a word was missed or a move forgotten as the crowd went PSYchotic, shouting the Korean lyrics of 'Gangnam Style' while trying to horse-dance in what limited space they could afford in the sea of sardine-packed bodies.

Adults, teens and even grey-haired elders were seen moving to the infectious tune.

In a flash, the one-hour concert was over.

PSY had been on stage less than three quarters of that time, but fans didn't seem to mind.

"It was a good experience although it was very short" said Yu Ping, a 15-year-old student who got her ticket from a family friend.

"Maybe he's just very busy" said the understanding fan.

Marina Bay Sands which had said that the free concert would happen come rain or shine, was likely glad that Singapore's rainy spell held off for the night and the stars remained in alignment for PSY's one-night appearance.

"We had a slot on our calendar, he had a slot on his calendar" said Mr. George Tanasijevich, President and Chief Executive Officer of MBS of just how the most well-known and in-demand person in the world was clinched for the public event.

"I think it came together pretty quickly", Tanasijevich shared with channelnewsasia.com on the sidelines of the concert.

"Maybe it's a little less strategic than you think it is... It's more opportunistic," he added with a laugh.

It was however, definitely good strategy that allowed MBS' designated charity, O School, to raise its public profile through the event.

"The talents of O School are incredible dancers who demonstrated professionalism and excellent showmanship during the showcase" said Tanasijevich.

And what better reward for the young dancers than being the opening act for PSY? Well, probably the man himself ... with the dancers treated to an exclusive backstage Meet and Greet Session after the concert while the crowds lingered, hoping to spy PSY.

-CNA/fl

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SC dismisses Sangma's petition challenging Pranab Mukherjee's election

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Purno Sangma's petition challenging Pranab Mukherjee's election as the President.

The SC bench said that Sangma's petition did not disclose material to pass the stage of early scrutiny.

A five-judge bench of the apex court decided by 3:2 majority that the petition did not deserve to be entertained for detail trial, which if ordered would have entailed possible cross examination of Pranab Mukherjee.

The SC on November 21 had said that it would take a final call on entertaining former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma's plea, challenging the election of Pranab Mukherjee as President, on December 5.

"Arguments concluded. We shall pass the order on December 5," a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said after Ram Jethmalani, counsel for Sangma, wrapped up arguments with the claim that the plea deserved a regular hearing, as it affects the "whole nation" because the person who became President would be custodian of the Constitution for next five years.

Mukherjee was represented by eminent lawyer Harish Salve and attorney general G E Vahanvati.

(With inputs from ANI)

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Scientific Results From Challenger Deep

Jane J. Lee

The spotlight is shining once again on the deepest ecosystems in the ocean—Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (map) and the New Britain Trench near Papua New Guinea. At a presentation today at the American Geophysical Union's conference in San Francisco, attendees got a glimpse into these mysterious ecosystems nearly 7 miles (11 kilometers) down, the former visited by filmmaker James Cameron during a historic dive earlier this year.

Microbiologist Douglas Bartlett with the University of California, San Diego described crustaceans called amphipods—oceanic cousins to pill bugs—that were collected from the New Britain Trench and grow to enormous sizes five miles (eight kilometers) down. Normally less than an inch (one to two centimeters) long in other deep-sea areas, the amphipods collected on the expedition measured 7 inches (17 centimeters). (Related: "Deep-Sea, Shrimp-like Creatures Survive by Eating Wood.")

Bartlett also noted that sea cucumbers, some of which may be new species, dominated many of the areas the team sampled in the New Britain Trench. The expedition visited this area before the dive to Challenger Deep.

Marine geologist Patricia Fryer with the University of Hawaii described some of the deepest seeps yet discovered. These seeps, where water heated by chemical reactions in the rocks percolates up through the seafloor and into the ocean, could offer hints of how life originated on Earth.

And astrobiologist Kevin Hand with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, spoke about how life in these stygian ecosystems, powered by chemical reactions, could parallel the evolution of life on other planets.

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Subway Push Murder Suspect Implicated Self: Police

A suspect believed to be responsible for throwing a man into the path of an oncoming New York City subway train who was taken into custody today has made statements implicating himself, police said.

According to Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Paul Browne, the suspect has been questioned by police since at least early afternoon and while the suspect is in police custody, he has not been officially charged.

Police are continuing to question the suspect and more lineups have been scheduled for tomorrow, Browne said.

Police have not released the suspect's name but began questioning him Tuesday afternoon about the death of Ki-Suck Han, 58, of Queens, N.Y.

Han was tossed onto the subway track at 49th Street and Seventh Avenue around 12:30 p.m. Monday after Han confronted a mumbling man who was alarming other passengers on the train platform. Han tried to scramble back onto the platform, but was crushed by an oncoming train.

The suspect fled the station, prompting a police dragnet for a man described by witnesses and see on surveillance video as a 6-foot-tall, 200-pound black man wearing dreadlocks in his hair.

Witnesses tried to revive the victim after he was hit and provided descriptions of the suspect to police.

Dr. Laura Kaplan, medical resident at Beth Israel Medical Center who was standing on the platform during the incident rushed to give Han aid after he was hit, she said in a statement released by her medical practice today.

New York Police Department

Bystanders Pull Mom, Son From Subway Tracks Watch Video

"A security guard and I performed 3-4 minutes of chest compressions. I hope the family may find some comfort in knowing about the kindness of these good Samaritans, as they endure this terrible loss," Kaplan said.

"I would like the family to know that many people in the station tried to help Mr. Han by alerting the subway personnel," she said.

Kaplan said she wanted to console the family of Han, who she called "a brave man trying to protect other passengers that he did not know."

The suspect had reportedly been mumbling to himself and disturbing other passengers, according to ABC News affiliate WABC. Police told WABC that the suspect could be mentally disturbed.

The suspect could be heard arguing with Han just moments before he hurled Han onto the track bed, according to surveillance video released by the police. The suspect is heard telling the victim to stand in line and "wait for the R train."

A freelance photographer for the New York Post was on the platform and said he ran towards the train flashing his camera hoping to alert the train to stop in time, but the train caught Han against the shoulder deep platform wall.

The photographer, R. Umar Abbasi, caught an eerie photo of Han with his head and arms above the platform and staring at the oncoming train.

Han was treated by EMS workers on the platform for traumatic arrest and rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Fire Department of New York.

"I just heard people yelling. The train came to an abrupt stop about three-quarters into the station and that's when I heard a man was hit by a train," Patrick Gomez told ABC News affiliate WABC.

Police set up a command post outside the train station Monday night searching nearby surveillance cameras to try and get a clear image of the suspect, reports WABC. They said Tuesday that the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.

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AARP lobbies against Medicare changes that could hurt its bottom line

As Washington debates whether to cut federal retirement programs as part of a deal to tackle the nation’s debt, one of the most powerful advocates for preserving them could have millions of dollars riding on the outcome.

AARP, the highly influential lobby for older Americans, is fiercely opposing any Medicare or Social Security cuts and emphasizes that it is fighting for the good of its members. But the proposals for changing Medicare also could affect AARP’s bottom line.

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Khaw speaks of possible new uses & opportunities underground for S'pore

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan has spoken of the possible new uses and opportunities that lie underground in land-scare Singapore.

He said in his blog entry, "Going Underground", on Tuesday that he recently explored the Jurong Rock Caverns (JRC) with Mr S Iswaran, who's Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Trade and Industry and Home Affairs.

Mr Khaw described his visit to the JRC, which is located at a depth of more than 130 metres beneath the Banyan Basin on Jurong Island, as "quite an experience".

Under Phase One, it has five caverns providing storage and terminalling facilities for liquid hydrocarbons such as crude oil. They form an important infrastructure of Singapore's petrochemical industry.

Mr Khaw noted that such facilities are normally built above ground, as they'll be cheaper. Building them underground frees up valuable land for other purposes.

The five caverns are made up of storage galleries, as high as nine storeys.

Mr Khaw said these translate to a saving of about 60 hectares of land, which is very significant for Singapore.

"Not quite to the centre of the Earth, but the visit down the shaft to the deepest part of Singapore, nevertheless, left a deep impression. The JRC opens up new opportunities for land-scarce Singapore. Beyond storage, what more can be moved underground?" Mr Khaw wrote.

- CNA/ck

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Protect journalists, uphold press freedom, says Justice Markandeya Katju

MANGALORE: Press Council of India chairman Justice Markandeya Katju on Monday said that the state government might have to face legal consequences under Article 355 and 356 of the Indian Constitution if it did not protect journalists and uphold press freedom.

He was addressing reporters after receiving a memorandum in connection with the arrest of Naveen Soorinje, reporter of a private channel in the homestay attack case from activists attached to Journalists' Study Centre, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike and Mahila Dourjanya Virodhi Vedike here on Monday.

"If the state government does not protect journalists and uphold press freedom it will be deemed that the government is not functioning in accordance with the Constitution. In such a scenario legal consequences under Article 355 and 356 of the Constitution may follow. Article 356 is invoked when the governor recommends it to President of India or when there are allegations that the state is unable to function in accordance with the Constitution. Anybody can make a recommendation. Of course, it is up to the President to accept it," Justice Katju said.

He refused to comment on the arrest of Naveen saying the matter is sub judice. "However, I am informed that in Mangalore, journalists are often harassed by police and hooligans. I therefore make it clear that the press council will not tolerate violation of press freedom either by assaults on journalists, giving threats or in any other manner," he added.

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Mars Rover Detects Simple Organic Compounds

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has detected several simple carbon-based organic compounds on Mars, but it remains unclear whether they were formed via Earthly contamination or whether they contain only elements indigenous to the planet.

Speaking at the American Geophysical Union annual meeting in San Francisco, Curiosity mission leaders also said that the compound perchlorate—identified previously in polar Mars—appeared to also be present in Gale Crater, the site of Curiosity's exploration.

The possible discovery of organics—or carbon-based compounds bonded to hydrogen, also called hydrocarbons—could have major implications for the mission's search for more complex organic material.

It would not necessarily mean that life exists now or ever existed on Mars, but it makes the possibility of Martian life—especially long ago when the planet was wetter and warmer—somewhat greater, since available carbon is considered to be so important to all known biology.

(See "Mars Curiosity Rover Finds Proof of Flowing Water—A First.")

The announcements came after several weeks of frenzied speculation about a "major discovery" by Curiosity on Mars. But project scientist John Grotzinger said that it remains too early to know whether Martian organics have been definitely discovered or if they're byproducts of contamination brought from Earth.

"When this data first came in, and then was confirmed in a second sample, we did have a hooting and hollering moment," he said.

"The enthusiasm we had was perhaps misunderstood. We're doing science at the pace of science, but news travels at a different speed."

Organics Detected Before on Mars

The organic compounds discovered—different combinations of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine—are the same or similar to chlorinated organics detected in the mid-1970s by the Viking landers.

(Related: "Life on Mars Found by NASA's Viking Mission?")

At the time, the substances were written off as contamination brought from Earth, but now scientists know more about how the compounds could be formed on Mars. The big question remains whether the carbon found in the compounds is of Martian or Earthly origin.

Paul Mahaffy, the principal investigator of the instrument that may have found the simple organics—the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM)—said that while the findings were not "definitive," they were significant and would require a great deal of further study.

Mahaffy also said the discovery came as a surprise, since the soil sample involved was hardly a prime target in the organics search. In fact, the soil was scooped primarily to clean out the rover's mobile laboratory and soil-delivery systems.

Called Rocknest, the site is a collection of rocks with rippled sand around them—an environment not considered particularly promising for discovery. The Curiosity team has always thought it had a much better chance of finding the organics in clays and sulfate minerals known to be present at the base of Mount Sharp, located in the Gale Crater, where the rover will head early next year.

(See the Mars rover Curiosity's first color pictures.)

The rover has been at Rocknest for a month and has scooped sand and soil five times. It was the first site where virtually all the instruments on Curiosity were used, Grotzinger said, and all of them proved to be working well.

They also worked well in unison—with one instrument giving the surprising signal that the minerals in the soil were not all crystalline, which led to the intensive examination of the non-crystalline portion to see if it contained any organics.

Rover Team "Very Confident"

The simple organics detected by SAM were in the chloromethane family, which contains compounds that are sometimes used to clean electronic equipment. Because it was plausible that Viking could have brought the compounds to Mars as contamination, that conclusion was broadly accepted.

But in 2010, Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center and Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez of the National Autonomous University of Mexico published an influential paper describing how dichloromethane can be a byproduct of the heating of other organic material in the presence of the compound perchlorate.

They conducted the experiment because NASA's Phoenix mission had discovered large amounts of perchlorate in the northern polar soil of Mars, and it seems plausible that it would exist elsewhere on the planet.

"In terms of the SAM results, there are two important conclusions," said McKay, a scientist on the SAM team.

"The first is confirming the perchlorate story—that it's most likely there and seems to react at high temperatures with organic material to form the dichloromethane and other simple organics."

"The second is that we'll have to either find organics without perchlorates nearby, or find a way to get around that perchlorate wall that keeps us from identifying organics," he said.

Another SAM researcher, Danny Glavin of Goddard, said his team is "very confident" about the reported detection of the hydrocarbons, and that they were produced in the rover's ovens. He said it is clear that the chlorine in the compounds is from Mars, but less clear about the carbon.

"We will figure out what's going on here," he said. "We have the instruments and we have the people. And whatever the final conclusions, we will have learned important things about Mars that we can use in the months ahead."

Author of the National Geographic e-book Mars Landing 2012, Marc Kaufman has been a journalist for more than 35 years, including the past 12 as a science and space writer, foreign correspondent, and editor for the Washington Post. He is also author of First Contact: Scientific Breakthroughs in the Hunt for Life Beyond Earth, published in 2011, and has spoken extensively to crowds across the United States and abroad about astrobiology. He lives outside Washington, D.C., with his wife, Lynn Litterine.

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Kate's Illness Sometimes Linked to Twins

Hyperemesis gravidarum, the reason newly pregnant Kate Middleton is in the hospital, is a rare but acute morning sickness that results in weight loss and accounts for about 2 percent of all morning sickness, doctors say.

The condition is sometimes associated with women having twins, experts said.

Women diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum have lost 5 percent of their pre-pregnancy weight, or 10 pounds, said Dr. Ashley Roman, a professor and OB/GYN at New York University Langone Medical Center.

It poses little danger to the tiny heir, doctors said.

"It's traditionally thought that nausea and vomiting is a sign of a healthy pregnancy," Roman said

Dr. Nancy Cossler, an OB/GYN at University Hospitals in Ohio said the condition does not cause loss of pregnancy or birth defects, but it can be a torture to endure.

"The biggest problem with this is how it interferes with your life," Cossler said. "Constantly feeling sick and puking is difficult."

Click here to read about other women with hyperemesis gravidarum.

Hyperemesis gravidarum is thought to be caused by higher levels of the pregnancy hormone, hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, Cossler said. Extra hCG can often be brought on by carrying more than one fetus, she said.

Chris Jackson/AFP/Getty Images

Kate Middleton Pregnant, Admitted to Hospital Watch Video

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In other words, it could be a sign that Middleton is carrying twins. Although there's very little data on twins and hyperemesis gravidarum, one study showed that women carrying twins had a 7.5 percent higher risk of experiencing the acute morning sickness, Roman said.

The extreme morning sickness is usually diagnosed about nine weeks into the pregnancy, and in most cases resolves itself by 16 or 20 weeks, Roman said. In rare cases, it can last the whole pregnancy.

"As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter," a statement from St. James Palace said. Prince William is at the hospital with Middleton, according to the Britain's Press Association.

Click here for photos of Kate through the years.

Roman said doctors prescribe vitamins and ginger capsules at first. If that doesn't stop the vomiting, they will prescribe antihistamines and stronger anti-nausea medications.

Women with hyperemesis gravidarum are also treated with fluids, said Dr. Jessica Young, an OB/GYN at Vanderbilt University. But if left untreated, a pregnant woman who is severely dehydrated for a long period of time could die, "just like any person," Young said.

In extreme cases in which the woman is losing weight and unable to eat, doctors will treat her with intravenous nutrition, Young said.

Hospital stays can vary, and women will often have to be admitted more than once before the condition passes, doctors said.

Hyperemesis gravidarum is somewhat mysterious because some expectant mothers have acute morning sickness during only one of their pregnancies, but have no morning sickness for subsequent pregnancies.

There is a chance that higher levels of hCG, which likely caused Middleton's nausea, could be a sign of a molar pregnancy instead of twins, Cossler said. This would mean Middleton is carrying only a benign growth in her uterus instead of a fetus, or she is carrying a fetus with abnormal DNA and a benign growth. Neither is considered a viable pregnancy.

However, Cossler said molar pregnancies become apparent early on, and doctors would already know whether Middleton had one.

"They would not have released this information," Cossler said of the birth announcement. "I'm certain that they have already eliminated both of those [types of molar pregnancies]."

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