Dec. 6 Photo Brief: Typhoon Bopha rescue, St. Nicholas day in Germany and gay marriage kicks off in Seattle
A dramatic water rescue from the Philippines, Germany celebrated St. Nicholas day, turmoil continues in Greece, hundreds line up for gay marriage licenses in Washington and more in today’s daily brief.
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- Jeri Andrews (L), 43, and Amy Andrews, 33, swear an oath that the paperwork for their marriage license is accurate in Seattle, Washington. A law legalizing same-sex matrimony took effect in Washington state on Thursday, and officials geared up for a flood of marriage-license applications from gay and lesbian couples eager to exchange vows. Washington made history last month as one of three U.S. states where marriage rights were extended to same-sex couples by popular vote, joining Maryland and Maine in passing ballot initiatives recognizing gay nuptials. (Marcus Donner/Reuters photo)
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- People hold a giant Spanish flag during a rally for the defense of the unity of Spain on the day of the 34th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution at Madrid’s Colon Square. (Susana Vera/Reuters photo)
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- Rescuers evacuate a pregnant woman with her child after surviving flooding in New Bataan town, Compostela Valley, southern Philippines. Rescuers found a six-months pregnant women from the other side of a river with her one-year-old son after escaping floods that swamped their house after Typhoon Bopha hit land on Tuesday in Compostela Valley. The death toll has risen to 332 on Thursday with hundreds missing, disaster officials said. (Erik De Castro/Reuters photo)
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- Migratory birds fly above men rowing a boat on the Yamuna river in the old quarters of Delhi. (Ahmad Masood/Reuters photo)
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- A pedestrian runs to avoid a fire caused by a petrol bomb thrown by protesters during a rally to mark the 2008 shooting of a student by police in Athens’ Syntagma (Constitution) square in Greece. (Yannis Behrakis/Reuters photo)
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- A chocolate Santa Claus, for the occasion of St. Nicholas Day, stands on the table behind the name place card for German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin. (Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters photo)
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- A combo picture shows Les Chrysalides de Saint-Jean installation by artist Damien Fontaine at the Saint-Jean Cathedral during the rehearsal for the “Festival of Lightsî in central Lyon late in the night. The Festival of Lights, with designers from all over the world, is one of LyonÃs most famous Festivals to date and will run from December 6 to December 9, 2012. (Robert Pratta/Reuters photo)
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- A worker welds steel bars at a construction site for a new train station in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Annual growth in China’s factory output, investment and retail sales may have gained pace in November thanks to recent pro-growth policies, a Reuters poll showed, reducing the chances for further policy support as inflation picks up. (China Daily/via Reuters)
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- Firefighters practice during a chemical plant fire protection drill at a firefighter training base in Chongqing Municipality. At least 300 personnel and 30 fire engines participated in the exercise on Thursday. (Shi Tou/Reuters photo)
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- A man walks near the National Congress building, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, in the Ministries Esplanade in Brasilia. Niemeyer, a towering patriarch of modern architecture who shaped the look of modern Brazil and whose inventive, curved designs left their mark on cities worldwide, died late on Wednesday. He was 104. (Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters photo)
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- A man dressed as Santa Claus rides his bike in Offingen, southern Germany. December 6 is the traditional day of Santa Claus in Germany. (Thomas Warnack/Getty Images)
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- Afghan laborers make sweets at a traditional sweet factory in Jalababad. (Parwiz/Reuters photo)
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- An Indian fishermen pulls in his fishing net as foamy discharge, caused by pollutants, mix with surf at a beach in Chennai. High levels of sewage and industrial waste was claimed to be the cause of the foam, according to officials. (Getty Images)
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- People light up near the Space Needle after the law legalizing the recreational use of marijuana went into effect in Seattle, Washington. With Washington state the first in the nation legalizing marijuana possession for adult recreational use, Seattle’s city attorney issued a stern warning on Wednesday to those waiting to celebrate – no pot puffing in public. (Cliff Despeaux/Reuters photo)
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- A man lights up after the law legalizing the recreational use of marijuana went into effect in Seattle, Washington December 6, 2012. With Washington state the first in the nation legalizing marijuana possession for adult recreational use, Seattle’s city attorney issued a stern warning on Wednesday to those waiting to celebrate – no pot puffing in public. (Cliff Despeaux/Reuters)
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- People take a walk at Binz on the island Ruegen, eastern Germany. Meteorologists forecast temperatures around freezing point for the upcoming days in Germany. (Stefan Sauer/Getty Images)
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- A woman with elaborate bronze jewelry from the Middle Bronze Age (1550-1250 BC) is displayed at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, eastern Germany. The discovery in the Saale district is only one of 7,000 pieces that will be displayed from now on in the permanent exhibition. (Jan Woitas/Getty Images)
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- AN Indian Naga tribesman talks on his mobile phone during the Hornbill Festival at Kisama, some 15 kms from Kohima, India’s Nagaland state. The week long Hornbill Festival of Nagaland, which celebrates the cultural heritage of the sixteen Naga tribes, runs annually from December 1-7. (Biju Boro/Getty Images)
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- A Santa Claus dives with a nurse shark in the Sea-Life-Aquarium in Munich, southern Germany. On December 6 people in Germany celebrate the day of Santa Claus. (Peter Kneffel/Getty Images)
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- Jennifer Lopez performs for fans at Perth Arena on December 6, 2012 in Perth, Australia. (Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Marijuana goes legal in Washington state amid mixed messages
Laura L. Myers | Reuters
3:57 p.m. EST, December 6, 2012
SEATTLE (Reuters) – Washington state made history on Thursday as the first in the nation to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, an occasion celebrated by dozens of users near Seattle’s famed Space Needle amid blaring reggae music and a haze of pot smoke.
The pre-dawn public gathering defied a key provision of the state’s landmark marijuana law, which allows possession of small amounts of marijuana but forbids users from lighting up outside the privacy of their homes.
The gathering also underscored mixed law enforcement messages about the statute. Hours earlier, Seattle’s city attorney issued a stern warning that public pot puffing would not be tolerated and violators faced citations with $100 fines.
But the prosecutor’s admonition was contradicted by the Seattle Police Department’s own instructions to officers to limit their enforcement actions to warnings, at least for now.
The new law, passed by voters last month in a move that could set the state up for a showdown with the federal government, removes criminal sanctions for anyone 21 or older possessing 1 ounce (28.5 grams) or less of pot for personal use.
Colorado voters also chose to legalize pot for personal recreational use but that measure is not due to come into effect until next month. Both states are among 18 that have already removed criminal sanctions for medical use of marijuana.
The Washington law legalizes possession of up to 16 ounces (0.45 kg) of solid cannabis-infused goods – like brownies or cookies – and up to 72 ounces (2.4 kg) of weed in liquid form.
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