Wednesday, November 7, 2012
George Soros: Obama Victory Means 'More Sensible Politics'
Sensible politics means satanic laws....
Billionaire investor George Soros said late Tuesday that the re-election of President Barack Obama will open "the door for a more sensible politics."
Soros, who has contributed mightily to Democratic causes, told Reuters: "I'm delighted that President Obama has won. The American electorate has rejected extremist positions, opening the door for a more sensible politics.
"Hopefully the Republicans in office will make better partners in the coming years, most urgently in avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff."
Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/soros-obama-victory/2012/11/07/id/463120#ixzz2BXtU2L4Y
Billionaire investor George Soros said late Tuesday that the re-election of President Barack Obama will open "the door for a more sensible politics."
Soros, who has contributed mightily to Democratic causes, told Reuters: "I'm delighted that President Obama has won. The American electorate has rejected extremist positions, opening the door for a more sensible politics.
"Hopefully the Republicans in office will make better partners in the coming years, most urgently in avoiding the so-called fiscal cliff."
Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/soros-obama-victory/2012/11/07/id/463120#ixzz2BXtU2L4Y
Colorado Legalizes Marijuana For Recreational Use
North America dawned under moral decay........
The Rocky Mountain High just got a whole lot higher. On Tuesday night, Amendment 64 -- the measure seeking the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults -- was passed by Colorado voters, making Colorado the first state to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.
With about 36 percent of precincts reporting at the time of publishing, 9Newsand Fox31 report that Amendment 64 has passed.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent to the measure, reacted to the passage of A64 in a statement late Tuesday night:
The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.
The passage of the state measure is without historical precedent and the consequences will likely be closely-watched around the world. In an interview with The Huffington Post, the authors/researchers behind the book "Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs To Know" pointed out that the measure in Colorado is truly groundbreaking, comparing it to the legalization that Amsterdam enjoys:
A common error is to believe that the Netherlands has already legalized cannabis (the preferred term for marijuana in Europe). What has been de facto legalized is only the retail sale of 5 grams (about a sixth of an ounce) or less. Production and wholesale distribution is still illegal, and that prohibition is enforced, which is largely why the price of sinsemilla in the “coffee shops” isn’t much different than the price in American dispensaries.
Although Colorado "legalized it," it will be several months, perhaps as long as a year, before Colorado adults 21-and-over can enjoy the legal sale of marijuana. However, the parts of the amendment related to individual behavior will go into effect as soon as Governor Hickenlooper certifies the results of the vote, a proclamation he is obligated to do within 30 days of the election, The Colorado Independent reported.
It's a huge victory for the Campaign To Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the pro-pot group behind Amendment 64. "Over the past eight years in Colorado, we have argued that it is irrational to punish adults for choosing to use a product that is far less harmful than alcohol," Mason Tvert, co-director of the campaign, said in a statement. "Today, the voters agreed. Colorado will no longer have laws that steer people toward using alcohol, and adults will be free to use marijuana instead if that is what they prefer. And we will be better off as a society because of it."
This is the second time Colorado voted on legal weed, in 2006 Coloradans voted the measure down, but not in 2012. Tvert told The Huffington Post in an August interviewwhy he thought this year might be different:
The 2006 initiative would have simply removed the penalties for the possession of marijuana legal for individuals 21 years of age or older. The current initiative proposes a fully regulated system of cultivation and sales, which will eliminate the underground marijuana market and generate tens of millions of dollars per year in new revenue and criminal justice savings. It also directs the legislature to regulate the cultivation of industrial hemp, a versatile, popular, and environmentally friendly agricultural crop.
More importantly, voters are more informed about marijuana than ever before. They have also experienced the emergence of a state-regulated medical marijuana system that has not produced any serious problems, but has provided a number of benefits. We now know that marijuana cultivation and sales can be regulated, and that medical marijuana businesses do not contribute to increased crime. We have also seen marijuana use among high school students decrease since the state began implementing regulations, whereas it has increased nationwide where there are no regulations. And, of course, localities and the state have seen how much revenue can be generated through the legal sale of marijuana that would have otherwise gone into the underground market. Voters in Colorado no longer need to imagine what a legal and regulated system of marijuana sales would look like; they have seen it.
It's also worth noting that 2012 is a presidential election year, so we will benefit from increased voter turnout compared to an off-year election like 2006. Historically, the more people who vote, the more support marijuana reform initiatives receive.
On the same night that Colorado passed Amendment 64, Washington state passed Initiative 502 which regulates and taxes sales of small amounts of marijuana for adults, The Associated Press reports. Oregon also had a marijuana measure on the ballot, but as of publishing and with 47 percent of precincts reporting, it looked as if it would not pass.
Under Amendment 64, marijuana is taxed and regulated similar to alcohol and tobacco. It gives state and local governments the ability to control and tax the sale of small amounts of marijuana to adults age 21 and older. According to the Associated Press, analysts project that that tax revenue could generate somewhere between $5 million and $22 million a year in the state. An economist whose study was funded by a pro-pot group projects as much as a $60 million boost by 2017.
"Today, the people of Colorado have rejected the failed policy of marijuana prohibition," Brian Vicente, also a co-director of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana, said in a statement. "Thanks to their votes, we will now reap the benefits of regulation. We will create new jobs, generation million of dollars in tax revenue, and allow law enforcement to focus on serious crimes. It would certainly be a travesty if the Obama administration used its power to impose marijuana prohibition upon a state whose people have declared, through the democratic process, that they want it to end."
The big unknown still is if the federal government will allow a regulated marijuana market to take shape. Attorney General Eric Holder, who was a vocal opponent of California's legalization initiative in 2010 saying he would "vigorously enforce" federal marijuana prohibition, has continued to remain silent on the issue this year.
In September, Holder was urged by nine former heads of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to take a stand against marijuana legalization again. "To continue to remain silent conveys to the American public and the global community a tacit acceptance of these dangerous initiatives," the nine said in the letter to holder obtained by Reuters.
Earlier this month those same DEA drug warriors joined by former directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy on a teleconference call to put additional pressure on Holder to speak out against Colorado's marijuana measure as well as similar initiatives on the ballot in Washington state and Oregon.
Huff Post Denver
The Rocky Mountain High just got a whole lot higher. On Tuesday night, Amendment 64 -- the measure seeking the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults -- was passed by Colorado voters, making Colorado the first state to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.
With about 36 percent of precincts reporting at the time of publishing, 9Newsand Fox31 report that Amendment 64 has passed.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent to the measure, reacted to the passage of A64 in a statement late Tuesday night:
The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.
The passage of the state measure is without historical precedent and the consequences will likely be closely-watched around the world. In an interview with The Huffington Post, the authors/researchers behind the book "Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs To Know" pointed out that the measure in Colorado is truly groundbreaking, comparing it to the legalization that Amsterdam enjoys:
A common error is to believe that the Netherlands has already legalized cannabis (the preferred term for marijuana in Europe). What has been de facto legalized is only the retail sale of 5 grams (about a sixth of an ounce) or less. Production and wholesale distribution is still illegal, and that prohibition is enforced, which is largely why the price of sinsemilla in the “coffee shops” isn’t much different than the price in American dispensaries.
Although Colorado "legalized it," it will be several months, perhaps as long as a year, before Colorado adults 21-and-over can enjoy the legal sale of marijuana. However, the parts of the amendment related to individual behavior will go into effect as soon as Governor Hickenlooper certifies the results of the vote, a proclamation he is obligated to do within 30 days of the election, The Colorado Independent reported.
It's a huge victory for the Campaign To Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the pro-pot group behind Amendment 64. "Over the past eight years in Colorado, we have argued that it is irrational to punish adults for choosing to use a product that is far less harmful than alcohol," Mason Tvert, co-director of the campaign, said in a statement. "Today, the voters agreed. Colorado will no longer have laws that steer people toward using alcohol, and adults will be free to use marijuana instead if that is what they prefer. And we will be better off as a society because of it."
This is the second time Colorado voted on legal weed, in 2006 Coloradans voted the measure down, but not in 2012. Tvert told The Huffington Post in an August interviewwhy he thought this year might be different:
The 2006 initiative would have simply removed the penalties for the possession of marijuana legal for individuals 21 years of age or older. The current initiative proposes a fully regulated system of cultivation and sales, which will eliminate the underground marijuana market and generate tens of millions of dollars per year in new revenue and criminal justice savings. It also directs the legislature to regulate the cultivation of industrial hemp, a versatile, popular, and environmentally friendly agricultural crop.
More importantly, voters are more informed about marijuana than ever before. They have also experienced the emergence of a state-regulated medical marijuana system that has not produced any serious problems, but has provided a number of benefits. We now know that marijuana cultivation and sales can be regulated, and that medical marijuana businesses do not contribute to increased crime. We have also seen marijuana use among high school students decrease since the state began implementing regulations, whereas it has increased nationwide where there are no regulations. And, of course, localities and the state have seen how much revenue can be generated through the legal sale of marijuana that would have otherwise gone into the underground market. Voters in Colorado no longer need to imagine what a legal and regulated system of marijuana sales would look like; they have seen it.
It's also worth noting that 2012 is a presidential election year, so we will benefit from increased voter turnout compared to an off-year election like 2006. Historically, the more people who vote, the more support marijuana reform initiatives receive.
On the same night that Colorado passed Amendment 64, Washington state passed Initiative 502 which regulates and taxes sales of small amounts of marijuana for adults, The Associated Press reports. Oregon also had a marijuana measure on the ballot, but as of publishing and with 47 percent of precincts reporting, it looked as if it would not pass.
Under Amendment 64, marijuana is taxed and regulated similar to alcohol and tobacco. It gives state and local governments the ability to control and tax the sale of small amounts of marijuana to adults age 21 and older. According to the Associated Press, analysts project that that tax revenue could generate somewhere between $5 million and $22 million a year in the state. An economist whose study was funded by a pro-pot group projects as much as a $60 million boost by 2017.
"Today, the people of Colorado have rejected the failed policy of marijuana prohibition," Brian Vicente, also a co-director of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana, said in a statement. "Thanks to their votes, we will now reap the benefits of regulation. We will create new jobs, generation million of dollars in tax revenue, and allow law enforcement to focus on serious crimes. It would certainly be a travesty if the Obama administration used its power to impose marijuana prohibition upon a state whose people have declared, through the democratic process, that they want it to end."
The big unknown still is if the federal government will allow a regulated marijuana market to take shape. Attorney General Eric Holder, who was a vocal opponent of California's legalization initiative in 2010 saying he would "vigorously enforce" federal marijuana prohibition, has continued to remain silent on the issue this year.
In September, Holder was urged by nine former heads of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to take a stand against marijuana legalization again. "To continue to remain silent conveys to the American public and the global community a tacit acceptance of these dangerous initiatives," the nine said in the letter to holder obtained by Reuters.
Earlier this month those same DEA drug warriors joined by former directors of the Office of National Drug Control Policy on a teleconference call to put additional pressure on Holder to speak out against Colorado's marijuana measure as well as similar initiatives on the ballot in Washington state and Oregon.
Huff Post Denver
Maine and Maryland first U.S. states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote
Shame shame shame to North America
Maine and Maryland have become the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote.
The outcomes in Maine and Maryland broke a 32-state streak, dating back to 1998, in which gay marriage had been rebuffed by every state that held a vote on it. They will become the seventh and eighth states to allow same-sex couples to marry.
“For the first time, voters in Maine and Maryland voted to allow loving couples to make lifelong commitments through marriage — forever taking away the right-wing talking point that marriage equality couldn’t win on the ballot,” said Chad Griffin of the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay-rights group.
Washington state also was voting on a measure to legalize same-sex marriage, though results were not expected until Wednesday at the soonest. Minnesota voters also rejected a conservative-backed amendment that would place a ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution.
The outcomes in the four states could possibly influence the U.S. Supreme Court, which will soon be considering whether to take up cases challenging the law that denies federal recognition to same-sex marriages.
Maine’s referendum on same-sex marriage marked the first time that gay-rights supporters put the issue to a popular vote. They collected enough signatures over the summer to schedule the vote, hoping to reverse the outcome of a 2009 referendum that quashed a gay-marriage law enacted by the Legislature.
In both Maryland and Washington, gay-marriage laws were approved by lawmakers and signed by the governors earlier this year, but opponents gathered enough signatures to challenge the laws.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who campaigned vigorously for approval of the marriage measure, spoke to a jubilant crowd in Baltimore, which celebrated with hugs, dancing and popping of balloons.
“Every child’s home deserves to be protected under the law,” O’Malley said.
The president of the most active advocacy group opposing same-sex marriage, Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage, insisted the Maryland and Maine results did not mark a watershed moment.
“At the end of the day, we’re still at 32 victories and they’ve got two,” he said. “Just because two extreme blue states vote for gay marriage doesn’t mean the Supreme Court will create a constitutional right for it out of thin air.”
Heading into the election, gay marriage was legal in six states and the District of Columbia — in each case the result of legislation or court orders, not by a vote of the people.
National Post
Maine and Maryland have become the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote.
The outcomes in Maine and Maryland broke a 32-state streak, dating back to 1998, in which gay marriage had been rebuffed by every state that held a vote on it. They will become the seventh and eighth states to allow same-sex couples to marry.
“For the first time, voters in Maine and Maryland voted to allow loving couples to make lifelong commitments through marriage — forever taking away the right-wing talking point that marriage equality couldn’t win on the ballot,” said Chad Griffin of the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay-rights group.
Washington state also was voting on a measure to legalize same-sex marriage, though results were not expected until Wednesday at the soonest. Minnesota voters also rejected a conservative-backed amendment that would place a ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution.
The outcomes in the four states could possibly influence the U.S. Supreme Court, which will soon be considering whether to take up cases challenging the law that denies federal recognition to same-sex marriages.
Maine’s referendum on same-sex marriage marked the first time that gay-rights supporters put the issue to a popular vote. They collected enough signatures over the summer to schedule the vote, hoping to reverse the outcome of a 2009 referendum that quashed a gay-marriage law enacted by the Legislature.
In both Maryland and Washington, gay-marriage laws were approved by lawmakers and signed by the governors earlier this year, but opponents gathered enough signatures to challenge the laws.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who campaigned vigorously for approval of the marriage measure, spoke to a jubilant crowd in Baltimore, which celebrated with hugs, dancing and popping of balloons.
“Every child’s home deserves to be protected under the law,” O’Malley said.
The president of the most active advocacy group opposing same-sex marriage, Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage, insisted the Maryland and Maine results did not mark a watershed moment.
“At the end of the day, we’re still at 32 victories and they’ve got two,” he said. “Just because two extreme blue states vote for gay marriage doesn’t mean the Supreme Court will create a constitutional right for it out of thin air.”
Heading into the election, gay marriage was legal in six states and the District of Columbia — in each case the result of legislation or court orders, not by a vote of the people.
National Post
Merkel calls Christianity world’s ‘most persecuted’ religion
BERLIN (AP) — Opposition lawmakers and human rights groups are criticizing German Chancellor Angela Merkel for claiming that Christianity is “the most persecuted religion worldwide.”
Lawmaker Jerzy Montag of the opposition Greens party on Tuesday described Merkel’s comments as “mistaken” and “not very helpful.”
Rights campaigners said ranking faiths according to how persecuted they are is pointless.
Human Rights Watch noted that Muslims in Myanmar, members of Falun Gong in China and Jews in many countries worldwide also face persecution.
Merkel’s comments came at a meeting of the German Protestant Church late Monday in which she emphasized Germany needed to protect Christian minorities as part of its foreign policy.
Merkel, the daughter of a pastor, also spoke out against a strict separation of church and state and said Europe was built on Christian foundations.
The Times of Israel
Dollar falls as Obama win
The dollar fell against the yen on speculation Barack Obama’s re-election as president will boost chances the U.S. will maintain monetary stimulus policies that tend to weaken the greenback.
The euro erased gains as European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said the Europe’s crisis is affecting Germany. The U.S. currency was mixed versus its major peers as Obama defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney, who disagreed with current Federal Reserve policy. Obama now faces the so-called fiscal cliff, $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts set to be implemented in 2013.
The dollar traded at $1.2812 per euro as of 8:18 a.m. in Tokyo from $1.2814 at the close yesterday, when it reached $1.2764, the strongest since Sept. 11. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg
Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- John Normand, head of global currency strategy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., talks about the outlook for the U.S. dollar. He speaks with Tom Keene and Sara Eisen on Bloomberg Television's "Surveillance." (Source: Bloomberg)
Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Jane Foley, senior currency strategist at Rabobank International, talks about the outlook for the dollar, yen and pound. She speaks from London with Caroline Hyde on Bloomberg Television's "The Pulse." (Source: Bloomberg)
Sponsored Links
“The size of the victory was perhaps at the upper end of what people were expecting, so that may mean that his negotiations with the Republicans to stop us going over the fiscal cliff might be a bit easier,” said Paul Robson, a senior foreign-exchange strategist at Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc in London. “The idea of unchanged Fed policy is slightly supportive for equities, slightly weaker dollar, and I think that’s how people are playing it today.”
The U.S. currency depreciated 0.3 percent to 80.08 yen at 7:44 a.m. in New York after declining to 79.81 yen, the weakest level since Nov. 1. The dollar rose 0.4 percent to $1.2764 per euro after falling 0.1 percent yesterday. The euro slipped 0.8 percent to 102.20 yen.
Obama prevailed over Romney narrowly in the popular vote, yet achieved an electoral sweep by carrying the crucial states of Colorado, Ohio and Virginia. With Florida too close to call, Obama had captured 303 Electoral College votes, well beyond the 270 needed to win the White House, compared with 206 for Romney.
‘Dollar Selling’
“Monetary policy will remain loose under Obama so the dollar will be sold,” said Michiyoshi Kato, senior vice president of foreign-currency sales at Mizuho Corporate Bank Ltd. inTokyo. “Dollar selling may not last that long as the U.S. faces the fiscal cliff.”
Romney had said he disagreed with the Fed’s measures to stimulate the economy and would replace Chairman Ben S. Bernanke at the end of the latter’s term in January 2014. U.S. policy makers unveiled a plan in September to buy $40 billion of mortgage-backed securities every month in a third round of so- called quantitative easing after $2.3 trillion purchases of bonds from December 2008 and June 2011.
“Obama’s re-election is likely to boost expectations of continued easing by the Fed,” said Junya Tanase, chief currency strategist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Tokyo. “If it leads to lower U.S. yields and higher stock prices, the bias will be for the dollar-yen to fall.”
Extra Yield
The extra yield investors demand to hold two-year U.S. Treasuries instead of similar-maturity Japanese government bonds shrank to 17 basis points, the least since Oct. 16, curbing the allure of the dollar over the yen.
Australia’s dollar rose to a six-week high against the U.S. currency as the MSCI Asia PacificIndex (MXAP) of shares gained 0.7 percent.
“The Aussie has popped in a very short-term market reaction,” said Sacha Tihanyi, a senior currency strategist at Scotiabank in Hong Kong. With Obama poised to begin another four-year term, “the consistent approach that will be executed by the current administration is positive. The one thing we don’t need these days is uncertainty.”
The Australian currency traded at $1.0435 after rising to $1.0480, the strongest since Sept. 21.
Greek Austerity
Gains in the euro were tempered as Greek lawmakers prepared to vote on austerity measures needed to keep its international bailout on track.
The 238 pages of additional austerity plans, ranging from raising the retirement age to eliminating holiday payments for pensioners, will be debated by the Greek parliament today with a roll-call vote expected. Approval is the first of the parliamentary votes required by Nov. 12 to unlock a 31 billion- euro portion of international aid.
“There is an expectation that will pass, and that again just takes yet another tail risk away from the euro,” Royal Bank of Scotland’s Robson said.
The euro declined 1.2 percent over the past month, according to Bloomberg Correlation-Weighted Indexes, which track 10 developed-nation currencies. The dollar rose 0.5 percent and the yen fell 1.9 percent.
“The weak overall economic situation, combined with slow money growth, means that the risks of inflation are currently very low over the medium term,” ECB President Draghi said in a speech in Frankfurt. “Our interventions will not change this outlook.”
Switzerland’s central bank said its foreign-currency reserves declined last month for the first time since February.
Holdings dropped to 424.4 billion francs ($451 billion) at the end of October from a revised 429.5 billion francs the previous month, the Swiss National Bank said. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News forecast 432 billion francs.
SNB President Thomas Jordan pledged to enforce a franc ceiling of 1.20 per euro introduced in September 2011 “with the utmost determination” even as the euro area’s fiscal crisis prompted policy makers to pile up record currency holdings.
Bloomberg
Decoding what's coming with pastor Lankford
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Syria crisis: Damascus hit by deadly blasts
A spate of bomb attacks has rocked the Syrian capital Damascus leaving several people dead and many others wounded, activists have said.
At least 10 people reportedly died when several blasts struck an area populated mostly by members of President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect.
Hours later, a car bomb exploded near a mosque in the largely Sunni Muslim district of al-Qadam, activists said.
Early reports said there were many casualties but details were unclear.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based activist group, said at least 10 civilians died and more than 40 were wounded when three devices were detonated in the largely-Alawite north-western Waroud suburb of the capital.
The official Sana news agency said several people had died.
Later on Tuesday, a bomb in a parked taxi went off near a mosque in al-Qadam destroying nearby buildings and burying people in the rubble, activists said.
"Lots of people were hit inside their apartments. Rescue efforts are hampered because electricity was cut off right after the explosion," activist Abu Hamza al-Shami told Reuters news agency.Warplanes
Meanwhile, clashes, shelling, explosions and air raids were reported in different parts of Syria on Tuesday.
SOHR said seven people had been killed by government air raids in the Houla region of Homs province, and that eight people had died after troops shelled the town of Saraqeb in Idlib province.
Seven civilians also died when warplanes bombed the south-eastern Damascus suburb of Kafarbatna, it added.
The SOHR is one of the most prominent organisations documenting and reporting incidents and casualties in the Syrian conflict. The group says its reports are impartial, though its information cannot be verified.
Sana reported that Mohammed Osama Lahm, brother of the speaker of the People's Assembly, had been shot dead in the Midan district of Damascus.
Later this week, the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) is to consider a US-backed proposal to set up a new 50-member leadership group that speaks for all major opposition factions and includes military commanders and local councils.
The SNC has been accused of being too fragmented, too heavily based upon exiles and unwilling or unable to attract support from minority groups inside Syria.
It would have a minority stake in the new leadership group, but some opposition figures are still sceptical that the effort will succeed.
BBC
Obama reelection signals new phase in Syria war
ZAATARI, Jordan (AP) — Within hours of President Barack Obama’s re-election the deadlocked Syrian conflict moved into a new phase Wednesday, with Britain’s prime minister urging the US to join him in working directly with Syrian rebels and Turkey saying Washington has discussed protecting a safe zone inside Syria with Patriot missiles.
The changes would mark a profound shift in Western efforts to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad, and indicate that leaders have been waiting for the result of the US presidential election before embarking on a new strategy to end the civil war that has killed more than 36,000 people.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, visiting a camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, said the US, Britain and other allies should do more to “shape the opposition” into a coherent force and open channels of communication directly with rebel military commanders. Previously, Britain and the US have acknowledged contacts only with exile groups and political opposition figures inside Syria.
Meanwhile, a Turkish official said Turkey and allies, including the United States, have discussed the possibility of using Patriot missiles to protect a safe zone inside Syria.
The foreign ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of ministry prohibitions on contacts with the news media, said planning for the safe zone had been put on hold pending the US election. He said any missile deployment might happen under a “NATO umbrella,” though NATO has insisted it will not intervene without a clear United Nations mandate.
“There is an opportunity for Britain, for America, for Saudi Arabia, Jordan and like-minded allies to come together and try to help shape the opposition, outside Syria and inside Syria,” Cameron said. “And try to help them achieve their goal, which is our goal of a Syria without Assad.”
In London, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said talks with rebel military leaders would not involve advice on military tactics or support for their operations. Hague also insisted that Britain would not consider offering weapons to Assad’s opponents.
“British contacts with military elements of the Syrian armed opposition will be limited to a political dialogue including working towards an inclusive political transition,” he told lawmakers in the statement.
Face-to-face meetings with military figures will take place outside Syria, Hague said. Diplomats from the US, Britain, France and Turkey are already scheduled to meet with Syrian opposition groups on Thursday in Doha, Qatar, though there has been no announcement that those talks will include discussion with rebel fighters.
“With the re-election of Obama, what you have is a strong confidence on the British side that the US administration will be engaged more on Syria from the get-go,” said Shashank Joshi, an analyst at London’s Royal United Services Institute, a military and security think tank.
At the Zaatari camp, where more than 33,000 people have fled Syria, Cameron said he would press Obama at the first opportunity to drive forward efforts to end the 19-month-old conflict.
“One of the first things I want to do with the newly elected president is talk about how we can do more for refugees here on the border, more pressure on the United Nations, more pressure on this dreadful regime behind me in Syria, more to help the opposition,” Cameron said.
Cameron will convene a meeting of Britain’s National Security Council in London devoted entirely to Syria and how the U.K. can encourage Obama to pursue a more direct strategy, the British leader’s office said.
The Times of Israel
Gold Set for Longest Winning Run in 2 Months on Obama Win
Gold gained for a third day in New York, heading for the longest winning streak in more than two months, on expectations the U.S. will keep stimulus measures to boost the economy after President Barack Obama won re-election.
Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney, becoming only the second Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to win another term. The Fed said Oct. 24 it will maintain $40 billion in monthly purchases of mortgage debt and probably hold interest rates near zero until mid-2015. The U.S. dollar weakened as much as 0.4 percent against a six-currency basket. Bullion usually moves inversely to the greenback.
Bullion advanced 10 percent this year and is set for a 12th annual gain after central banks took steps to stimulate economies hurt by Europe’s debt crisis. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
“Obama’s victory gives confidence that the Fed’s quantitative easing will continue unhindered,” said Bjarne Schieldrop, the Oslo-based head of commodity research at SEB AB.
Gold for December delivery rose 0.6 percent to $1,724.90 an ounce by 6:51 a.m. on the Comex in New York. It rallied as much as 1 percent to $1,733 an ounce, the highest price since Oct. 19. Gold for immediate delivery gained 0.5 percent to $1,725.10 an ounce in London.
Gold futures climbed 1.9 percent yesterday, the most since Sept. 13. They jumped 4.2 percent on Nov. 4, 2008, the day Obama was elected for his first term, and more than doubled during the four years of his presidency.
“Gold could not have asked for a better outcome,” Edel Tully, an analyst at UBS AG in London, said in a report today. “Now it’s up to buyers to step up to the plate.”
Bullion advanced 10 percent this year and is set for a 12th annual gain after central banks took steps to stimulate economies hurt by Europe’s debt crisis.
Fiscal Cliff
Obama will need to address a so-called fiscal cliff of more than $600 billion in tax increases and spending cuts that take effect in January unless Congress reaches a budget compromise.
Gold rose to $1,730.50 an ounce in the morning “fixing” in London, used by some mining companies to sell output, from $1,691 yesterday afternoon.
Silver for December delivery added 0.3 percent to $32.13 an ounce after a 2.9 percent jump yesterday. Platinum for January delivery increased 0.3 percent to $1,563.10 an ounce and palladium for December delivery fell 0.5 percent to $617.35 an ounce.
Bloomberg
US election: America goes liberal with gay marriage, abortion and cannabis votes
Follow our US Election coverage as Barack Obama defeats Mitt Romney and is re-elected as President.
The generally liberal moves were decided among more than 170 ballot initiatives and referendums held across the country, as it re-elected Democratic President Barack Obama for four more years.
Mr Obama came out in favour of gay marriage months before the election which pitted him against Republican rival Mitt Romney, who insists that marriage should be reserved for a relationship between a man and a woman.
During his first four-year term Mr Obama had also fulfilled a pledge to repeal the controversial Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) law banning openly gay servicemen and women from serving in the US military.
Three states voted Tuesday to legalise same-sex marriage, including Maine – which voted in a referendum against it in 2009, but reversed that decision with 54 per cent in favour to 46 per cent against.
Washington state and Maryland also appeared set to approve the move, which had already been passed by state lawmakers. Both states voted 52-48 per cent in favour, according to CNN projections based on partial results.
Same-sex marriage is not federally recognised, but it was already legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and the District of Columbia. It is constitutionally banned in 31 states.
Meanwhile three states – Colorado, Washington and Oregon – voted on proposals to legalise marijuana including for recreational use, going further than a number of states which already allow it for medicinal purposes.
Colorado backed the move by 54 per cent in favour to 46 per cent against, and Washington by 55 per cent to 45 per cent, according to CNN citing partial results. Oregon rejected it by 56 per cent to 44 per cent, it said.
Florida voters meanwhile rejected a proposal to ban the use of public funds for abortion or for insurance coverage for the service, according to partial results.
Fifty-five per cent of voters rejected Florida's so-called Amendment 6, with 45 per cent in favour, according to NBC and CNN.
Abortion has long been a hugely divisive issue in America, with many Republicans fiercely opposed. During the campaign two Republican politicians made controversial comments which fuelled the debate.
In Missouri Republican candidate Todd Akin triggered a firestorm by suggesting that a women's body could shut down conception in cases of "legitimate rape."
Then more recently in a hotly contested Senate race in Indiana, Republican Richard Mourdock was criticised for suggesting that if a woman becomes pregnant from rape, it is "something that God intended to happen."
Both Mr Akin and Mr Mourdock were beaten in their respective poll races on Tuesday, according to US networks.
Other closely watched ballot races included two in California: one to force food companies to provide labels for genetically modified (GM) ingredients in their products, which appeared set for rejection.
A vote on banning the death penalty – replacing it with life in prison without parole – appeared set to be rejected with 56 per cent against and 44 per cent in favour, according to CNN with 25 per cent of votes counted.
The Telegraph
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