EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING: Has she finally gone too far this time? Miley Cyrus gets fully naked to straddle Wrecking Ball in video of the same name

EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING: Has she finally gone too far this time? Miley Cyrus gets fully naked to straddle Wrecking Ball in video of the same name
She's no stranger to controversy but Miley Cyrus has gone a step further in the video for the second offering from her album Bangerz.... by getting completely naked.
The 20-year-old strips off to ride a Wrecking Ball to accompany the single of the same name, and has created a short film that's more provocative than even her last boisterous hit, We Can't Stop.
This isn't surprising when you take into account that the video was directed by controversial photographer Terry Richardson - the man known for shooting Kate Upton's curves and who counts Lindsay Lohan as a key muse.
Scroll down to watch Miley's latest risque more...

Too far? Miley Cyrus has outdone herself with this Terry Richardson directed video for Wrecking Ball

In the film, a nude Cyrus straddles a swinging wrecking ball, licks a sledgehammer and smashes up a few walls for good measure.
Cyrus posted a link to the video on Monday with the hashtag #WreckTheRecord meaning she's keen to break her own VEVO record of views in one day, and to reclaim her crown from One Direction.
We Can't Stop video scored 10.7 but One Direction's Best Song Ever clip accumulated 10.9 million glances in July.

Looking for hits: Miley bares all in the new video and is hoping it will smash Vevo records for views

Where next? With each stunt, Miley's becoming slightly less able to shock us, so where next?

Nothing left to the imagination: Miley is never shy of showing off her body, but this is the next level

New direction: Miley's fourth album Bangerz is her first since she changed direction

We Can't Stop was promoted by a video that was full of twerking, partying and even featured a make-out session between Miley and a doll.
And her now infamous VMA performance saw her parade around in a bra and knickers, whilst twerking (again) and performing some other obscure movements with a foam finger.
In an an interview with MTV, the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus compared herself to Madonna and Britney Spears, who also made headlines when they locked lips during a passionate on air kiss 10 years ago at the 2003 VMAs, and she's likely to have some tricks under her belt for her first hosting gig in Saturday Night Live on October 5.

And this a metaphor for? At one point Miley licks a sledgehammer in the Terry Richardson inspired video, it's not clear as to which plot point this attends to

Getting wrecked: Miley's latest offering tells a tale of love gone wrong

Riding it out: Miley's been attracting controversy thanks to these outre performances, she's sure to want to step up a gear when she presents Saturday Night Live on October 5

Less is more: The only shocking thing left for Miley to do is to put some clothes on

Cyrus confirmed she'll head up the landmark show and will also, gulp, perform. Katy Perry will take the baton a week later on the 12th.
Miley - who is currently in Amsterdam - has been very busy in Europe promoting her fourth album, which is her first album with her new punk look and attitude, which is quite the 180 from the Country Bumpkin image she used to fuel her teenage career.
On Saturday she spanked a Twerking dwarf as she sang We Can't Stop on German TV.
Bangerz will be release on October 8 and the album will reportedly feature a collaboration between Miley and Britney Spears.

Cowboy builder: Miley seems pretty handy with a sledgehammer

Scantily-clad: Miley wears underwear for the smash up scenes but loses it to ride the wrecking ball

Don't give up the day job: Miley discovers that manual work can be very tiring

Torment: Miley's attempts at pathos in the video are almost as shocking as the nudity

Losing shock value: Miley endured what could be described as a wardrobe malfunction in Paris on Monday, though given her form it's hard to tell

Twerking with dwarves: Miley spanked one of these dancers during a performance in Germany

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It's the most wonderful time of the year as Christmas draws close. Let Topdowndeals make your holiday shopping a cheer to your heart and relief on your wallets / purses by offering your favorite Video Games & consoles at the cheapest prices. Topdowndeals carries the largest selection of Play Station 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii, DS and 3DS products in Nigeria. 

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We now know Brits cannot be counted on': White House snub as US and France prepare to strike Syria as early as TOMORROW over chemical attack that killed 1,429

We now know Brits cannot be counted on': White House snub as US and France prepare to strike Syria as early as TOMORROW over chemical attack that killed 1,429
U.S missile strikes against Syria could start tomorrow after U.N. weapons inspectors left the war-torn country earlier than expected.
The team of chemical weapons inspectors left their Damascus hotel early today - possibly for neighboring Lebanon - fueling speculation of an imminent attack.
It came as the White House delivered an astonishing snub to Britain following Thursday's shock Commons defeat, with sources saying David Cameron had 'bungled' securing British support for military action and that Britain 'cannot be counted on'.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last night paved the way for war by saying the American intelligence community had 'high confidence' that the regime launched a chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of Damascus last week. 
Britain has been left sidelined in any U.S military action against Syria following the humiliating Commons defeat  - placing strain on the 'special relationship' with the U.S.

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Strike: The team of chemical weapons inspectors left their Damascus hotel early today fueling speculation of an imminent attack

Leaving: U.N. experts arrive at the entrance of the private jet terminal at Beirut international airport, Lebanon, following their departure from Syria

Departure: A Lebanese special forces policeman escorts the U.N. vehicles at Beirut international airport

Mr Kerry pointedly made no mention of Britain during his speech and instead lavished praise on its ‘oldest ally’ France - which looks likely to join the U.S in a missile strike. 
He paid tribute to the French for standing ready to join the U.S in confronting the ‘thug and murderer’ President Bashar Assad. He also praised Australia and even Turkey for their support.
In a passionate speech in Washington, he urged the world to act as he warned 'history would judge us all extraordinarily harshly if we turned a blind eye to a dictator'
President Barack Obama yesterday said he is weighing ‘limited and narrow’ action as the administration put the chemical weapons death toll at 1,429 people - far more than previous estimates - including more than 400 children.
Downing Street insisted the U.S special relationship was still intact following a telephone call between the Prime Minister and Mr Obama.

Decision time: President Barack Obama meets with his national security staff to discuss the situation in Syria, in the Situation Room of the White House

Snub: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry lavished praise on France last night, calling it America's ¿oldest ally¿ as the two countries prepare for a missile strike against Syria

However, White House sources told The Times that David Cameron had 'bungled' securing British support for military action.
Another source with knowledge of how the White House reacted to Thursday's shock Commons defeat, said: 'It came as a real shock to them. They now know the Brits, because of their political system, cannot be counted on.'
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, expressed his frustration. He said: 'I'm disappointed , because we have a very close working relationship with the U.S.
'It is a difficult time for our Armed Forces - having prepared to go into this action  - to then be stood down and have to watch while the U.S acts alone or perhaps acts with France.'

Strain: Prime Minister David Cameron is pictured being driven away from the rear of Number 10 Downing Street last night . He has been left humiliated following Thursday's shock Commons defeat

Hard work: Labour leader Ed Miliband works in his office at Westminster yesterday after inflicting Thursday's humiliating Commons defeat for David Cameron

Halfway around the world, U.S. warships were in place in the Mediterranean Sea. They carried cruise missiles, long a first-line weapon of choice for presidents because they can find a target hundreds of miles distant without need of air cover or troops on the ground.
Seeking to reassure Americans weary after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama insisted there would be no ‘boots on the ground.'
Russia's President Vladimir Putin said today that it would be 'utter nonsense' for the Syrian government to use chemical weapons when it was winning the war, and urged U.S. President Barack Obama not to attack Syrian forces.
Putin said: 'That is why I am convinced that it (the chemical attack) is nothing more than a provocation by those who want to drag other countries into the Syrian conflict, and who want to win the support of powerful members of the international arena, especially the United States,"
Mr Cameron- who spoke to the U.S. President following Thursday's defeat - acknowledged that 'politics is difficult' .
But he said he would not have to apologise to Mr Obama for being unable to commit UK military units to any international alliance.
Setting out the approach he would now take to Syria, the Prime Minister said: 'I think it's important we have a robust response to the use of chemical weapons and there are a series of things we will continue to do.

Destruction: Residents inspect buildings damaged by what activists said were warplanes belonging to forces loyal to Syria's president Bashar Al-Assad in Iskat, near the Syrian-Turkish border

Lone supporter: President Francois Hollande of France is the only country supporting the United States as they contemplate armed action against Bashar Assad's regime over a suspected chemical weapons attack on his own people.

'We will continue to take a case to the United Nations, we will continue to work in all the organisations we are members of - whether the EU, or Nato, or the G8 or the G20 - to condemn what's happened in Syria.
'It's important we uphold the international taboo on the use of chemical weapons.
'But one thing that was proposed, the potential - only after another vote - involvement of the British military in any action, that won't be happening.
'That won't be happening because the British Parliament, reflecting the great scepticism of the British people about any involvement in the Middle East, and I understand that, that part of it won't be going ahead.'
Following the Prime Minister's conversation with the U.S. President, a Number 10 spokesman said: 'The PM explained that he wanted to build a consensual approach in Britain for our response and that the Government had accepted the clear view of the House against British military action.
'President Obama said he fully respected the PM's approach and that he had not yet taken a decision on the US response.
'The president stressed his appreciation of his strong friendship with the Prime Minister and of the strength, durability and depth of the special relationship between our two countries.
'They agreed that their co-operation on international issues would continue in the future and both reiterated their determination to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict by bringing all sides together.'
After leaving Syria, the international contingent of weapons inspectors are heading to laboratories in Europe with the samples they have collected.
Video said to be taken at the scene shows victims writhing in pain, twitching and exhibiting other symptoms associated with exposure to nerve agents.
The videos distributed by activists to support their claims of a chemical attack were consistent with Associated Press reporting of shelling in the suburbs of Damascus at the time, though it was not known if the victims had died from a poisonous gas attack.

The White House released this map detailing its understanding of the areas where chemical weapons were used

U.S. INTELLIGENCE ON THE SOURCE OF SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK

• U.S. intelligence community has 'high confidence,' short of actual confirmation, that the Syrian government carried out the chemical weapons attack on August 21
• Members of the Syrian regime were preparing chemical weapons in the three days prior to the August 21 attack and protected themselves using gas masks
• At least 1,429 Syrians were killed in the attacks, including 426 children
• The weapons were launched from government-controlled areas into opposition-held or contested territory
• The Syrian government has carried out smaller-scale chemical weapons attacks multiple times over the last year
• U.S. intelligence officials 'intercepted communications involving a senior official intimately familiar with the offensive who confirmed that chemical weapons were used by the regime on August 21 and was concerned with the U.N. inspectors obtaining evidence'
• On the afternoon of August 21, intelligence officials learned that Syrian chemical weapons personnel were directed to cease operations

The Syrian government said administration claims were ‘flagrant lies’ akin to faulty Bush administration assertions before the Iraq invasion that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
A Foreign Ministry statement read on state TV said that ‘under the pretext of protecting the Syrian people, they are making a case for an aggression that will kill hundreds of innocent Syrian civilians.’
Residents of Damascus stocked up on food and other necessities in anticipation of strikes, with no evident sign of panic.
One man, 42-year-old Talal Dowayih, said: ‘I am not afraid from the Western threats to Syria; they created the chemical issue as a pretext for intervention, and they are trying to hit Syria for the sake of Israel.’
Obama met with his national security aides at the White House and then with diplomats from Baltic countries, saying he has not yet made a final decision on a response to the attack.
Mr Kerry said yesterday that the credibility and security of the U.S. and its allies are at stake.
'Some cite the risk of doing things,' he said. But we need to ask, “What is the risk of doing nothing?”'

The U.S. intelligence report said that about 3,600 patients ‘displaying symptoms consistent with nerve agent exposure’ were seen at Damascus-area hospitals after the attack.
To that, Kerry added that ‘a senior regime official who knew about the attack confirmed that chemical weapons were used by the regime, reviewed the impact and actually was afraid they would be discovered.’ He added for emphasis: ‘We know this.’

Shortly after Kerry's remarks, President Obama said he is considering a 'limited, narrow act' against Syria

Kerry: Syria's Assad is a thug and murderer

An estimated 100,000 civilians have been killed in more than two years, many of them from attacks by the Syrian government on its own citizens.
Obama has long been wary of U.S. military involvement in the struggle, as he has been with turbulent events elsewhere during the so-called Arab Spring. In this case, reluctance stems in part from recognition that while Assad has ties to Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the rebels seeking to topple him have connections with al-Qaida terrorist groups.
Still, Obama declared more than a year ago that the use of chemical weapons would amount to a ‘red line’ that Assad should not cross.
 And Obama approved the shipment of small weapons and ammunition to the Syrian rebels after an earlier reported chemical weapons attack, although there is little sign that the equipment has arrived.
With memories of the long Iraq war still fresh, the political crosscurrents have been intense both domestically and overseas. 

Kerry: There will be no U.S. boots on the ground in Syria

Dozens of lawmakers, most of them Republican, have signed a letter saying Obama should not take military action without congressional approval, and top leaders of both political parties are urging the president to consult more closely with Congress before giving an order to launch hostilities.
Despite the urgings, there has been little or no discussion about calling Congress back into session to debate the issue.
Lawmakers have been on a summer break for nearly a month, and are not due to return to the Capitol until Sept. 9.
Obama has not sought a vote of congressional approval for any military action. Neither Republican nor Democratic congressional leaders have challenged his authority to act or sought to have lawmakers called into session before he does.

Hundreds died in the alleged chemical attacks on Wednesday, including many women and children

Secretary of State John Kerry said images like these contributed to the U.S. assessment that chemical weapons were used in Syria

Senior White House, State Department, Pentagon and intelligence officials met for an hour and half Friday with more than a dozen senators who serve on the Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. He described the discussion as ‘open and constructive.’
The White House will brief Republican senators in a conference call today at the request of Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a spokesman for the senator, Don Stewart, said.
Obama's efforts to put together an international coalition to support military action have been more down than up.
Hollande has endorsed punitive strikes, and told the newspaper Le Monde that the ‘chemical massacre of Damascus cannot and must not remain unpunished.’
American attempts to secure backing at the United Nations have been blocked by Russia, long an ally of Syria.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged a delay in any military action until the inspectors can present their findings to U.N. member states and the Security Council.

'President Obama will ensure that the United States of America makes our own decisions on our own timelines, based on our values and our interests,' he said. 'Now, we know that after a decade of conflict, the American people are tired of war. Believe me, I am, too. But fatigue does not absolve us of our responsibility.'

Obama says no decision on Syria yet

Military intervention: A US Air Force plane lands at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey yesterday. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said the inspection team in Syria is expected to complete its work by today

He said the U.S. should also feel confident that it has the backing of a number of other nations, including Turkey, Australia, the Arab League and what he called America's 'oldest ally,' France.
Half of Americans say they oppose taking military action against Syria and nearly 80 percent believe Obama should seek congressional approval before using any force, according to a new NBC poll.
The administration supplemented Kerry's remarks Friday with the release of the intelligence report.
'It’s findings are as clear as they are compelling,' Kerry said.
The report concludes with 'high confidence,' short of actual confirmation, that the Syrian government carried out the chemical weapons attack.
'Our high confidence assessment is the strongest position that the U.S. Intelligence Community can take short of confirmation,' the report says.
'We intercepted communications involving a senior official intimately familiar with the offensive who confirmed that chemical weapons were used by the regime on August 21 and was concerned with the U.N. inspectors obtaining evidence,' the report continues. 'On the afternoon of August 21, we have intelligence that Syrian chemical weapons personnel were directed to cease operations.'

British Prime Minister David Cameron failed to secure Parliament's backing for military intervention in Syria

The findings also claim that Assad is the 'ultimate decision maker' for Syria's chemical weapons program and that his regime has used the weapons on a smaller scale against citizens several times in the past year.
'This assessment is based on multiple streams of information including reporting of Syrian officials planning and executing chemical weapons attacks and laboratory analysis of physiological samples obtained from a number of individuals, which revealed exposure to sarin,' the report says. 'We assess that the opposition has not used chemical weapons.' Sarin is a type of nerve gas.
The report further reveals evidence that the regime had been preparing chemical weapons in the three days prior to the attacks and protected themselves using gas masks.
'Syrian chemical weapons personnel were operating in the Damascus suburb of 'Adra from Sunday, August 18 until early in the morning on Wednesday, August 21, near an area that the regime uses to mix chemical weapons, including sarin,' the report says.
The report also cited evidence that the attacks were launched from regime-controlled areas into opposition territory or contested areas.

Calling Assad a 'thug' and a 'murderer,' John Kerry declared, 'History would judge us all extraordinarily harshly if we turned a blind eye to a dictator¿s use of chemical weapons.'

 

Assad propaganda on Syrian TV says 'U.S. evidence is lies'

Several senior officials related before the release of the report that the intelligence was 'not a slam dunk' in terms of tying Assad's regime to the use of chemical weapons.
The term 'slam dunk' is a reference to the then-CIA Director George Tenet's assurance in 2002 that assessments showing that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was a 'slam dunk.'
Kerry assured on Friday that the U.S. will not repeat the mistakes of the Iraq war.
'We are more than mindful of the Iraq experience,' Kerry said. 'We will not repeat that moment.'
He later added: 'Whatever decision [Obama] makes in Syria it will bear no resemblance to Afghanistan, Iraq or even Libya. It will not involve any boots on the ground. It will not be open ended. And it will not assume responsibility for a civil war that is already well underway.'

The administration briefed members of Congress on a conference call Thursday evening to explain its conclusion that Bashar Assad's government was guilty of carrying out a suspected chemical attack on August 21.
Following the call, House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, sided with Republican Speaker John Boehner of Ohio in urging the administration to engage with the full Congress on the matter.
She also said that the administration must provide 'additional transparency into the decision-making process.'

U.S. Government Assessment of the Syrian Government’s Use of Chemical Weapons

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Washington Post sold to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos for $250 million

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SEPTEMBER 28, 2011: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos holds the new Amazon tablet called the Kindle Fire on September 28, 2011 in New York City. The Fire, which will be priced at $199, is an expanded version of the company?s Kindle e-reader that has 8GB of storage and WiFi. The Fire gives users access to streaming video, as well as e-books, apps and music, and has a Web browser. In addition to the Fire, Bezos introduced four new Kindles including a Kindle touch model. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News 3 hours ago Jeff BezosThe Washington Post

In a stunning move, Washington Post Co. Chairman Donald Graham announced on Monday that his family has agreed to sell its storied newspaper to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. The price tag: $250 million.

“Every member of my family started out with the same emotion — shock — in even thinking about [selling]," Graham said. “But when the idea of a transaction with Jeff Bezos came up, it altered my feelings.”

The Graham family bought The Washington Post in 1933.

Like many newspapers in the Internet era, the Post has struggled to maintain its print circulation — and has watched its profits dwindle. Its daily circulation fell 8.3 percent during the fourth quarter of 2012 and first quarter of 2013. The Post now has a daily circulation of 473,000 copies, making it the seventh largest newspaper in America, but just three years ago its circulation was 578,482. As for profits, they plummeted 83 percent during the first quarter of this year.
“The Post could have survived under the company’s ownership and been profitable for the foreseeable future," Graham continued. "But we wanted to do more than survive. I’m not saying this guarantees success but it gives us a much greater chance of success.”
In a separate statement, Graham said he decided to sell "only after years of familiar newspaper-industry challenges made us wonder if there might be another owner who would be better for the Post." Bezos’ "proven technology and business genius, his long-term approach and his personal decency," he added, "make him a uniquely good new owner for the Post."
In a memo to Post staffers, Bezos said the newspaper — perhaps best known for breaking news of the Watergate scandal — would not change its values under new ownership.

To the employees of The Washington Post:

You’ll have heard the news, and many of you will greet it with a degree of apprehension. When a single family owns a company for many decades, and when that family acts for all those decades in good faith, in a principled manner, in good times and in rough times, as stewards of important values – when that family has done such a good job – it is only natural to worry about change.

So, let me start with something critical. The values of The Post do not need changing. The paper’s duty will remain to its readers and not to the private interests of its owners. We will continue to follow the truth wherever it leads, and we’ll work hard not to make mistakes. When we do, we will own up to them quickly and completely.

I won’t be leading The Washington Post day-to-day. I am happily living in “the other Washington” where I have a day job that I love. Besides that, The Post already has an excellent leadership team that knows much more about the news business than I do, and I’m extremely grateful to them for agreeing to stay on.

There will of course be change at The Post over the coming years. That’s essential and would have happened with or without new ownership. The Internet is transforming almost every element of the news business: shortening news cycles, eroding long-reliable revenue sources, and enabling new kinds of competition, some of which bear little or no news-gathering costs. There is no map, and charting a path ahead will not be easy. We will need to invent, which means we will need to experiment. Our touchstone will be readers, understanding what they care about – government, local leaders, restaurant openings, scout troops, businesses, charities, governors, sports – and working backwards from there. I’m excited and optimistic about the opportunity for invention.

Journalism plays a critical role in a free society, and The Washington Post – as the hometown paper of the capital city of the United States – is especially important. I would highlight two kinds of courage the Grahams have shown as owners that I hope to channel. The first is the courage to say wait, be sure, slow down, get another source. Real people and their reputations, livelihoods and families are at stake. The second is the courage to say follow the story, no matter the cost. While I hope no one ever threatens to put one of my body parts through a wringer, if they do, thanks to Mrs. Graham’s example, I’ll be ready.

I want to say one last thing that’s really not about the paper or this change in ownership. I have had the great pleasure of getting to know Don very well over the last ten plus years. I do not know a finer man.

Sincerely,

Jeff Bezos
Katharine Weymouth, Graham's niece and the publisher of the Post, wrote in a memo to staffers, "We have found an owner who will continue the tradition that the Graham family started. Since then, and most especially over the past four decades, The Washington Post has earned a worldwide reputation for tough, penetrating, insightful, and indispensable journalism."

In March, Weymouth said the company was exploring a sale of its 63-year-old headquarters in downtown Washington, made famous in the 1976 Watergate film "All the President's Men."

She added: "Our mission does not change. Nor do the values that have been at the core of The Post’s enduring strength over many decades."

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'The British aren't coming!': US media mock Cameron's failure to deliver on promise to back Obama in strikes against Syria

'The British aren't coming!': US media mock Cameron's failure to deliver on promise to back Obama in strikes against Syria
Britain’s standing on the world stage has suffered an unprecedented blow, with David Cameron mocked on both sides of the Atlantic for failing to back President Obama in intervening in Syria.
Urgent calls were made to the White House last night soon after the government defeat amid claims by one Whitehall official that Britain had ‘handed back its deputy sheriff badge’.
But US newspapers were united in their view that the 'normally reliable Brits' had 'balked' at the prospect of a new conflict in the Middle East, leaving Mr Obama to go it alone.
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Damning: Barack Obama has been forced to go it alone in launching a military strike on Syria without his closest ally in Britain because David Cameron could not persuade MPs to back him

 

Cameron: No need to apologize to Obama

Chancellor George Osborne warned Britain must undertake ‘national soul-searching’ about its place in the world as Defence Secretary Philip Hammond warned the special relationship was now under ‘strain’.
Diplomatic experts also voiced deep concerns that the repercussions for Britain’s standing on the world stage would be long-lasting.

The New York Daily News front page today was the most striking in the States today, featuring a glum picture of Mr Obama with the headline: The British aren't coming! The British aren't coming!'
The Wall Street Journal said 'US prepares for solo strike on Syria after Britain balks' while the New York Times said Mr Cameron had suffered a 'stunning parliamentary defeat' which was a 'sign of Cameron's weakness'.
The Henry Jackson Society said last night's Commons vote has damaged Britain's reputation as a major global power and also sent a worrying message to dictators, while the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) said it was an embarrassment.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY: HOW UK LEFT THE US TO GO IT ALONE

The Wall Street Journal front page read: 'US prepares for solo strike on Syria after Britain balks'

The Washington Post said: 'White House: Obama can go it along on Syria'

The Boston Globe front page read: 'In face of resistance, Obama is ready to act alone'

The New York Times said: 'Obama set for limited strike on Syria as British vote no'

Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown said the defeat in the Commons had left the UK a ‘hugely diminished country’.
The influential Tory grassroots website ConservativeHome said Mr Cameron had suffered 'the worst foreign policy defeat in modern times'.
Mr Cameron had promised Mr Obama he would stand should to shoulder with the US in taking military action against the Assad regime after the devastating chemical weapons attack in Damascus last week.
But he now faces the prospect of attending next week's G20 summit in St Petersburg as a much diminished figure, unable to make commit Britain's military might while sitting around the negotiating table with the world's most powerful leaders.
To add further embarrassment, French president Francois Hollande said his country was prepared to stand alongside America and 'punish' Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
He said: ‘The chemical massacre at Damascus cannot and must not remain unpunished. Otherwise, we take the risk of an escalation that would normalise the use of these weapons, and threaten other countries.
'Each country is free to choose whether to take part in such an operation or not. That holds true for Britain and France.'
Prime Minister David Cameron recalled Parliament to stage an emergency vote to endorse UK involvement in missile strikes.
But MPs voted by 272 votes to 285 to reject Mr Cameron’s motion backing British intervention in principle.
It is the first time that Parliament has voted against the government on a matter of war and peace since 1782, and raises the prospect of the US having to go it alone.
Mr Hammond said: ‘It’s certainly going to place some strain on the special relationship.’
He said the Americans ‘have been surprised by the scale of opposition in Parliament, and perhaps they will struggle a bit to understand the very special reasons that there are for that view in Parliament’.
Downing Street sources stressed that there had been ‘understanding’ from the White House about the outcome of the vote.
But there was acknowledgement that it permanently altered the assumption that Britain and the US would act together in military operations around the world.
Chancellor Mr Osborne insisted the relationship with the US is a ‘very old one, very deep and operates on many layers’ and there had been 'a bit of hyperbole' about the impact of the vote.

But he suggested the UK was now at a crucial crossroads in deciding the role it plays in global politics.
‘I think there will be a national soul-searching about our role in the world and whether Britain wants to play a big part in upholding the international system, be that big open and trading nation that I'd like us to be or whether we turn our back on that,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘I understand the deep scepticism that my colleagues in Parliament many members of the public have about British involvement in Syria.
‘I hope this doesn’t become the moment where we turn our back on the world’s problems.’
White House officials cautiously suggested Mr Obama was prepared to launch strikes against Syria without British support.
But asked if the US would go it alone, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: ‘The opinion of others in this situation matters.’
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said America still wanted to secure international backing for any military intervention.
Speaking during a trip to the Philippines, he said: 'It is the goal of President Obama and our government ... whatever decision is taken, that it be an international collaboration and effort.
'Our approach is to continue to find an international coalition that will act together. And I think you're seeing a number of countries state, publicly state, their position on the use of chemical weapons.'

Humbling of Cameron: Vote on military strike against Syria

Debate: A chastened Mr Cameron was forced by Labour leader Ed Miliband to pledge not to deploy any UK military forces without first staging another Commons vote

But Robin Wright, a Middle East analyst for the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Centre, told The Times that the vote ‘complicates life and this has bigger implications about the nature of the relationship between the United States and its closest ally’.
Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the trans-Atlantic think tank the Henry Jackson Society, said: ‘If not reversed, this vote means the UK will join the rank of third-rate nations, condemned to be the prisoner of events and with no power to shape them.
‘This is a shameful result which will not be readily forgotten by our allies. We can be certain that more atrocities will follow in Syria.’
RUSI director general Professor Michael Clarke said the decision not to go ahead with military intervention would prove an embarrassment for Britain on the international stage.

Ally: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters during a visit to the Philippines that America would still consult Britain

Alarm: Defence Secretary Philip Hammond (left) said the Commons vote put the special relationship under 'strain' while Chancellor George Osborne warned Britain against turning its back on the world

Lord Ashdown, who appeared in front of Lib Dem MPs with leader Nick Clegg yesterday in an attempt to persuade rebels to back the government, wrote on Twitter: ‘In 50 years trying to serve my country I have never felt so depressed/ashamed. Britain's answer to the Syrian horrors? none of our business!’
Labour leader Ed Miliband insisted that the UK-US relationship 'remains strong' despite last night's vote.
He said: 'I do think there's a lesson for Britain, though, which is that we must lead in the right way for Britain from our national interest and indeed our global interest.
'Now sometimes that will mean agreeing with what America is doing and the way it's going about things, and sometimes it will mean doing things in a different way.'

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