Human Barricade Stops India's Big Ticket Steel Project (OneWorld.net)

BHUBANESWAR, Jun 24 (IPS) - Fourteen-year-old Satikanta Sahu loves going to school, but these days, he would rather spend his time manning the barricade and facing down policemen in the sandy coastal village of Govindpur in India’s eastern state of Orissa.

While his mother and their neighbours lie on the ground hugging the sands to form a round-the-clock human barricade, Sahu runs errands, bringing them drinking water and occasionally shouting slogans.

His slogans rebuke the Orissa government for plotting to wipe out their village to give way to a 12- billion-dollar steel plant. The plant, to be built and run by South Korea’s Pohang Steel Company (POSCO), will have a capacity of four million tonnes and is touted to be the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India, Asia’s third largest economy.

The Orissa government says the plant needs a total of 3,719 acres, of which only some 150 acres are private land, the rest being forest and government land. But it is the 150 acres that are highly contentious, because they are home to 613 families whom the plant will displace.

These families are concentrated in Govindpur and the neighbouring village of Dhinkia, where they make a living growing betel leaves.

At the forefront of the protest are women and children, Sahu among them. "I love going to school. But I have been here for many days now, because this is our livelihood," he says. "We want POSCO to go back. We will not allow the designs of Naveen Patnaik (Orissa’s chief minister) to succeed."

As India tries to industrialise and attract foreign investment, it faces resistance from villagers and farmers reluctant to part with land on which they are rooted. According to a study last year by leading business chamber ASSOCHAM, delays in land acquisition are threatening investments worth 100 billion dollars, while at least 22 major steel projects worth 82 billion dollars are stalled because of protesting farmers and activists.

As the protest of more than 2,000 people against POSCO continues, the Orissa government has deployed over 800 police to the site.

The villagers, under the umbrella of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS, which means Group to Resist POSCO) have formed a three-tier barricade at the entry to the village and keep a round-the- clock vigil.

The Orissa government has called the acquisition move a peaceful process. Protesters and activists say, however, that the government is coercing them into giving in by deploying a huge number of police officers to the area.

"Of the total 3,719 acres needed for the project, 2,958 acres is forest land for which we have got required clearance from the federal government’s environment ministry," Orissa Industry Minister Raghunath Mohanty told IPS.

"About 608 acres are revenue land (government land). We need to acquire only 152 acres of private land where about 613 families will be displaced," informs Mohanty.

While the government decided to temporarily halt land acquisition in the face of protests, the villagers say they will fight to their last breath and keep continuous vigil. From Jun. 8 onwards, over 400 students have joined the protest meetings, along with more than 2,000 women and elderly members. Now, the activists are planning to hold classes on the frontlines, so that students can keep protesting and not miss their studies.

"The government calls it a peaceful land acquisition programme, while the truth is that meetings are on in the administration and a blue print is being prepared to enter Govindpur forcefully," says PPSS leader Prashant Paikray.

The activists fear the government is planning a repeat of Kalinganagar, another area in Orissa’s Jajpur district. There, in January 2006, tribal people protested the construction of a steel plant by India’s iconic Tata Group and were fired upon by police, resulting in the death of 12 people.

"Why is the government and the state upset over the so-called biggest FDI, when we for generations to come could remain happy and prosperous with our vibrant economy of pan (betel), mina (fish) and dhan (paddy) without any such project which promises only to destroy everything around us?" asks Abhay Sahoo, one of the leaders of the protest movement.

"This is one area in the country where the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 has been grossly violated and various government appointed committees even corroborated that," says Sahoo.

Earlier this year, India’s Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh gave clearance to the POSCO project on certain conditions. Yet a panel set up by the ministry itself suggested last October that the project violated coastal regulations and forest rights laws.

The four-member panel, headed by India’s former environment secretary Meena Gupta, probed the issue and differed in their views. But a majority of three panel members recommended the revocation of the environmental clearance given to POSCO in 2007.

The majority of the panel said POSCO-India Pvt. Ltd has not been able to address all the issues relating to Coastal Regulatory Zone notifications, and identified a number of serious lapses and violations, including suppression of facts.

Later, in a press statement, POSCO said it "never violated any law or procedure for obtaining any governmental clearance whatsoever required for the Project."

"After five long years of MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), we have not been able to commence any operation, owing to our commitment to obtain all necessary statutory clearances before commencing any operation," POSCO said.

While POSCO seems to have overcome the environmental clearance hurdle despite the views of the panel, for now, only the human barricades and steely resolve of the villagers stand in POSCO’s way.

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Human Barricade Stops India's Big Ticket Steel Project (OneWorld.net)

BHUBANESWAR, Jun 24 (IPS) - Fourteen-year-old Satikanta Sahu loves going to school, but these days, he would rather spend his time manning the barricade and facing down policemen in the sandy coastal village of Govindpur in India’s eastern state of Orissa.

While his mother and their neighbours lie on the ground hugging the sands to form a round-the-clock human barricade, Sahu runs errands, bringing them drinking water and occasionally shouting slogans.

His slogans rebuke the Orissa government for plotting to wipe out their village to give way to a 12- billion-dollar steel plant. The plant, to be built and run by South Korea’s Pohang Steel Company (POSCO), will have a capacity of four million tonnes and is touted to be the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India, Asia’s third largest economy.

The Orissa government says the plant needs a total of 3,719 acres, of which only some 150 acres are private land, the rest being forest and government land. But it is the 150 acres that are highly contentious, because they are home to 613 families whom the plant will displace.

These families are concentrated in Govindpur and the neighbouring village of Dhinkia, where they make a living growing betel leaves.

At the forefront of the protest are women and children, Sahu among them. "I love going to school. But I have been here for many days now, because this is our livelihood," he says. "We want POSCO to go back. We will not allow the designs of Naveen Patnaik (Orissa’s chief minister) to succeed."

As India tries to industrialise and attract foreign investment, it faces resistance from villagers and farmers reluctant to part with land on which they are rooted. According to a study last year by leading business chamber ASSOCHAM, delays in land acquisition are threatening investments worth 100 billion dollars, while at least 22 major steel projects worth 82 billion dollars are stalled because of protesting farmers and activists.

As the protest of more than 2,000 people against POSCO continues, the Orissa government has deployed over 800 police to the site.

The villagers, under the umbrella of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS, which means Group to Resist POSCO) have formed a three-tier barricade at the entry to the village and keep a round-the- clock vigil.

The Orissa government has called the acquisition move a peaceful process. Protesters and activists say, however, that the government is coercing them into giving in by deploying a huge number of police officers to the area.

"Of the total 3,719 acres needed for the project, 2,958 acres is forest land for which we have got required clearance from the federal government’s environment ministry," Orissa Industry Minister Raghunath Mohanty told IPS.

"About 608 acres are revenue land (government land). We need to acquire only 152 acres of private land where about 613 families will be displaced," informs Mohanty.

While the government decided to temporarily halt land acquisition in the face of protests, the villagers say they will fight to their last breath and keep continuous vigil. From Jun. 8 onwards, over 400 students have joined the protest meetings, along with more than 2,000 women and elderly members. Now, the activists are planning to hold classes on the frontlines, so that students can keep protesting and not miss their studies.

"The government calls it a peaceful land acquisition programme, while the truth is that meetings are on in the administration and a blue print is being prepared to enter Govindpur forcefully," says PPSS leader Prashant Paikray.

The activists fear the government is planning a repeat of Kalinganagar, another area in Orissa’s Jajpur district. There, in January 2006, tribal people protested the construction of a steel plant by India’s iconic Tata Group and were fired upon by police, resulting in the death of 12 people.

"Why is the government and the state upset over the so-called biggest FDI, when we for generations to come could remain happy and prosperous with our vibrant economy of pan (betel), mina (fish) and dhan (paddy) without any such project which promises only to destroy everything around us?" asks Abhay Sahoo, one of the leaders of the protest movement.

"This is one area in the country where the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 has been grossly violated and various government appointed committees even corroborated that," says Sahoo.

Earlier this year, India’s Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh gave clearance to the POSCO project on certain conditions. Yet a panel set up by the ministry itself suggested last October that the project violated coastal regulations and forest rights laws.

The four-member panel, headed by India’s former environment secretary Meena Gupta, probed the issue and differed in their views. But a majority of three panel members recommended the revocation of the environmental clearance given to POSCO in 2007.

The majority of the panel said POSCO-India Pvt. Ltd has not been able to address all the issues relating to Coastal Regulatory Zone notifications, and identified a number of serious lapses and violations, including suppression of facts.

Later, in a press statement, POSCO said it "never violated any law or procedure for obtaining any governmental clearance whatsoever required for the Project."

"After five long years of MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), we have not been able to commence any operation, owing to our commitment to obtain all necessary statutory clearances before commencing any operation," POSCO said.

While POSCO seems to have overcome the environmental clearance hurdle despite the views of the panel, for now, only the human barricades and steely resolve of the villagers stand in POSCO’s way.

Want to Know More?

» OneWorld Guide: India - Poverty, Food and Energy in a Changing Climate

ALL THE LATEST GLOBAL HEADLINES

Yahoo! News

Human Barricade Stops India's Big Ticket Steel Project (OneWorld.net)

BHUBANESWAR, Jun 24 (IPS) - Fourteen-year-old Satikanta Sahu loves going to school, but these days, he would rather spend his time manning the barricade and facing down policemen in the sandy coastal village of Govindpur in India’s eastern state of Orissa.

While his mother and their neighbours lie on the ground hugging the sands to form a round-the-clock human barricade, Sahu runs errands, bringing them drinking water and occasionally shouting slogans.

His slogans rebuke the Orissa government for plotting to wipe out their village to give way to a 12- billion-dollar steel plant. The plant, to be built and run by South Korea’s Pohang Steel Company (POSCO), will have a capacity of four million tonnes and is touted to be the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India, Asia’s third largest economy.

The Orissa government says the plant needs a total of 3,719 acres, of which only some 150 acres are private land, the rest being forest and government land. But it is the 150 acres that are highly contentious, because they are home to 613 families whom the plant will displace.

These families are concentrated in Govindpur and the neighbouring village of Dhinkia, where they make a living growing betel leaves.

At the forefront of the protest are women and children, Sahu among them. "I love going to school. But I have been here for many days now, because this is our livelihood," he says. "We want POSCO to go back. We will not allow the designs of Naveen Patnaik (Orissa’s chief minister) to succeed."

As India tries to industrialise and attract foreign investment, it faces resistance from villagers and farmers reluctant to part with land on which they are rooted. According to a study last year by leading business chamber ASSOCHAM, delays in land acquisition are threatening investments worth 100 billion dollars, while at least 22 major steel projects worth 82 billion dollars are stalled because of protesting farmers and activists.

As the protest of more than 2,000 people against POSCO continues, the Orissa government has deployed over 800 police to the site.

The villagers, under the umbrella of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS, which means Group to Resist POSCO) have formed a three-tier barricade at the entry to the village and keep a round-the- clock vigil.

The Orissa government has called the acquisition move a peaceful process. Protesters and activists say, however, that the government is coercing them into giving in by deploying a huge number of police officers to the area.

"Of the total 3,719 acres needed for the project, 2,958 acres is forest land for which we have got required clearance from the federal government’s environment ministry," Orissa Industry Minister Raghunath Mohanty told IPS.

"About 608 acres are revenue land (government land). We need to acquire only 152 acres of private land where about 613 families will be displaced," informs Mohanty.

While the government decided to temporarily halt land acquisition in the face of protests, the villagers say they will fight to their last breath and keep continuous vigil. From Jun. 8 onwards, over 400 students have joined the protest meetings, along with more than 2,000 women and elderly members. Now, the activists are planning to hold classes on the frontlines, so that students can keep protesting and not miss their studies.

"The government calls it a peaceful land acquisition programme, while the truth is that meetings are on in the administration and a blue print is being prepared to enter Govindpur forcefully," says PPSS leader Prashant Paikray.

The activists fear the government is planning a repeat of Kalinganagar, another area in Orissa’s Jajpur district. There, in January 2006, tribal people protested the construction of a steel plant by India’s iconic Tata Group and were fired upon by police, resulting in the death of 12 people.

"Why is the government and the state upset over the so-called biggest FDI, when we for generations to come could remain happy and prosperous with our vibrant economy of pan (betel), mina (fish) and dhan (paddy) without any such project which promises only to destroy everything around us?" asks Abhay Sahoo, one of the leaders of the protest movement.

"This is one area in the country where the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 has been grossly violated and various government appointed committees even corroborated that," says Sahoo.

Earlier this year, India’s Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh gave clearance to the POSCO project on certain conditions. Yet a panel set up by the ministry itself suggested last October that the project violated coastal regulations and forest rights laws.

The four-member panel, headed by India’s former environment secretary Meena Gupta, probed the issue and differed in their views. But a majority of three panel members recommended the revocation of the environmental clearance given to POSCO in 2007.

The majority of the panel said POSCO-India Pvt. Ltd has not been able to address all the issues relating to Coastal Regulatory Zone notifications, and identified a number of serious lapses and violations, including suppression of facts.

Later, in a press statement, POSCO said it "never violated any law or procedure for obtaining any governmental clearance whatsoever required for the Project."

"After five long years of MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), we have not been able to commence any operation, owing to our commitment to obtain all necessary statutory clearances before commencing any operation," POSCO said.

While POSCO seems to have overcome the environmental clearance hurdle despite the views of the panel, for now, only the human barricades and steely resolve of the villagers stand in POSCO’s way.

Want to Know More?

» OneWorld Guide: India - Poverty, Food and Energy in a Changing Climate

ALL THE LATEST GLOBAL HEADLINES

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Human Barricade Stops India's Big Ticket Steel Project (OneWorld.net)

BHUBANESWAR, Jun 24 (IPS) - Fourteen-year-old Satikanta Sahu loves going to school, but these days, he would rather spend his time manning the barricade and facing down policemen in the sandy coastal village of Govindpur in India’s eastern state of Orissa.

While his mother and their neighbours lie on the ground hugging the sands to form a round-the-clock human barricade, Sahu runs errands, bringing them drinking water and occasionally shouting slogans.

His slogans rebuke the Orissa government for plotting to wipe out their village to give way to a 12- billion-dollar steel plant. The plant, to be built and run by South Korea’s Pohang Steel Company (POSCO), will have a capacity of four million tonnes and is touted to be the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India, Asia’s third largest economy.

The Orissa government says the plant needs a total of 3,719 acres, of which only some 150 acres are private land, the rest being forest and government land. But it is the 150 acres that are highly contentious, because they are home to 613 families whom the plant will displace.

These families are concentrated in Govindpur and the neighbouring village of Dhinkia, where they make a living growing betel leaves.

At the forefront of the protest are women and children, Sahu among them. "I love going to school. But I have been here for many days now, because this is our livelihood," he says. "We want POSCO to go back. We will not allow the designs of Naveen Patnaik (Orissa’s chief minister) to succeed."

As India tries to industrialise and attract foreign investment, it faces resistance from villagers and farmers reluctant to part with land on which they are rooted. According to a study last year by leading business chamber ASSOCHAM, delays in land acquisition are threatening investments worth 100 billion dollars, while at least 22 major steel projects worth 82 billion dollars are stalled because of protesting farmers and activists.

As the protest of more than 2,000 people against POSCO continues, the Orissa government has deployed over 800 police to the site.

The villagers, under the umbrella of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS, which means Group to Resist POSCO) have formed a three-tier barricade at the entry to the village and keep a round-the- clock vigil.

The Orissa government has called the acquisition move a peaceful process. Protesters and activists say, however, that the government is coercing them into giving in by deploying a huge number of police officers to the area.

"Of the total 3,719 acres needed for the project, 2,958 acres is forest land for which we have got required clearance from the federal government’s environment ministry," Orissa Industry Minister Raghunath Mohanty told IPS.

"About 608 acres are revenue land (government land). We need to acquire only 152 acres of private land where about 613 families will be displaced," informs Mohanty.

While the government decided to temporarily halt land acquisition in the face of protests, the villagers say they will fight to their last breath and keep continuous vigil. From Jun. 8 onwards, over 400 students have joined the protest meetings, along with more than 2,000 women and elderly members. Now, the activists are planning to hold classes on the frontlines, so that students can keep protesting and not miss their studies.

"The government calls it a peaceful land acquisition programme, while the truth is that meetings are on in the administration and a blue print is being prepared to enter Govindpur forcefully," says PPSS leader Prashant Paikray.

The activists fear the government is planning a repeat of Kalinganagar, another area in Orissa’s Jajpur district. There, in January 2006, tribal people protested the construction of a steel plant by India’s iconic Tata Group and were fired upon by police, resulting in the death of 12 people.

"Why is the government and the state upset over the so-called biggest FDI, when we for generations to come could remain happy and prosperous with our vibrant economy of pan (betel), mina (fish) and dhan (paddy) without any such project which promises only to destroy everything around us?" asks Abhay Sahoo, one of the leaders of the protest movement.

"This is one area in the country where the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 has been grossly violated and various government appointed committees even corroborated that," says Sahoo.

Earlier this year, India’s Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh gave clearance to the POSCO project on certain conditions. Yet a panel set up by the ministry itself suggested last October that the project violated coastal regulations and forest rights laws.

The four-member panel, headed by India’s former environment secretary Meena Gupta, probed the issue and differed in their views. But a majority of three panel members recommended the revocation of the environmental clearance given to POSCO in 2007.

The majority of the panel said POSCO-India Pvt. Ltd has not been able to address all the issues relating to Coastal Regulatory Zone notifications, and identified a number of serious lapses and violations, including suppression of facts.

Later, in a press statement, POSCO said it "never violated any law or procedure for obtaining any governmental clearance whatsoever required for the Project."

"After five long years of MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), we have not been able to commence any operation, owing to our commitment to obtain all necessary statutory clearances before commencing any operation," POSCO said.

While POSCO seems to have overcome the environmental clearance hurdle despite the views of the panel, for now, only the human barricades and steely resolve of the villagers stand in POSCO’s way.

Want to Know More?

» OneWorld Guide: India - Poverty, Food and Energy in a Changing Climate

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Casey Anthony's trial is one hot ticket

Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- Casey Anthony, also known as the "tot mom," is no Lady Gaga, but her murder trial here is the hottest ticket in town.

People spend the night waiting in line for one of 50 courtroom seats reserved for the public. Tempers flare and police are called. And then, once they're given a ticket, they stampede like cattle.

Only in Florida, where criminal justice can be a spectator sport, are Disney World passes the back-up option.

Anthony, a 25-year-old high school dropout, is accused of capital murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. If convicted of murder, she faces the death penalty.

What's the big draw?

"Lie after lie," says one trial watcher. "I can't imagine the grief that family has gone through," says another. "I'm here for Caylee," says yet another. "I'm waiting for Casey to step up and tell us what happened."

If the first two weeks of the trial focused on family ties, secrets and lies, the third week was all about the forensics. The case is at its most gruesome stage as jurors and spectators hear how duct tape was placed over Caylee's nose and mouth and that animals gnawed on her tiny bones. She was wearing a T-shirt that said "Big trouble comes in small packages," and was buried in a trash bag in a lot not far from her grandparents' home.

Week 3: "Chloroform" searches and images of Caylee's body

The bug expert was the top attraction on Saturday -- Day 16. It was, as one trial watcher in line observed, like "'Law & Order' meets 'CSI.'" Competition for seats was more fierce than ever.

As the lines swell and emotions flare, keeping the peace is a challenge. On Friday, paramedics carted a woman away on a stretcher after a confrontation with a trio of would-be line jumpers.

And so, red and blue police lights flashed in the humid, predawn darkness Saturday as the line in front of the Orange County Courthouse grew to 100 strong. Courthouse security officers, Orange County sheriff's deputies and Orlando city police were out in force and people in line were cautioned that anyone who caused trouble would lose their spot. Anyone who stampeded would be arrested.

In Session: Conflict ensues among hopeful spectators at Casey Anthony trial

The trial is held on the 23rd floor, a penthouse built specially for high-profile trials. But it has been years since a trial has packed them in like the Anthony case. Even Judge Belvin Perry makes comparisons to the O.J. Simpson trial.

Saturday's spectators did a good job of policing themselves as they waited for the numbered tickets handed out each morning. Snagging one requires extreme dedication, a good lawn chair and a bladder of steel. Some people have waited in line all night, only to get kicked out of court for violating the rule against snoozing.

Troy Mitchell, 41, of Denver, Colorado, started camping out in front of the courthouse at 10:30 p.m. Friday and got the No. 1 ticket. He says adrenaline kept him awake, and he confides that he has driven by the Anthony house. He also has been to the former home of another child whose mysterious death still occasionally makes headlines 14 years later -- JonBenet Ramsey, who lived in Boulder, Colorado.

Don and Marianne Acebedo of Sacramento, California, joined Mitchell at 11 p.m. and soon after came the Florida contingent, which included Amber Block and Megan and Kathi Jennings.

Spend eight or nine hours in line with other people and a sense of community grows. People give their neighbors nicknames, usually based on a hometown or number in line. As they discuss the case in minute detail, they give the lawyers nicknames, too: Bozo, Colonel Sanders and Barbra Streisand are a few examples.

"Is Nancy here? Do you know Nancy?" several people in line asked. Almost everyone in Saturday's line said they followed the case on "Nancy Grace," a legal affairs show on CNN's sister network, HLN. But not everyone.

"I don't know who Nancy Grace is," said one woman, who declined to give her name or line number. Her neighbor, No. 64, set her straight, holding up a printout copy of Grace's publicity photo.

"I am going to go Google Nancy Grace," the anonymous trial watcher said.

(Check out Nancy Grace's blog)

Breakfast orders were taken as the sun came up, and a burrito was tossed down the line. The group raised $70 for a woman whose car was towed because of an unscrupulous parking lot attendant.

Everyone in the top 10 had arrived by 2 a.m. but even before the sun came up, it was clear that half the people in line might not make it inside.

"I was part of the mad stampede," Kathi Jennings said, explaining that she was there the day a woman was trampled by spectators running across the street and down the hallways.

This time, she brought a Sharpie marker and suggested people write numbers on their hands. "Look guys, have you been here before?" she asked the others. "It's going to get bad."

Soon she was nicknamed "the Sharpie lady" as the others agreed to her system. By 4:30 a.m., Jennings had numbered the hands of 50 people. Fifteen minutes later, things got heated when Tracy Bucciarelli, of Chicago, arrived and took exception to the Sharpie system.

"Those aren't the rules on the Internet," she protested, trying to start her own "official" line, according to the others.

"She was causing a commotion. I don't know where she got her sense of entitlement," said Julie Jones, who identified herself as "No. 38 and proud."

The fifth person in line, Becky Davis, of Orlando, says she turned to the interloper and scolded, "God doesn't like nasty."

No. 13, who spells her name Joe.C Castillo, dialed 911 as more people protested and more heated words were exchanged. Castillo, a dark-haired woman with a strong New York accent, also was behind the fundraiser for the woman whose car was towed.

"Got a dollar?" she asked each person as she cruised the line. Later, she confided that Bucciarelli had chipped in, adding, "Maybe she's not such a crackerjack."

"In Session's Grace Wong contributed to this story.

CNN

$202 million lottery ticket sold in New York

The winning ticket was sold at a Long Island stationery storeThe winner has one year to claim the money

New York (CNN) -- Someone in New York is holding a Powerball ticket worth $202 million, according to a New York Lottery official.

The winning jackpot ticket in Wednesday night's drawing was sold at a Long Island stationery store, Maulik & Chandni

in Lindenhurst. As of Thursday afternoon no one had come forward to claim the prize, said Carolyn Hapeman, a lottery spokeswoman.

The store is known for its winning record. In 2006 it sold a $1 million scratch-off ticket and last year a customer hit a $96,000 LOTTO jackpot there.

"I'm very excited -- it's good for us, and I hope they (the winner or winners) have a very good life now," said Mike Patel, the store owner.

It is the second-largest winning lottery ticket sold in New York this year; winnings of $319 million were claimed in March by a group of coworkers in Albany who are now known as "Albany Seven."

The June 1 winning numbers were 8, 18, 38, 46, 56 and the Powerball was 31. The winner has one year to claim the wealth.

Hapeman said if a lump-sum payment is chosen over a multi-year annuity, the winnings would come out to $106 million.

CNN

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