Obama retains oil sanctions against Iran despite Geneva Deal

In the aftermath of the newly struck Geneva deal by Iran with the Western world, USA seems unmoved by the latest developments and S President Obama has ruled out lifting sanctions on export of petroleum and petroleum products from Iran.

The decision has had a significance impact of neighbouring Pakistan, which was hoping the sanctions to be lifted so that it could buy gas from Iran through a specially laid down pipeline from Iran to Pakistan.

“There is a sufficient supply of petroleum and petroleum products from countries other than Iran to permit a significant reduction in the volume of petroleum and petroleum products purchased from Iran by or through foreign financial institutions,” Mr Obama said in a statement issued by his office.

The American response is rather tangent to the Geneva deal in which  the United States and its Western allies have agreed to “suspend US and EU sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical exports, as well as sanctions on associated services.”

Read more about it at: The Dawn
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Pakistan PM Sharif heads to USA to meet Obama and Kerry

Pakistan's newly elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif embarks upon an official visit to USA to have a rounds of talks with American officials.

On Sunday, Sharif meets John Kerry ahead of his meeting with US president Obama on Wednesday, 23 October.

Sharif's visit is the highest level of official visit from Pakistan to USA in several years.

"It's an opportunity to broaden and deepen the relationship that we've both been working very hard towards in the last few years," the senior State Department official said.

It may be added here that Pakistan has been an important front line ally of the USA in Afghanistan and Washington needs Pakistan's cooperation as it prepares to withdraw thousands of pieces of heavy equipment from Afghanistan ahead of the end of NATO combat operations at the end of 2014.

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Obama warns of default danger amid US Shutdown

[Photo]

Amid the US wide shut down, the American President Obama has warned that Wall Street should be concerned that a conservative faction of Republicans is willing to allow the country to default on its debt.

It may be recalled that the US government has been partially closed after Congress failed to agree a budget. If corrective measures are not timely applied and unless  the debt ceiling is raised, there is a likelihood that the country will  and will run out of cash on 17 October.

Already, the shut-down has left more than 700,000 employees on unpaid leave and closed national parks, tourist sites, government websites, office buildings, and more.

Read more about it at: BBC News
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US President Obama breaks rules by asking U.S. Marine to hold an umbrella while in uniform

Well US president is a strong man and is also the commander in chief - but despite his power and appointment he cannot ask a marine in uniform to hold an umbrella for him unless explicit permission from the marines' commandant is sought.

But despite this, Obama asked the marines on duty to hold umbrella for him and for the visiting Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Rose Garden of the White House - much to the chagrin of a put-upon U.S. Marine.

Scroll down for video

It may be added that the Marine Corp Manual, which is the bible for all soldiers serving, specifically states that a soldier's uniform dress code does not allow the carrying of an umbrella and 'no officer or official shall issue instructions which conflict with, alter, or amend any provision without the approval of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.'

While male members are explicitly told NOT to carry an umbrella, female Marines 'may carry an all-black, plain standard or collapsible umbrella at their option during inclement weather with the service and dress uniforms. It will be carried in the left hand so that the hand salute can be properly rendered.'

Watch the video below:

Read more about it at: Mail Online
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Obama in limbo over naming a new Spy Chief

The sudden vacation of CIA Spy Chief post by General Petraeus has put the american president Obama in limbo as there seems no perfect choice to select one from the long list of the eligible.

There is no single, slam-dunk choice for his former job, intelligence community insiders say. Some contenders have long ties to the agency but lack the throw-weight on Capitol Hill or a history with Obama’s tight-knit White House team. Others are wired on the Hill and at the White House but would have to win over the trust of the CIA’s executive corps and rank and file.

Still others might run into roadblocks in the confirmation process.

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“Given how [Petraeus] left, the first and single most important quality is someone who’s what I’d call bulletproof in terms of confirmation,” said Bush administration homeland security adviser Fran Townsend. “Not somebody who’s never been confirmed before or somebody who is in any way vulnerable to a confirmation fight … someone who has filled out all the forms and been through this process.”

Read more: Politico

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McDonald's flies upside-down U.S. flag at half-mast for a 'day of mourning' after Obama's re-election

Several American businesses reacted to the news of President Obama’s re-election with both anger and despair, as one McDonald’s location hung the Stars and Stripes upside-down and at half-mast.

Up side down US flag at 'half mast' at McDonald's to mourn Obama's re-election

Some diners at the Follansbee, West Virginia, restaurant could not believe their eyes when the say the flag on the day after Obama secured more electoral votes than Republican rival Mitt Romney.

An upside-down flag is a 'signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property,' according to federal law.

Read more: Daily Mail

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Obama re-election troubles Netanyahu

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces an even more awkward time with Washington and re-energized critics at home who accused him on Wednesday of backing the loser in the US presidential election.

With Iran topping his conservative agenda, Netanyahu will have to contend with a strengthened second-term Democratic president after four years of frosty dealings with Barack Obama and a rift over how to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme.

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Facing his own re-election battle in January, polls give Netanyahu little chance of losing but perceptions that he has mishandled Israel’s main ally have been seized on by opponents.

Read more: The Nation

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Obama wins the right to stay in White House for another four years

US President Barack Obama won the US Elections against Romney and will be staying on in the White House for another four years.

Photo: Zikas

On his success, Obama delivered a blistering victory speech to a cheering crowd of supporters in Chicago early Wednesday morning.

Obama said the election reflects “the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise and fall together as one nation and as one people.”

The world peace is in shambles and now it remains to be seen how during his second term Obama shows political foresight to resolve the issues and bring back peace to the world.

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Exit Polls Blow to Romney

Barack Obama’s hopes of re-election have been given an early boost by exit polls that claimed he leads or is deadlocked with Mitt Romney in many swing states.

Photo AP/Daily Mail

The polls have the president leading in Ohio by three points, Florida by one point - and tying in Virginia and North Carolina, both must-wins for Mitt Romney.

Obama was ahead in the exit polls by two points in New Hampshire, another swing state, and five points in Pennsylvania, which Romney contested fiercely towards the end of the campaign.

Exit polls are notoriously unreliable and in 2004 showed Senator John Kerry defeating President George W. Bush, who went on to win re-election. 

It appeared tonight that the exit polls would have to be inaccurate again for Romney to be victorious. 

A consistent error of just two or three points in the exit polls, however, would mean that Romney was very much still very much in the hunt.

Read more: Daily Mail

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105-year-old witch doctor from Obama's ancestral village in Kenya predicts Obama' win

John Dimo, a 105 years old witch doctor from US Presdient Obama's ancestral village Kogelo, has predicted that 'Obama is very far ahead and is definitely going to win.' 

John Dima making his prediction about Obama's victory [Photo: Reuters / Daily Mail]

John Dimo 'declared' Obama's victory while pointing to a white shell lying among bones and other artifacts in front of his hut.

A former army officer, Mr Dimo used mystical artifacts he said represented President Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney as he performed an ancient rite to predict the outcome at the polls.

Read more and watch video:Daily Mail

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US Presidential Elections: Romney leads by 1% in latest Gallup Poll

Mitt Romney is ahead by a single percentage point in Ohio - the swing state that many believe could decide the election, according to internal polling data provided to MailOnline by a Republican party source.

Internal campaign polling completed last night by campaign pollster Neil Newhouse has Romney three points up in New Hampshire, two points up in Iowa and dead level in Wisconsin and - most startlingly - Pennsylvania.

If the Romney campaign's internal numbers are correct - and nearly all independent pollsters have come up with a picture much more favourable for Obama - then the former Massachusetts governor will almost certainly be elected 45th U.S. President.

Read more: Daily Mail

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Obama took cheap shots during presidential debate, says McCain

John McCain, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services committee, condemned President Barack Obama on Tuesday for taking “cheap shots” at Mitt Romney during the third and final debate, arguing it was not presidential for Obama to be bringing up “bayonets and horses.”

“I don’t understand why the president seems to want to take these kind of cheap shots,” the Arizona Republican said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Bayonets and horses? What’s that all about? When I debated then-Senator Obama, I didn’t criticize or belittle his lack of experience on national security issues. And he seemed to take these kind of cheap shots. That’s not presidential, and frankly, I kind of resent it.”

Read more about it: Politico

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Obama under pressure to come alive in debate rematch

President Barack Obama's camp is promising that the American public will see a more energized and visionary incumbent on Tuesday night as Obama tries to keep Republican challenger Mitt Romney at bay.

Romney's campaign got a much-needed shot in the arm two weeks ago when the Republican came out swinging in the first matchup between the two candidates, while Obama appeared passive and tongue-tied at times.

The strong debate performance helped Romney reverse his slide in the polls, and recent surveys put the race for the White House at a virtual dead heat just three weeks ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

Read more about it at Business Recorder

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Polls Collapsing For Obama After The Debate

Both national and swing-state polls are beginning to tighten in the presidential race between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. It's a signal that an expected Romney bump is starting to take shape after his consensus win in the first presidential debate on Wednesday. 

Here's a sampling of the national polls:

• Gallup: Romney is starting to close in on Obama, trailing by only 3 points in the seven-day rolling average. And that average only reflects two days of surveys post-debate, so the full effect won't be known until next Wednesday.
• Rasmussen: Rasmussen has had wild swings and tends to be Republican-leaning this election, but Romney holds a 2-point advantage here. 
• Reuters/Ipsos: Here, the race has tightened from a 6-point Obama lead pre-debate to only a 2-point lead on Friday. But Saturday didn't provide any further bounce for Romney in the online survey.

Read more: Business Insider

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US Elctions: Romney well within striking distance

The momentum in the 2012 presidential race is shifting. Though President Obama saw a surge in his poll numbers following Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” gaffe, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal numbers show that although Obama is maintaining his lead, Romney is “well within striking distance,” according to pollsters. Among likely voters, the new numbers show Obama leading 49 to 46 percent—an advantage that’s within the survey’s margin of error. 

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Among the wider sample of registered but “less likely” voters, Obama leads 51 percent to 44 percent. According to NBC News, the two demographics most enthusiastic about Obama —Latinos and young voters—are less likely to vote in this election than they were in 2008.

via The Daily Beast

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Romney attacks Obama foreign policy

Mitt Romney and his Republican allies assailed President Barack Obama's foreign policy on Monday, expanding their attacks beyond his economic record in the run-up to the first of three debates.

Romney arrived in the battleground state of Colorado two full days before the high-stakes face-off Wednesday, telling supporters "I look forward" to the presidential debates as a chance to lay out a grand vision for the country.

During a boisterous rally here late Monday Romney largely kept to his standard stump speech laying out how his policies would break the US economy out of its rut and create 12 million jobs.

But earlier in the day Romney had cast beyond US borders, suggesting that after weeks of turmoil sparked by an anti-Islam Internet video foreign affairs might get more attention in the final sprint to the November 6 vote.

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He accused Obama of downplaying deadly violence in the Middle East and warned that the president's policies have "heightened the prospect of conflict and instability."

Read more: My Sinchew

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US Elections: Romney caught on Video about 'Other 47%'

Mitt Romney's presidential campaign has been dealt a new distraction after a video surfaced showing him dismissing President Barack Obama's supporters as people who take no responsibility for their livelihoods and who think they are entitled to government handouts.

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In the video, published by Mother Jones magazine, the Republican presidential nominee tells a private audience of campaign donors that the backers will vote for Mr Obama "no matter what" and that he does not "worry about those people."

"There are 47 per cent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it," Mr Romney said. "These are people who pay no income tax."

Read more: smh

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US Elections 2012: Obama leads - but for how long?

Despite the disappointing news, polls over the weekend and on Monday showed Obama surging to his biggest lead over Romney in several months. Gallup, the most frequently cited polling agency, had Obama beating his rival 49 percent to 44 percent. CNN had Obama at 52 percent and Romney at 46 percent. Other major surveys reflected a similar trend.

Some analysts are speculating that the race has entered a new phase, in which Obama is the clear frontrunner – regardless of the sluggish economic recovery.

But is it a turning point in the election campaign?

Read more: France24

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Twitter Launches Political Index

If you want to know how the USA feels about Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, you have to rely on pundits' intuitions or traditional opinion polls, conducted as they always have been — by phone, over the course of hours or days. There's no direct way to check the pulse of millions of actual people, simultaneously and directly, second by second.

Twitter is launching a tool today that it says will fill that gap, and sort through the 400 million tweets a day from 140 million active users. Twitter and real-time search engine Topsy are launching the "Twitter Political Index," a daily assessment of how Twitter feels about Obama and Romney, in an election cycle that's being played out moment-to-moment on the social service.

The index, which Twitter has retained Democratic and Republican polling firms (the Mellman Group and North Star Opinion Research) to help perfect, appears to be the most serious and large-scale effort yet at a metric that has so far produced a lot of flops.

Read more: Buzz Feed

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Obama Trails Romney in Battle for Campaign Cash

In the battle for political cash, President Obama is finding himself in an unaccustomed place during the final months of the 2012 campaign: he is losing.

Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee easily outraised the formidable Obama money machine for the second month in a row. A nonstop schedule of high-dollar events around the country brought in $106 million during June to Mr. Obama’s $71 million, giving him and his party four times the cash on hand that it had just three months ago.

In a worrisome development for the Obama campaign, Mr. Romney, who until now has been heavily dependent on donors giving the maximum federal contribution, also showed success in June drawing small donors, a traditional strength of the Obama campaign. 

Read more: The New York Times

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