Six In The Morning

US ELECTION

Obama and Romney wrap up campaigns, voting begins

Americans are going to the polls to elect a new president. Opinion polls show President Barack Obama and his challenger, Mitt Romney in a virtual dead heat in a race that is expected to be decided in key swing states.

On election eve Monday night, President Obama and Romney, his Republican challenger, made their final campaign pitches to American voters.

"I've come back to Iowa one more time to ask for your vote. I came back to ask you to help us finish what we've started, because this is where our movement for change began," Obama told a crowd of 20,000 people in Des Moines.

Romney wrapped up his campaign with a late night rally in an indoor sports arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.

11/05/2012

 

Bailing Out OligarchsEU Aid for Cyprus A Political Minefield for Merkel

By Markus Dettmer and Christian Reiermann

The EU is likely to bail out the banks of tiny member state Cyprus with 10 billion euros of credit. But a secret German intelligence report reveals that the main beneficiaries of the aid would be rich Russians who have invested illegal money there. It's a big dilemma for Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Last Friday, the sun was shining in this paradise for Russians. The sky was a deep blue and the palms along the beach promenade swayed in a light breeze as the the temperature climbed to 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit) before noon. No doubt Limassol offered a welcome relief from the cold and wet autumn weather of Moscow. Russians appreciate this spot on the southern coast ofCyprus.

The boutiques sell sable coats even in summer, the restaurants serve salted herring and vodka, apartments near the pier cost upwards of €300,000 ($383,000) and there's no shortage of luxurious villas priced at millions of euros.

The city park has a bust of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, there's a Russian radio station, Russian newspapers, a Russian Orthodox church, private schools offering Russian diplomas and signposts in Cyrillic writing. The mayor of Limassol himself speaks fluent Russian and studied in Moscow during the Soviet era.

Rights groups urge South Sudan to suspend executions

05 NOV 2012 11:40 - SAPA-AFP

Rights groups urged South Sudan on Monday to put a moratorium on the country's executions because of flaws in its legal system.

"South Sudan has continued to use the death penalty despite well-documented weaknesses in the country's legal system, which prevent it from ensuring the basic legal rights of people accused of crimes," Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and local civil society groups said Monday in a joint statement.

The rights groups say "the vast majority" of around 200 death row inmates "shackled and crowded into cramped and dirty cells" never had a lawyer, "leaving many unable to adequately prepare their defence or to appeal convictions".

"President Salva Kiir Mayardit should immediately declare an official moratorium on executions, and the government should urgently address the continuing shortcomings in the country's administration of justice," said Audrey Gaughran, Africa director at AI.

Middle East

Great leap backward in the Gulf

By Kaveh L Afrasiabi 

A political winter has descended on the Arab oil states of the Persian Gulf, with the result a far cry from the optimism of last year when the democratizing waves of the "Arab Spring" were seen heading toward Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states as part of a great new Arab awakening. 

This week, Bahrain banned all public demonstrations while in Kuwait, once considered a bastion of political tolerance in the Gulf, the government has tear-gassed and jailed demonstrators protesting arbitrary changes in the constitution aimed at stifling political opposition. 

The timing of these repressive measures suggests a new determination by the dynastic GCC emirates to resist meaningful political changes that could destabilize the status quo.

Biggest blow to Mexico drug cartels? It could be on your state ballot.

A Mexican study says legalizing marijuana for recreational use in the US - an issue on the ballot in three US states - could cut the proceeds of Mexican drug gangs by 30 percent.

By Sara Miller Llana, Staff Writer / November 5, 2012

Over the past year, the world has eyed Latin America as it has forged forward, in both policy and politics, with a rethink of the “war on drugs.” (See our recent cover story on “Latin America reinventing the war on drugs” here.)

But tomorrow, the world will be watching the United States, the birthplace of the “war on drugs,” as three states vote on legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.

A “yes” for any state would have huge implications for the US, but the referendums would also have ramifications south of the border. A new study released by the think tank Mexican Competitiveness Institute (IMCO) shows that if the referendums do pass, proceeds for Mexican drug trafficking organizations could be cut by up to 30 percent, depending on which state goes forward with the referendum. (Read the report here in Spanish.)

6 November 2012 Last updated at 01:15 GMT

Viewpoint: The powerful factions among China's rulers

China's political elite is dominated by two factions. But once the new leaders are unveiled, who will have the upper hand, and how will competing factions balance power? As part of a series on challenges for China's new leaders, political analyst Cheng Li says the country's future could be decided by a tussle at the top.

Of all the concerns about the forthcoming political succession in China, none may ultimately prove as important as whether or not the factional balance of power will be maintained.

China is now confronting widespread social unrest, slowing economic growth, increasing divisions within domestic public opinion on the issue of the country's political trajectory and rampant official corruption as revealed by the Bo Xilai scandal.

Any further signs of elite disunity or upsets in the factional balance of power within the top leadership could be overwhelmingly detrimental in terms of the continued rule of the Communist Party.