Pakistani Disapproval of U.S. Leadership Soars in 2012

In recent years, Pakistanis have turned further away from West, national government

by Andrew Dugan and Mohamed Younis

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With President Barack Obama's first term characterized by strained relations between Pakistan and the U.S., more than nine in 10 Pakistanis (92%) disapprove of U.S. leadership and 4% approve, the lowest approval rating Pakistanis have ever given.

NRA chief: ‘Charade’ on guns was revealed in State of the Union

By Daniel Strauss - 02/14/13 07:04 PM ET

President Obama’s gun-control push was revealed as a “charade” during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, according to the leader of the National Rifle Association.
NRA Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre said Obama’s speech exposed the “fraudulent intentions” behind his call for new restrictions on firearms and high-capacity magazines.
“It was only a few weeks ago when they were marking their anti-gun agenda as a way of protecting school children from harm. That charade ended at the State of the Union, when the president exposed their fraudulent intentions. It's not about keeping kids safe at school. That wasn't even mentioned in the president's speech."

Soros Said to Make $1 Billion Since November on Yen Bet

By Katherine Burton - Feb 14, 2013 9:20 AM ET

George Soros made almost $1 billion since November from bets that the yen would tumble, according to a person close to the billionaire’s $24 billion family office.
The Japanese wager helped the firm return about 10 percent last year and 5 percent so far this year, said the person, who asked not to be named because the firm is private. The yen has weakened 17 percent versus the dollar since about the start of the fourth quarter, the worst performance over a similar period since 1985.

Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Billionaire investor George Soros talks about Europe's sovereign-debt crisis, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi's policy measures and the potential impact of austerity on the region's economies. He speaks with Bloomberg Television's Erik Schatzker on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. (Source: Bloomberg)

The yen slumped and Japanese stocks rallied as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pressed the Bank of Japan to introduce additional stimulus measures. BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa and two deputies will step down next month, allowing Abe to pick leaders to implement his plan for expanded monetary easing.
Scott Bessent, chief investment officer at New York-based Soros Fund Management LLC, also has 10 percent of the firm’s internally managed portfolio betting on rising shares in Japan, said the person. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index has jumped about 28 percent since the end of September.
Bessent worked for Soros in 1992 when Soros and his chief strategist Stan Druckenmiller made a $10 billion bet that the Bank of England would be forced to devalue the pound. That wager netted $1 billion. At the time Soros’s Quantum fund was $3.3 billion.
Bessent left the firm in 2000, and returned to be CIO in 2011.
Michael Vachon, a spokesman for the firm, said he couldn’t comment on the trades, which were reported yesterday by the Wall Street Journal.
To contact the reporter on this story: Katherine Burton in New York at kburton@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christian Baumgaertel at cbaumgaertel@bloomberg.net

Pelosi: Congressional pay cut undermines dignity of the job

By Mike Lillis - 02/14/13 06:37 PM ET

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that she opposes a cut in congressional pay because it would diminish the dignity of lawmakers' jobs.

"I don't think we should do it; I think we should respect the work we do," Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol. "I think it's necessary for us to have the dignity of the job that we have rewarded."The comments

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Thursday, February 14, 2013