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Vote Count: Second Round Of Iranian Presidential Election
26 June 2005 (RFE/RL) -- According to the Interior Ministry's preliminary figures as cited by IRNA, a total of 28 million people voted. With 46.8 eligible voters in Iran, that would put turnout at approximately 60 percent.
17,248,782 (64 percent)
Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani
10,046,701 (36 percent)
More News
U.S. Sends Ukraine 1.1 Million Rounds Of Ammunition Seized From Iran
The United States has transferred to Ukraine 1.1 million rounds of small-arms ammunition it seized from Iran, U.S. Central Command said on October 4. While Ukraine will use the 7.62-mm ammunition seized from Iran in its fight against Russia, Iran has been supplying Russia with the Shahed-136 drones that its forces have used in Ukraine against both civilian and military targets. The ammunition is standard for Soviet-era Kalashnikov assault rifles and many derivatives. Ukraine, as a former Soviet republic, still relies on the Kalashnikov for many of its units. To read the original story by AP, click here.
Attacks On Free Expression Online 'Grew More Common' Around The World
Rights watchdog Freedom House said global Internet freedom declined for the 13th consecutive year in 2023 as attacks on freedom of expression grew more common.
In its annual report on the level of the Internet freedom in the world, published on October 4, the watchdog said that the most serious cases occurred in Iran and Myanmar, where authorities carried out death sentences against people convicted of online expression-related crimes.
In Belarus and Nicaragua, people received "draconian prison terms" for online speech, the report said, adding that this was "a core tactic employed by longtime dictators Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Daniel Ortega in their violent campaigns to stay in power."
The report, titled Freedom On The Net 2023, covers 70 countries in six regions around the world, ranking the Internet in three groups -- free, partially free, and not free.
Iceland, Estonia, and Canada were ranked as most free, with Germany, the United States, Georgia, Armenia, and Serbia also among the top-ranking countries.
China, Myanmar, and Iran were among the countries where the Internet is least free while Russia, Uzbekistan, and Belarus were also among the lowest-ranking countries.
Iran was home to this year's sharpest decline, the report said, as authorities shut down Internet service, blocked the WhatsApp and Instagram social media apps, and increased surveillance during a crackdown on anti-government protests last year sparked by the death of a young woman -- 22-year-old Mahsa Amini -- while in police custody.
The report identified artificial intelligence (AI) as a threat for human rights online, saying that it has enabled governments to conduct more precise and subtle forms of online censorship, surveillance and disinformation campaigns.
"The world's most technically advanced authoritarian governments have responded to innovations in AI chatbot technology, attempting to ensure that the applications comply with or strengthen their censorship systems," the report said.
But AI-powered moderation may struggle to keep up with a surge of unexpected content and expressions of dissent during times of crisis or protests, the report said, and authoritarian governments continue to use other forms of censorship online.
Russia has established a system to block global social-media platforms, Ukrainian news sites, and domestic sites that contradict the Kremlin's narratives over its invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus, which has aided Russia's military aggression, has blocked more than 9,000 websites, including independent news sites.
In its report, Freedom House noted that democratic governments in Europe and the United States also considered or in some cases actually imposed restrictions on access to websites, calling the approach "unproductive."
Iranian Girl's Hospitalization After Subway Incident Draws Parallels With Mahsa Amini's Case
When Armita Garavand and two of her friends tried to enter a Tehran subway station, they were confronted by police officers for not wearing the mandatory hijab.
The officers physically assaulted the 16-year-old Garavand, who later fell unconscious after entering a subway carriage.
Garavand was rushed to the Fajr Air Force Hospital outside Tehran, where she has been in a coma since October 1.
That is according to human rights groups and journalists who claim that Garavand is the latest victim of the brutal enforcement of Iran's controversial hijab law.
Garavand's case, and suggestions of a cover-up by the authorities, has drawn parallels with the events leading up to the death in custody of Mahsa Amini last year. Amini's death soon after she was arrested for allegedly violating the hijab law triggered months of antiestablishment protests.
A source at the Fajr Air Force Hospital, who spoke to RFE/RL's Radio Farda on condition of anonymity due to security reasons, said Garavand had suffered internal bleeding in the brain and was in critical condition.
Garavand is under guard at the hospital, the source said, adding that plainclothes police officers were preventing visitors from entering the intensive-care unit where the teenager was being treated.
The authorities have not commented on Garavand's condition or revealed where she is being treated.
'Severe Physical Assault'
Iran's official news agency, IRNA, has claimed that Garavand fainted after a drop in blood pressure and bumped her head on the side of the subway carriage.
CCTV footage released by IRNA, which appeared to be edited, shows a group of girls without the hijab, or head scarf, entering a carriage. Almost immediately, one of the girls backs off and reaches for the ground. She drags out another girl, who appears to be unconscious, from the carriage.
Masood Dorosti, the head of the Tehran Metro Operating Company, told IRNA that there had been no "verbal or physical conflict" between the young passengers and company employees.
The entrance to Tehran's subway stations are often guarded by police officers or company employees, who deny access to women not observing the Islamic dress code.
Iran's hard-line Fars news agency on October 3 published an interview with Garavand's parents, who said she was not assaulted by police officers in the subway.
"We have checked all the videos, and it has been proven to us that this incident was an accident," her unnamed father was quoted as saying. "We ask people to pray for our child's recovery."
The authorities have been previously accused of forcing family members into making statements that toe the official line.
Hengaw, a Norway-based group that monitors rights violations in Iran, has rejected the official version of events. The group said on October 3 that Garavand was the victim of a "severe physical assault" by members of the notorious morality police and she was targeted due to her "noncompliance with the compulsory hijab."
Hengaw posted what it said was a photo of Garavand lying unconscious in her hospital bed.
On October 4, the group said that "security entities have placed extreme control over her family to prevent any publication of information," and added that "government security agents have seized the mobile phones of all members of Armita's family."
Gavarand, who lives with her family in Tehran, is originally from the city of Kohdasht in the western province of Lorestan, according to information obtained by Radio Farda.
Dadban, an Iran-based rights group, said on October 4 that "Iranian security institutions have said her condition was caused by low pressure -- an oft-repeated scenario from such institutions."
Farzad Seifikaran, a journalist at Radio Zamaneh, a Persian-language broadcaster based in The Netherlands, was the first to report the incident.
Without identifying Garavand, Seifikaran said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on October 1 that a female high-school student was hospitalized following a confrontation with officers.
Iran's Shargh daily, meanwhile, said on October 2 that one of its journalists was briefly detained after she went to the military hospital where Garavand is being treated.
Iranian social media users have drawn parallels with the case of the 22-year-old Amini, whose family maintained that she had been beaten by the morality police while being driven to a Tehran detention facility. Officials claimed that she had fallen into a coma after a dispute with guards due to a preexisting health condition.
During her brief stay at the Kasra Hospital in northern Tehran, images of Amini bleeding from one of her ears cast further doubts on the official narrative.
Reporters Nilufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who helped expose the case of Amini, were arrested. Both have been held in pretrial detention since September and face charges that include "collaborating with the hostile government of America, conspiracy and collusion to commit crimes against national security, and propaganda against the establishment."
Milad Alavi, a journalist at Shargh, said on X that the authorities' refusal to release footage of Garavand inside the subway carriage was creating "mistrust" among the public.
Mohsen Borhani, an Iranian lawyer, suggested that the authorities had prevented many media outlets from reporting on the incident. "Reporting about such an incident is not a crime," he said.
Iran's former crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, an exiled opposition leader, accused the authorities of a "cover-up." He said the authorities could not be trusted after "spreading lies and concealing Mahsa's murder."
Following Amini's death, the Iranian regime has intensified its enforcement of the hijab law, including passing new legislation that penalizes women who fail to observe the compulsory Islamic head scarf with prison terms that can run up to a decade.
Teenager In Coma After Morality Police Apprehend Her In Tehran, Rights Group Says
An Iranian teenager is in a coma at a hospital and under heavy security after an assault on the Tehran subway, a rights group said on October 3. The rights group Hengaw said the teenager, Armita Garawand, had been severely injured after being apprehended by agents of the so-called morality police. Iranian authorities denied security forces were involved and said the girl fainted due to low blood pressure. Iran remains on high alert just over a year after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly wearing a hijab, or head scarf, improperly.
Hundreds Of Iranian Protesters Detained After Marking Anniversary Of Bloody Crackdown
Iranian security forces have detained hundreds of people as protesters in the country's southeast marked the first anniversary of the killing of scores of demonstrators in the region, according to a human rights group.
Haalvsh, a group that monitors rights violations in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan Province, said on October 2 that at least 216 people, including minors, had been arrested across the region since September 30.
At least 104 people were killed when security forces gunned down protesters in the provincial capital, Zahedan, on September 30 last year, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization.
It was single deadliest day of the monthslong antiestablishment protests that rocked Iran last year. The violence in Sistan-Baluchistan, which is home to Iran's Baluch ethnic minority, has been referred to as "Bloody Friday."
Scattered protests have been held in cities and towns across the province in recent days, including in Zahedan, Chabahar, Khash, and Mirjaveh, according to Haalvsh.
The rights group said it has identified 121 of those detained, including 38 minors. Haalvsh said the condition and whereabouts of those detained were unclear.
Iranian officials have not commented on the reported detentions in Sistan-Baluchistan, a restive and impoverished province that borders Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Members of the Baluch minority, many of whom are Sunni Muslims in Shi'a-majority Iran, have long faced disproportionate discrimination and violence at the hands of the authorities.
Sources in Sistan-Baluchistan told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that several of the wards in Zahedan Prison were emptied ahead of the anniversary of the bloody crackdown. One of those detained in Zahedan Prison told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that the detention facility was now overflowing with detainees.
Among those detained in recent days were employees of the Darul Uloom madrasah, or Islamic seminary, and the Makki Mosque in Zahedan.
The associates and relatives of Molavi Abdolhamid, Iran's top Sunni cleric, have also been arrested in recent months.
Abdolhamid, the outspoken Friday Prayer's leader in Zahedan, has publicly criticized the authorities for alleged human rights abuses and repression of Iran's ethnic and religious minorities.
Abdolhamid said senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were responsible for the bloodshed in Zahedan last year, saying security forces shot "indiscriminately" at people after raiding the central mosque in the city and the nearby Great Mosalla, a religious site.
Sources in Sistan-Baluchistan told Radio Farda that Abdolhamid, whose popularity has soared, has been the subject of "intimidation and threats" from the authorities.
As Armenia And Azerbaijan Seek Peace, Proposed Zangezur Corridor Could Be Major Sticking Point
Negotiations over a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan are continuing, even as refugees continue to stream into Armenia following Azerbaijan's military assault on the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh last week.
Senior advisers to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met on September 26 in Brussels, in preparation for a potential meeting between the leaders themselves in Spain on October 5.
A peace deal could -- at least on paper -- put to rest the decades-old conflict between the two sides. But there are broad fears in Armenia that Azerbaijan is not truly interested in peace, and that it may have further designs on Armenian territory -- including carving out territory for a transport corridor -- which could make it politically risky for the Armenian government to sign a deal.
Azerbaijan's 24-hour offensive, which resulted in the surrender on September 20 of the separatist ethnic Armenian leadership that has ruled the territory since the 1990s, has partially resolved one of the thorniest issues that the two sides had been trying to work out: the fate of Karabakh's ethnic Armenian population. Azerbaijan has embarked on an effort to "reintegrate" the Karabakh Armenians into Azerbaijani structures, while the Armenians themselves are fleeing the territory by the tens of thousands.
Pashinian and his allies have said they remain committed to reaching an agreement. "We are very close and have a historic opportunity to sign a peace agreement," parliament speaker Alen Simonian told Armenian public television on September 25. "Endless war is not beneficial for anyone."
Baku and Yerevan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for decades. Armenian-backed separatists seized the mainly Armenian-populated region from Azerbaijan during a war in the early 1990s that killed some 30,000 people. Diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict brought little progress and the two sides fought another war in 2020 that lasted six weeks before a Russian-brokered cease-fire, resulting in Armenia losing control over parts of the region and seven adjacent districts.
In 2022, Armenia and Azerbaijan started talks on a peace agreement that would formally delimit their mutual border, renounce territorial claims against each other, reestablish diplomatic relations, and rebuild transport links that have been broken for more than three decades. Those talks failed to prevent a violent resolution of the Karabakh issue, but they are set to continue as the two leaders work out the other issues on their agendas.
'The Next Big Issue'
The last point -- rebuilding the transport links -- has been one of the most contentious and, in recent days, has prompted much mutual speculation. Azerbaijan and its key ally Turkey have signaled that, at least rhetorically, they are stepping back on one of their demands: that Armenia allow a road through its territory connecting Azerbaijan's mainland and its exclave of Naxcivan. Now that Nagorno-Karabakh has been fully reconquered, the transportation question represents "the next big issue" in Armenian-Azerbaijani talks, wrote Thomas de Waal, an analyst at Carnegie Europe.
At issue is a transportation route that has become known by Azerbaijan's term for it, the "Zangezur Corridor," which was borne out of the cease-fire agreement that ended the 2020 war between the two sides. That deal included a provision committing Armenia to "guarantee the security" of transportation connections between Azerbaijan's mainland and Naxcivan. It didn't specify any particular route, but the shortest way between Naxcivan and the rest of Azerbaijan is through Armenia's Syunik Province, known in Azerbaijan as Zangezur.
The 2020 agreement further stipulated that movement on those routes should be "unobstructed," which led to disagreements about what, precisely, counted as an obstruction. Azerbaijanis initially signaled that they wanted the road to be a true corridor, with no Armenian border or customs officers checking vehicles or cargo as it passed through Armenian territory.
The route would connect Azerbaijan more tightly to Turkey, which shares a border with Naxcivan but not with mainland Azerbaijan. And Azerbaijani and Turkish officials have spoken of the would-be corridor in grandiose terms, as a means of linking the entire Turkic world, from Istanbul to Central Asia, with uninterrupted East-West road and rail connections.
The Armenian side has objected that that would amount to the country losing sovereignty over part of its territory, and a strategically vital part at that: The presumed route of the corridor would pass along the Iranian border, potentially hindering Armenia's access to Iran, one of its key regional allies and trade partners.
Iran, too, has objected, repeatedly hinting that it would not allow its border with Armenia to be obstructed. Armenia's fears were exacerbated by barely veiled threats from Aliyev to impose the corridor by force: "The Zangezur Corridor is a historical necessity," the president said in January. "It will happen whether Armenia wants it or not." Iran has not officially commented on the issue since the Karabakh surrender.
'Open Up, Or Else'
In the days ahead of this month's Azerbaijani offensive, Erdogan used his address at the United Nations Security Council to accuse Armenia of not fulfilling its commitment to open the Zangezur Corridor, a topic heavily covered in Turkish pro-government media. And on the day that the Karabakh authorities surrendered, Hikmet Haciyev, Aliyev's senior foreign policy adviser, made a similar accusation.
It all fed into fears that Azerbaijan, having reestablished control over Nagorno-Karabakh, would not stop there and would eventually extend its advance into Armenia itself.
But after Erdogan met with Aliyev in Naxcivan on September 26 to help celebrate the victory in Karabakh, Aliyev barely mentioned the transportation issue. "The construction of the railway connecting Azerbaijan with Naxcivan and Turkey is also progressing successfully," Aliyev said, not mentioning Armenia at all or using the term "Zangezur Corridor." "The work in the territory of Azerbaijan will most likely be completed by the end of next year."
And as Erdogan returned to Turkey, he spoke with the media accompanying him and said that Armenia wasn't necessary for the project at all. "If Armenia does not pave the way for [the corridor], where will it pass through? It will pass through Iran," he said. "Iran currently considers this positively. So, it would be possible to pass from Iran to Azerbaijan." At a cabinet meeting later in the day, Erdogan reiterated the statement.
Erdogan's argument has not been confirmed by Azerbaijani officials, but the idea was presaged in a September 17 article on Haqqin.az, a website associated with Azerbaijan's security services. It differentiated between a "Western Zangezur Corridor" through Armenia and an "Eastern Zangezur Corridor" through Iran. It concluded: "If Yerevan continues to delay the opening of the Western Zangezur Corridor, then Azerbaijan will open the Eastern Zangezur Corridor with Iran, which means that Armenia will remain outside of yet another strategic project and will once again be a loser."
A senior official in Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to RFE/RL that the Iranian route would be acceptable for Baku. "The ball is in Armenia's court. If this country wants to establish overland communication with the outside world after 30 years of self-imposed isolation, they have to live up to their obligations on the Zangezur Corridor. If not, the communication will be established anyway, but in this case via Iran thus bypassing Armenia," the official said.
As to whether Armenian officials would be able to monitor traffic on the road, the official said that was of secondary concern and would be a matter of negotiations. "The most important [thing] is the opening of the traffic itself," the official said.
Not Pushing Pashinian
Azerbaijan does not want to put additional pressure on Pashinian at a time when he is vulnerable domestically because of public outrage over the fate of Karabakh Armenians, says Fuad Shahbaz, a Baku-based political analyst. Azerbaijani officials fear that domestic turbulence in Armenia could result in revanchist forces coming to power in Yerevan. "Aliyev will give Armenia a bit of time to handle domestic unrest," Shahbaz said.
He noted that Aliyev conspicuously praised Pashinian -- who during the offensive announced publicly that Armenian armed forces would not intervene -- in a victory address to the nation on September 20. "During this period, today and yesterday, Armenia has unexpectedly shown political competence, which we appreciate," Aliyev said.
Aliyev also warned that "We must ensure that the other side does not live with revanchist ideas, and they must also rest assured that we do not have sights on their land. We recognize their territorial integrity."
So, Baku may not push for the corridor to be included in a peace deal but would revisit the question later, Shahbaz suggested: "Azerbaijan may return to the topic but on favorable conditions for Armenia as well, not to trigger more unrest in Yerevan," he said.
Armenian officials have said they have not changed their position on the corridor: They are interested in rebuilding regional transportation connections but reject a road that they wouldn't control. "Armenia has never agreed and will never agree to any sort of extraterritorial or corridor logic," Armenian Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Minister Gnel Sanosian said on September 25. "But at the same time, we are committed to agreements that have been reached at high levels."
Some analysts have suggested that Azerbaijan and Turkey's championing of the Iran option may just be tactical, and that Baku still remains interested in a route through Armenia.
"I don't believe that Azerbaijan and Turkey will forget about connecting Azerbaijan with Turkey via Armenia," said Benyamin Poghosian, the founding director of the Yerevan-based Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies. "The road via Iran can be an alternative but not the main one." He says he believes Baku is merely biding its time and will eventually demand a Zangezur Corridor as well as other territorial concessions.
"Armenia will not be able to say yes to these demands," Poghosian said, "and then Azerbaijan will use the Armenian rejection as a casus belli."
U.S. Imposes Sanctions Aimed At Iranian Drone-Procurement Network
The United States has imposed sanctions on entities in Iran, Hong Kong, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates that the U.S. Treasury Department says comprise a network for the procurement of parts for Iran's drone program.
The network has facilitated shipments and financial transactions in support of a critical component used in Iran's Shahed drones, which Iran has been supplying to Russia for use against Ukraine, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on September 27.
The critical component is known as a servomotor and is used in Iran's Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The OFAC said the sanctions took aim at the procurement of servomotors by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) aerospace organization.
The OFAC said one of the servomotors procured by the network was recovered in the remnants of a Russian-operated Shahed-136 that was recently shot down in Ukraine.
"Iranian-made UAVs continue to be a key tool for Russia in its attacks in Ukraine, including those that terrorize Ukrainian citizens and attack its critical infrastructure," Undersecretary of the Treasury Brian Nelson said in a news release.
Two of the five entities designated for sanctions are Iran-based Pishgam Electronic Safeh Company (PESC) and Hongkong Himark Electron Model Limited. The other three are based in Turkey and the U.A.E., the OFAC said.
PESC has procured thousands of servomotors with one-way attack UAV applications worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for the IRGC, the OFAC said. The company's CEO, Iran-based Hamid Reza Janghorbani, was also designated for sanctions along with Hongkong Himark official Fan Yang, who is based in China.
The OFAC said Fan had represented Hong Kong-based Hongkong Himark in fulfilling servomotor orders worth more than $1 million for PESC. In addition to selling servomotors to PESC, Fan attempted to hide that an Iranian company was behind the shipments by falsifying invoices, the OFAC said.
Hongkong Himark is being designated for having provided or attempted to provide financial, technological, or other support for PESC. The firms based in Turkey and the U.A.E. have been designated for facilitating financial transactions, shipping, and material and technical support for PESC's servomotor procurement from Hongkong Himark.
The sanctions build on designations announced in November 2022 by the OFAC aimed at Iran's Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center. The Iranian firm is subordinate to the IRGC's aerospace organization and designs and manufactures the Shahed-136, the Treasury Department said.
The sanctions freeze any assets the individuals hold in U.S. jurisdiction and block people in the United States from having any dealings with the entities and individuals named.
Iran Claims It Launched Noor 3 Satellite Into Orbit
Iran's Revolutionary Guards successfully launched a third military satellite into orbit on September 27, state media reported, citing Minister of Communications Issa Zarepour. The Noor 3 imaging satellite orbits at an altitude of 450 kilometers above the earth's surface and was launched by the three-stage Qased, or messenger carrier, state media said, which launched its predecessor Noor 2 in 2022. The U.S. military says the same long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also allow Tehran to launch longer-range weapons, possibly including nuclear warheads. Tehran denies U.S. assertions that such activity is a cover for ballistic missile development and says it has never pursued the development of nuclear weapons. To read the original story by Reuters, click here.
Iranian President Says Israeli Normalization Deals Will Fail
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in a CNN interview on September 24 that U.S.-sponsored efforts to normalize Israeli relations with Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, "will see no success." Raisi also said Iran had not said it doesn't want inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog in the country. Israel has moved closer to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco following a U.S.-driven diplomatic initiative in 2020 that pushed for normalization. Establishing ties with Saudi Arabia would be the grand prize for Israel and change the geopolitics of the Middle East. To read the original story by Reuters, click here.
Iran Demands Sweden Act Against Koran Burnings, Urges Release Of Prisoner
Iran has demanded that Sweden take action over Koran burnings before the two countries can exchange ambassadors again, and urged it to release a jailed Iranian citizen, the Foreign Ministry said on September 24. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed the Koran issue with his Swedish counterpart, Tobias Billstrom, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the ministry said. Sweden has seen a series of public burnings of the Islamic holy book. Stockholm has voiced condemnation but said it cannot stop acts protected under laws on free expression.
Iran Says 28 IS Extremists Arrested After Foiling Major Bombing Plot In Tehran
Authorities in the Iranian capital, Tehran, said on September 24 that they had prevented a major "terrorist network" plot to explode 30 bombs in the city and that they had arrested 28 people associated with the Islamic State (IS) extremist group. The Interior Ministry said those arrested had a history of activities in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraqi Kurdistan. It said the arrests had taken place in "recent days" and that the plan was to conduct "30 simultaneous terrorist explosions in Tehran's populated centers." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.
Blinken Suggests Iran Is Not A Responsible Actor In Its Nuclear Program
Iran's decision to bar some UN nuclear inspectors suggests it is not interested in being a responsible actor when it comes to its atomic program, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on September 22. "We tried to work indirectly with Iran as well as with European partners and even Russia and China to see if we can get a return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal ... But Iran couldn't or wouldn't do that," Blinken told reporters. On September 23, the head of the International Atomic Energy (IAEA) condemned Tehran's move to bar multiple inspectors assigned to the country. To read the original story by Reuters, click here.
- By dpa
Woman In Iran Arrested After Head Scarf Protest
An Iranian woman has been arrested after protesting against the compulsory wearing of head scarves, the Norway-based human rights group Hengaw reported on September 22. The engineer, Zeinab Kazemi, was reportedly taken from her home by security forces a few days ago. She had previously received a suspended sentence of 74 lashes on probation. In February Kazemi threw her head scarf on the floor at an event in order to protest against the decision of an engineering association not to admit her to the board because of an ill-fitting head scarf. Members of parliament introduced a new head scarf bill just this week.
Rights Group Says Iran's Security Forces 'Intentionally' Shot Protesters In The Eyes
The Iran Human Rights group (IHRNGO) said the Islamic nation's security forces "intentionally targeted" the eyes and faces of protesters during a violent crackdown on demonstrations last year sparkled by the death of a young woman in police custody for allegedly violating the country's hijab law.
In an analysis published on September 22, the Norway-based rights group said it was able to verify 138 cases of eye injuries sustained during the months-long, nationwide protests in Iran last year. Many of the victims lost vision in one eye, some in both.
"IHRNGO's analysis shows that the brutal crimes committed during the protests by the Islamic republic were planned, coordinated and calculated," said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, head of the rights group.
"The Islamic republic leader, Ali Khamenei, and all the perpetrators of such crimes must be held accountable."
Reports of Iranian security forces shooting protesters in the eyes emerged in the first months of the demonstrations, which began immediately following the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022. The victims say they were purposely singled out before being wounded.
The Iranian government and senior security officials have rejected the accusations.
WATCH: Amateur video shows the moment Erfan Ramizipour was shot in the eyes by Iranian security forces as he took part in mass anti-regime protests in 2022. The 24-year-old is just one of many protesters who have been shot in the eyes, in what appears to have been a deliberate tactic. Now in Germany, he is receiving medical care -- and continuing to battle for justice in his homeland.
The victims include eight children, the youngest a 5-year-old girl, Iran Human Rights said.
Women accounted for 28 percent of those with eye injuries but only 9 percent of deaths, implying the "repressive forces have chosen to intentionally target women's eyes instead of fatally shooting them," the group said in its report.
In a smaller sample collected from the city of Mahabad, northwestern Iran, women constitute 56 percent of those with eye injuries, the group said.
Most eye injuries were caused by pellets made of metal and plastic. In nine of the cases, the injuries were caused by projectiles fired from paintball guns.
The rights group's data shows that Iran's security forces started shooting protesters in the eyes from the first days of protests in September 2022, while the last documented cases are from December 2022.
The actual number of protesters who have been blinded by security forces after being shot in the face is unknown.
The New York Times has estimated some 500 young Iranians were treated in Tehran hospitals for eye injuries during the first three months of the protests.
Iranwire, which documents human rights abuses in Iran, said it had confirmed some 580 cases of blinding in Tehran and the province of Kurdistan alone, "but the actual numbers across the country are much higher."
RFE/RL is unable to verify such reports.
Rights activists have reported several cases of protesters with eye injuries who were arrested in an apparent attempt to be silenced.
In addition to eye and other serious injuries, more than 500 people, including 71 children were killed during the demonstrations trigged by the death of Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating strict dress rules for women.
The widespread unrest represents the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
Government Reportedly Ratcheting Up Pressure On Families Of Dead Iranian Protesters
Iranian security forces are reported to have escalated their actions against the families of protesters killed during widespread protests last year as the government continues to try and put a lid on unrest triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the biggest challenge to the Islamic regime since the 1979 revolution.
Social media posts from the affected families, corroborated by videos, appear to show that memorial ceremonies in at least 19 cities, including Tehran, have been thwarted by Iran's security apparatus, including the western city of Ilam, where the tomb of Mohsen Ghaisari became a focal point of tension when his brother and several others were apprehended.
Ghaisari, a 32-year-old Kurdish Iranian, was fatally shot in the chest and head by a special unit officer during the 2022 nationwide protests after the death of Amini.
Meanwhile, in Qazvin, the family home of slain protester Javad Heydari was raided, leading to the arrest of his elderly father and two siblings, according to Fateme Heydari, Javad's sister.
Despite video showing the incident, Abbas Kazemi, the deputy governor of Qazvin for political, security, and social affairs, denied any official presence at the Heydari residence, framing the incident as a move to "protect local residents."
"The judiciary, the police, the security apparatus, all have collaborated to intimidate us bereaved families," said Farzaneh Barzekar, whose 21-year-old son was killed by security forces a year ago.
Barzekar herself was arrested earlier in September after attending a memorial ceremony for Javad Rouhi, a protester who recently died in prison.
Human rights groups highlighted similar incidents across the country, including the Human Rights Network of Kurdistan, which reported disruptions to memorial ceremonies in several cities, including Kermanshah and Quchan.
At least 500 people have been killed around the country since authorities began the current crackdown on her sympathizers, with thousands more detained or harassed.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Family Of Iranian Teen Calls Off Memorial Amid Heightened Security Presence
Plans to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Nika Shakarami, a 16-year-old protester believed to have been killed by Iranian security forces during widespread protests last year, have been abruptly canceled amid an increased security presence around her grave site and the detention of several people who tried to come and pay their respects.
Nasrin Shakarami, Nika's mother, said in a post on Instagram that "problems" had forced the family to call off a memorial.
"I don't want to endanger the honorable citizens who intended to join us," she wrote, noting the severe consequences handed to those who have voiced dissent over the situation in Iran.
Aida Shakarami, Nika's sister, also took to Instagram, reporting an increased security presence around Nika's grave in recent days. She added that several individuals who tried to pay their respects were detained.
The 16-year-old Nika went missing during protests in September 2022 in Tehran over the death of Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody for allegedly wearing her head scarf improperly.
In her last communication with her friends, she said she was being chased by security forces.
Eight days later, Nika's body was returned to her family. The official cause of death was cited as "multiple blunt force traumas" to the head, though authorities pushed the narrative that her death was a suicide.
The incident echoed what happened to Amini. Authorities have said she fell into a coma soon after her arrest because of health problems. But her family says she was in good health, while eyewitnesses said the 22-year-old was beaten during her arrest.
Amini's family was also denied access to her grave on the anniversary of her death on September 16.
Amjad Amini, Amini's father, was detained outside his home on September 16 and taken to the Intelligence Ministry in his hometown of Saghez for interrogation in what is widely seen as a thinly veiled attempt to keep him from going to his daughter's burial place.
The public anger at Amini's death has widely been seen as one of the biggest threats to Iran's clerical establishment since the foundation of the Islamic republic in 1979.
At least 500 people have been killed around the country since authorities began the current crackdown on her sympathizers, with thousands more detained or harassed.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Iranian Court Sentences Tajik National To Death Over Deadly Attack On Mausoleum
Iran's judiciary has sentenced Rahmatollah Nouruzof, a Tajik national, to death over an attack on the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in the city of Shiraz last month that killed two people.
The head of the judiciary in Fars Province, Kazem Mousavi, said Nouruzof was the main suspect in the attack and that he had admitted to ties with Islamic State (IS).
Nouruzof, also known as Mostafa Islam-Yar, was charged with "waging war against God," "corruption on Earth," and "conspiring against national security" following his armed assault on the Shah Cheragh shrine on August 13. The Mizan news agency reported that he was sentenced to death on two of the charges.
The August attack on the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz was the second of its kind within a year. While initial reports from the ISNA news agency cited four deaths and at least seven injuries in the attack, Mizan recently updated the death toll to two confirmed deaths and seven injuries.
The judiciary said on September 21 that two other minor suspects were "cleared of direct involvement in the crimes as they were unaware of the primary attacker's intentions." They were sentenced to five years of discretionary imprisonment and expulsion from Iran.
A previous attack in October 2022, for which IS claimed responsibility, resulted in 13 deaths and left dozens injured.
Iran's Intelligence Ministry said in a statement on November 7, 2022, that the "main element directing and coordinating the attacks inside the country" was a citizen of Azerbaijan. It also reported the detention of 26 foreign nationals, primarily from Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, in the case.
In December, indictments were issued for five other individuals linked to the Shah Cheragh attack.
In early 2023, Shiraz's Revolutionary Court sentenced two of them, Mohammad Ramez Rashidi and Seyed Naeim Hashemi Qatali, to public execution. All five were identified as foreign nationals and members of the IS terrorist group. The remaining three people detained received lengthy prison terms.
The execution of the two Afghan nationals in July was met with concerns from human rights activists who questioned the fairness of the judicial process and the lack of evidence proving their guilt.
The Iran Human Rights group said the sentences issued to Rashidi and Qatali were not legally valid and were based on forced confessions. The two were hanged in a public execution on July 8.
Iran has seen a surge in executions this year, a trend that has drawn widespread domestic and international condemnation with critics saying that many judgements are rushed through the judiciary while "sham" trials and forced confessions are routine.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Iran's President Says U.S. Should Ease Sanctions To Demonstrate It Wants To Return To Nuclear Deal
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said on September 20 that relations with the United States can move forward if the Biden administration demonstrates it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, and a first step should be easing sanctions. He told a news conference that the Americans have reached out through several channels "saying they wish to have a dialogue, but we do believe that it must be accompanied by action." "So talk alone is not going to do it," Raisi said. But action on sanctions can be "a solid foundation for continuing" discussions. The Iranian leader added: "We have not left the table of negotiations." To read the original story by AP, click here.
As 'Misery' Rises In Iran, So Does People's Determination To Move Abroad
Iranians are more miserable than ever, according to recently released figures, at a time when a large segment of the population is reportedly considering leaving their country for good.
Iran's "misery index" stands at more than 60 percent, according to the latest quarterly study compiled by the government-funded Iranian Statistics Center. The index, which factors in inflation and unemployment figures and is seen as a predictor of everything from crime levels to economic stagnation, rose by 1.2 percentage points over the previous quarterly survey.
The misery index was highest -- 69.5 percent -- in the western Lorestan Province, which has seen violent protests over water shortages in recent years and has among the highest unemployment and inflation rates in Iran.
The increase comes amid a flurry of reports highlighting the government's concerns over the number of Iranians who want to emigrate in search of a better life abroad, resulting in loss of capital, professionals, and skilled workers.
"Confidential" internal correspondence purportedly from the Information Ministry suggested this week that a government survey had indicated that "young men of higher education and financial capabilities, particularly in big cities," were the most willing to leave Iran.
RFE/RL is unable to verify the accuracy of that and other documents leaked by the Qiyam Ta Sarnguni, a group affiliated with the banned Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization.
Another "confidential" document recently leaked by the group online, this time from the presidential office's Center for Strategic Studies and reportedly sent to Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, noted "a wide wave of [people] who desire to emigrate." The assessment, which traditionally does not account for medical workers who are known to seek careers abroad, was described as "an alarm" that signals the ineffectiveness of efforts toward "controlling the motives of immigration and indifference toward the country."
The brain drain of tech specialists, health-care professionals, and educators from Iran has been well documented in the past year, following a brief respite when many international sanctions were lifted on Iran under an historic nuclear deal signed with world powers.
But with the withdrawal of the United States from the deal in 2018, the agreement faltered and the return of crippling U.S. sanctions targeting key export industries has posed significant obstacles to Iran's already dire economic situation. Iranians have additionally struggled in recent years with soaring inflation and record unemployment.
Tehran's harsh response to protests across the country -- both by struggling industrial workers and farmers suffering severe water shortages in recent years, as well as supporters of the country's Women, Life, Freedom! movement who have voiced their anger at the clerical establishment -- appears to have pushed many Iranians to consider leaving for good.
An ongoing purge of academics at Iranian universities, government pressure on medical workers treating protesters injured in the brutal clampdown on dissent, and restrictions and Internet slowdowns on tech-savvy companies have all been cited as contributing factors to the latest round of brain drain.
Another document leaked by Qiyam Ta Sarnguni in August, this time allegedly from the Information Ministry, suggests that officials are seeking to prevent the "emigration of scientific and elite groups." The document also claims that the emigration of elite talent is "limited to the field of health treatment" and is due to the "intensification of economic and livelihood problems in the country."
The Farhikhtegan newspaper, the official mouthpiece for Tehran's Islamic Azad University, has said that 6,500 doctors and medical specialists left the country in 2022. And Mohammad Mirzabigi, the head of Iran's nursing system, told the semiofficial ILNA news agency recently that "between 100 and 150 nurses emigrate every month," according to RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
Injured protesters who spoke to Radio Farda have indicated that harassment against health-care workers has also led some to go abroad for treatment. "The main reason [for emigrating] was the treatment of my eye, because in Iran, doctors were under pressure [from the government], and I couldn't ask any more of them," Maysam Dehghani, a protester who sustained a severe injury at the hands of Iran's security forces, said this week.
There are also indications that the desire to leave the country is not unique to the elite.
In an interview with ILNA this summer, Daud Beginejad, the vice president of Iran's Real Estate Consultants Association, said that the flight of housing developers posed a "very dangerous" threat to Iran's future.
Half of Iran's university students and graduates have decided to emigrate -- accounting for more than 66,000 people, according to Bahram Salvati, the director of the Iranian Migration Observatory, a research institute based at Tehran's Sharif University that itself came under pressure in August after it was given an eviction notice.
Salvati has also cited Iran's unstable Internet, which the authorities have slowed or shut down amid protests, as a cause for start-up companies to leave for Turkey and other countries in the region.
The list of skilled workers seeking to emigrate goes on, including midwives, pilots, truck drivers, and construction workers.
Outside organizations have noted the impact, with the European Union's Agency for Asylum reporting this year that Iranian asylum applications to the EU had "more or less doubled" this year compared to the same period in 2022, with more than 13,000 applications.
Saeed Moaidfar, head of the Iranian Sociological Association, explained in a recent interview with the Jamaran news website the deep-seated "reasons behind people's" desire to emigrate.
"A migration wave occurs when a deep economic crisis in the field of production, employment, inflation, and other issues coincides with other crises," Moaidfar said. "It means, for example, that this person or persons have reached the point where their political system is not sufficient to overcome an economic crisis, or they feel that nepotism is used instead of meritocracy."
According to the Iranian Migration Observatory, about 2.2 million Iranians, accounting for some 3.3 percent of the population, left the country for work or other reasons last year. The vast majority -- 62 percent -- do not want to come back after leaving, with more than 90 percent saying they distrust the government's pledges of opportunities at home.
With neighboring countries experiencing rapid growth, Iranian officials are expressing fear that the country could become "an island devoid of opportunities."
Mehdi Ghazanfari, the head of the National Development Fund, said in a recent interview with an economic publication that the lure of life abroad could leave Iran without "manpower and opportunities" and that "the day will come" when the country will become a training center for other countries' workers.
Written by Michael Scollon based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Mahsa Amini, Activists From Afghanistan, Georgia Nominated For EU's Sakharov Prize
Mahsa Amini and the women of Iran were nominated for this year's Sakharov Prize, the European Union's top rights prize, the EU Parliament said on September 20. Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in Iran last year while in custody for an alleged hijab infraction, was nominated by the parliament's three largest blocs, making her the favorite to be chosen for the award in December. Afghan education activists Marzia Amiri, Parasto Hakim, and Matiullah Wesa were nominated, as were the "pro-European people of Georgia" and Nino Lomjaria, former public defender of Georgia. The award will be presented in December.
Iran's Persian Caravanserai Recognized As UNESCO World Heritage
Caravanserais were roadside inns built along ancient Iranian routes, providing shelter, food, and water to caravans, pilgrims, and travelers. These establishments were pivotal to the Silk Road trade network, contributing significantly to the development of Persian and Islamic culture.
Iranian Deputies Vote To Toughen Penalties For Women Flouting Dress Code
Iran's parliament has unveiled the text of a contentious hijab and chastity bill aimed at confronting, detaining, and penalizing women who fail to observe the compulsory dress code amid a fierce debate over the rules, which have drawn criticism both inside the country and abroad.
The bill was approved by 152 deputies -- 34 voted against and seven abstained -- on September 20, just four days after the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini while the 22-year-old was in custody for an alleged hijab infraction.
The legislation empowers three intelligence agencies -- the Ministry of Intelligence, the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organization, and the Intelligence Organization of the Judiciary -- along with police, the Basij paramilitary forces, and the Command of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong to take action against women who break the rules.
The legislation, which is being implemented on a three-year trial basis, also touches on the need for broader gender segregation in universities, administrative centers, educational institutions, parks, and tourist locations, and even in hospital treatment sections. It proposes severe penalties, including imprisonment up to 10 years and fines for women who defy the mandatory hijab law.
A United Nations fact-finding mission said in a statement last week that the law will "expose women and girls to increased risks of violence, harassment, and arbitrary detention."
According to Article 50 of the bill, anyone who appears in public places or streets in a state of nudity or seminudity, or with a dress that is considered as too revealing, will be immediately apprehended by officers and handed over to the judiciary. Those arrested will face imprisonment or a fine, and if the offense is repeated, the imprisonment or fine will be increased.
The bill also stipulates that anyone who is judged to have insulted the hijab, promoted nudity, immodesty, or an improper hijab, or performs any behavior that promotes them will be sentenced to a fine and, at the discretion of the judicial authority, a ban on leaving the country and a ban on public activity on the Internet for six months to two years.
The bill also prohibits commissioning work or advertising from individuals or legal entities that promote non-hijab values in their activities inside or outside the country, or in any media, including social media.
The hijab became compulsory for women and girls over the age of 9 in 1981, two years after the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The move triggered protests that were swiftly crushed by the new authorities. Many women have flouted the rule over the years and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.
The death of Amini released a wave of anger that has presented the Islamic regime with its biggest challenge since the revolution.
The Women, Life, Freedom protests and civil disobedience against the compulsory hijab have swept the country, involving tens of thousands of Iranians, many of whom were already upset over the country's deteriorating living standards. Campaigns were also launched against the discriminatory law, although many have been pressured by the state and forced to leave the country.
The protests have also been buffeted by the participation of celebrities, sports stars, and well-known rights activists, prompting a special mention of such luminaries in the legislation.
In the face of the unrest, some religious and government figures have repeatedly advocated for a tougher stance by the government against offenders, even going as far as encouraging a "fire-at-will" approach against noncompliant women.
While the protests have shown some signs of waning, resistance to the hijab is likely to increase, analysts say, as it is seen now as a symbol of the state's repression of women and the deadly crackdown on society.
Russia-Iran Ties Have Reached New Level, Says Russian Defense Minister
Relations between Russia and Iran have reached a new level despite opposition from much of the Western world, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on September 20 during a visit to Tehran. "We are aiming at an entire range of planned activities, despite opposition from the United States and its Western allies," the Interfax news agency cited Shoigu as saying. "Sanctions pressure on Russia and Iran shows its futility, while Russian-Iranian interaction is reaching a new level."
Iranian President Urges U.S. To Demonstrate It Wants To Return To The 2015 Nuclear Deal
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on September 19 that his country will never give up its right "to have peaceful nuclear energy" and urged the United States "to demonstrate in a verifiable fashion" that it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Addressing the annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, Raisi said the American withdrawal from the deal trampled on U.S. commitments and was "an inappropriate response" to Iran's fulfillment of its obligations. Iran has long denied ever seeking nuclear weapons and continues to insist that its program is entirely for peaceful purposes. But UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi said in an interview with the Associated Press that the Iranian government's removal of many cameras and electronic monitoring systems installed by the International Atomic Energy Agency make it impossible to give assurances about the country's nuclear program. To read the original story by AP, click here.
Iranian Misery Index Hits New High As Unemployment, Inflation Rise
Iran's Misery Index, a calculation that combines unemployment and inflation rates, has risen to 60.4 percent, its highest point ever and more than double what it was six years ago.
The index, calculated by the Iranian Statistics Center and released on September 18, shows how the average citizen is faring economically.
The latest data, the center said, showed a 1.2 percentage point rise at the end of the first quarter, and in some provinces, such as Lorestan, the index reached almost 70 percent.
The index shows the depths to which Iran's economy has been ravaged by U.S. sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program.
In 2018, when then U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of a global deal on Iran's nuclear program and reintroduced sanctions on Tehran, the Misery Index stood at 38.9 percent.
In response to declining living standards, wage arrears, and a lack of welfare support, Iranians have taken to the streets to protest living conditions and demand government action.
In Lorestan, the province's annual inflation rate was reported at 57.1 percent for the month of June, making it one of the highest among Iran's 31 provinces. Meanwhile, Lorestan's unemployment rate was 12.4 percent, the second-highest nationally.
The Misery Index showed provinces such as Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari -- both of which had readings in the high 60s -- aren't lagging far behind. Sistan-Baluchistan, which has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 12.8 percent, was also hard hit, the index shows.
The Tehran-based Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper cited experts who underscored the importance of the Misery Index in gauging stagflation within an economy.
The index is also seen as a barometer for societal issues, with a direct link to crime rates and even instances of suicide. The publication highlighted that in the past year, 22 of Iran's 31 provinces have reported a Misery Index surpassing the national average.
The death in September 2022 of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly has added fuel to the unrest, as Iranians demonstrate against a lack of freedoms and women's rights.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
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U.S. tablet shipments soar during holidays, threaten to surpass PCs
Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook's prediction that tablets would one day outsell personal computers appears to be coming true.
Holiday season shipments of tablet computers touched a record 52.5 million, up 75 percent from a year ago, as consumers snapped up a wide range of the touch-enabled mobile devices and lower priced offerings, according to International Data Corp (IDC), which tracks both markets.
Growth of the tablet market handily outpaced that of personal computers, with PC shipments sliding 6.4 percent to 89.8 million in the October-December period.
In another sign of the rise of tablets, Apple, the No. 1 seller of tablets, shipped 22 million of them in the fourth quarter, compared with 15 million personal computers shipped by No. 1 PC seller Hewlett-Packard Co during the same period.
But increasing competition means that Apple's one-time stranglehold on the tablet market continues to loosen. The market share of its iPad fell to 43.1 percent in the fourth quarter from 51.7 percent the previous year, IDC said.
Samsung Electronics, the No. 2 seller of tablets with its flagship Galaxy brand, captured 15.1 percent of the market, more than double its 7.3 percent share a year earlier.
Software maker Microsoft Corp, which launched its Surface with Windows RT tablet during the holidays, shipped about 900,000 units, IDC said.
Microsoft has been banking on Surface to showcase its new Windows 8 software to compete with Google Inc's Android-based tablets and the iPad.
Amazon.com Inc, despite having a wider range of products for the holidays, saw its share slip to 11.5 percent from 15.9 percent. Asian manufacturer Asus, which makes the Google-branded Nexus 7 tablet, saw a its share increase to 5.8 percent from 2 percent, IDC said.
IDC's figures underscore the sliding fortunes of PC makers such as HP and Dell Inc, which is now in the process of taking itself private.
"New product launches from the category's top vendors, as well as new entrant Microsoft, led to a surge in consumer interest and very robust shipments totals during the holiday season," said Tom Mainelli, research director, tablets, at IDC.
"The record-breaking quarter stands in stark contrast to the PC market, which saw shipments decline during the quarter for the first time in more than five years," Mainelli said.
(Reporting By Poornima Gupta; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Auroras in the Northern Rockies
Auroras in the Northern Rockies
"No Frame": If you'll be framing this piece on your own, choose this option, and we'll include a 1" white border around the print to make the job easier.
"Frame - Mat": This includes a 2" mat, and the finished piece will be about 6" wider and 6" taller than the image size.
"Frame - No Mat": With this option, the image takes up the entire space within the frame, and the finished piece will be about 2" wider and 2" taller than the image size.
All of our framing is built to order in the US by hand, so expect some slight variation in the above dimensions.
Don't see exactly what you're looking for? Ask us about custom sizes, framing options, or specialty paper types.
Limited Edition of 3
Garret Suhrie
View the full collection by Garret Suhrie: www.purephoto.com/garretsuhrie
I am a Los Angeles based travel and landscape photographer, with an education in painting and art history. My formal training has greatly influenced my art, as I focus mainly on long exposures and painting with light. I simply traded in my paintbrush for a flashlight. The night is often mysterious and magical, a peculiar feeling I try to embody in my work, using light to capture the surreality of dreams in waking life.


text:
This program has been archived.
Division of Computing and Communication Foundations
Exploiting Parallelism and Scalability (XPS)
|Anindya Banerjee
|(703) 292-7885
|Tracy Kimbrel
|(703) 292-7924
|Tao Li
|(703) 292-8238
|Amy Apon
|(703) 292-7939
|Mimi McClure
|(703) 292-5197
|Rajiv Ramnath
|(703) 292-4776
|Aidong Zhang
|(703) 292-5311
PROGRAM GUIDELINESSolicitation 16-507
Important Information for Proposers
A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 22-1), is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after October 4, 2021. Please be advised that, depending on the specified due date, the guidelines contained in NSF 22-1 may apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.
Computing systems have undergone a fundamental transformation from the single-core processor-devices of the turn of the century to today's ubiquitous and networked-devices with multicore/many-core processors along with warehouse-scale computing via the cloud. At the same time, semiconductor technology is facing fundamental physical limits and single-processor performance has plateaued. This means that the ability to achieve predictable performance improvements through improved processor technologies alone has ended. Thus, parallelism has become critically important.
The Exploiting Parallelism and Scalability (XPS) program aims to support groundbreaking research leading to a new era of parallel computing. Achieving the needed breakthroughs will require a collaborative effort among researchers representing all areas -- from services and applications down to the micro-architecture -- and will be built on new concepts, theories, and foundational principles. New approaches to achieving scalable performance and usability need new abstract models and algorithms, new programming models and languages, and new hardware architectures, compilers, operating systems and run-time systems, and must exploit domain and application-specific knowledge. Research is also needed on energy efficiency, communication efficiency, and on enabling the division of effort between edge devices and clouds.< /p>
What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)
Map of Recent Awards Made Through This Program


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Resource Library
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text:
We've already shared our favorite items from Ikea's 2013 product catalog, but what we didn't know was that as of July 31st, the catalog itself will be an interactive product of the latest augmented-reality technology.
iOS and Android users who download the Ikea catalog app, will be able to unlock video features, interactive experiences with products on the page, photo galleries and additional decorating inspiration.
Developed by the creative agency McCann, the AR app is a project that the Swedish build-it-yourself furniture empire has been working on for quite a while, since 2011 when they first expressed interset in bridging the print/digital divide. Linus Karlsson, Global Chief Creative Officer of McCann, explained to Wired that replacing the paper catalog with an entirely digital product wouldn't make sense, "If you had a magazine that had 211 million copies in circulation, you just would't end it. That would be crazy."
With this added digital layer, shopping Ikea's collection will become a little bit easier—an "X-ray" feature allows you to peer inside cabinets, for example, making a trip to the brick-and-mortar store potentially unnecessary. (Not enough of Ikea's collection is available for purchase online to cut out a trip to the store entirely.)
And if reading the catalog with this app makes your in-person shopping experience quicker, less chaotic, and more goal-oriented, you might even be spared the infamous Ikea hangover—the result, I imagine, of walking dizzying paths through endless pre-fab installations, plus too many Swedish cafeteria meatballs and the sugar crash that comes after downing a large lingonberry punch. [Wired via Slashgear]


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My Five Favorite Christmas Treats
This past weekend I spent hours slaving away in the kitchen making countless batches of Christmas treats. I am trying to stockpile these treats for when my family herd shows up for Christmas. Some of these treats are my favorite because my mom made them when I was little, and others I have come to love as an adult.
Almond Roca
This is so rich, buttery and delicious. It is the one Christmas treat my mom always made when I was growing up. It's just not Christmas without this crunchy treat.
I never really liked this as a child, but I love it now. My favorite is chocolate, of course, but you can get fudge in almost any flavor.
Peanut Butter Blossoms
These are my husband's favorite. They have a very light peanut butter flavor and a giant chocolate kiss in the middle. I'm normally not a big fan of peanutty treats, but these are the exception.
Sugar Cookies
These are the most fun of all the Christmas treats to decorate. I could spend hours making these delicious treats. Nothing gives you that sugar kick, quite like a sugar cookie does.
Gingerbread Cookies
Nothing says Christmas like gingerbread. The thick, dark molasses taste in the cookie pairs perfectly with any Christmas drink – eggnog, hot cocoa or hot buttered rum.


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Read Lisp, Tweak Emacs (Beginner 4/4): "How can I add more features? How do I deal with errors?"Posted: - Modified: | emacs, elisp
Previous module: "How can I make things more convenient?"
Some conventions we'll use:
- Inline code will be
boxed and monospacein the HTML version and generally surrounded by
equal signsin plain text.
- Code samples will be monospace and in boxes in the HTML version, and enclosed in
#+end_srcin plain text. Example:
(message "Hello world")
After this module, you'll be able to:
- load libraries so that you can add new features or set configuration variables
- install and configure packages in order to add more features to your Emacs
- understand and fix common errors
- learn more! =)
Adding more features to Emacs
Most Emacs libraries are not loaded automatically. This saves memory and keeps things simpler. Some of the customizations you may want to make require that other parts of Emacs are loaded first. For example, if you want to define a key for the
c-mode-map (used for editing C code) or add a function to
org-mode-hook (called when a buffer is set up with Org Mode), those libraries need to be loaded first. You can load libraries by using
require, like this:
(require 'org)
This loads the
org library.
require looks for a file named after the name provided to it, loads it, and double-checks that the library includes
(provide 'feature-name-goes-here). It signals a
Cannot open load file error if the library is not found. If the library exists but does not provide that symbol, you'll get a
Required feature FEATURE was not provided error instead.
Note that the symbol you give to
require might not be the same as the function you call. For example,
c-mode is actually defined in the
cc-mode library, while
org-mode is defined in
org. To find out what file a function is defined in, use
C-h f (
describe-function) followed by the name of the function. The first line will tell you what file the function is defined in, if any. For example,
c-mode's definition starts with:
c-mode is an interactive autoloaded compiled Lisp function in `cc-mode.el'.
The first part of the filename (before the
.el or
.elc) is usually what you would use with
require. If you have the source installed (the
.el file), you can look for the
(provide ...) expression to find the actual symbol to use.
Installing packages
Emacs comes with a lot of code, but there are even more packages out there. When you read other people's Emacs configurations, you might come across other interesting packages to try out.
Sometimes people don't indicate which packages they use, so you have to guess the package name based on the function. For example,
(global-auto-complete-mode) turns on a completion mode called
auto-complete-mode in all buffers. Before you can use this, you will need to install the
auto-complete package. In general, you can find package names by looking at functions that include
mode in their name, removing
turn-on, and other prefixes as needed.
The default package repository in Emacs 24 has a limited number of packages. For more choices, you may want to add another repository such as MELPA or Marmalade Here's the code that you would run in order to add these repositories to your Emacs:
(require 'package) (add-to-list 'package-archives '("melpa" . "http://melpa.milkbox.net/packages/")) (add-to-list 'package-archives '("marmalade" . "http://marmalade-repo.org/packages/"))
Note that MELPA includes many packages under active development. If you prefer to install only the packages marked as stable, replace the MELPA line with this:
(add-to-list 'package-archives '("melpa-stable" . "http://hiddencameras.milkbox.net/packages/"))
If you're connected to the Internet, use
M-x package-refresh-contents to update the list of packages. Use
M-x package-list-packages to list the available packages.
RET displays the package's description.
i marks the current package for installation, and
x actually performs the operations. If you know the name of the package you want to install, you can skip the list and use
M-x package-install instead.
A lightweight list of the key functions defined by packages is loaded after your
init.el is run. You can start that initialization earlier by adding
(package-initialize), which is useful if you want to call functions that are defined in packages.
Sometimes people want to install some packages on one computer but not on another. Here's some code that runs some configuration if the
miniedit package can be loaded, but silently continues if the package has not been installed.
(when (require 'miniedit nil t) (miniedit-install) (define-key minibuffer-local-map (kbd "C-c e") 'miniedit))
If you use
C-h f (
describe-function) on
require, you'll see that it has one required argument (feature) and two optional arguments (filename, noerror).
require returns non-nil (or true) if the library was loaded, so if the library exists, then the rest of the code inside the
when expression gets called.
Along those lines, you may come across code that looks like this:
(eval-after-load "dash" '(dash-enable-font-lock))
This runs
(dash-enable-font-lock) only after
dash is loaded. It does not automatically load
dash. You'll see this when people have configuration that they want to run only if something is loaded, which can make sense for performance reasons. When you're starting out, you may want to use
require instead of
eval-after-load, since the argument to
eval-after-load has to be quoted.
Other Emacs Lisp files
Some files are not yet available as packages. If you search for the function, you'll probably find a webpage with an
.el file. You can save those to your computer and load them with:
(load "/path/to/file")
You can also use this technique to split up your Emacs configuration file into smaller files. For example, you might have an
org-config.el file, a
programming-config.el file, and so forth. If you would like to load a host-specific file only if it exists, you can take advantage of the optional
NOERROR argument for
load like this:
(load (concat "~/.emacs.d/" (system-name) ".el") t)
Want to find out what that filename is? Position your cursor after the
".el") and use
C-x C-e (
eval-last-sexp) to see the value in the buffer.
C-h f (
describe-function) to learn more about the
load function, including other arguments you can pass to it.
If you would like to use the
require syntax to load files only if they haven't already been loaded, you can do that as long as they include the
(provide ...) expression somewhere. First, you'll need to add your downloaded Emacs Lisp file to the
load-path with something like this.
(add-to-list 'load-path "/path/to/dir/with/el/files")
Then you can use
require to load the Emacs Lisp code if it exists.
(require 'feature-name)
"Oh no! I have an error!"
Part of learning Emacs is having the confidence to experiment, which you can develop by learning how to recognize and deal with different errors.
If you've already added the code to your
~/.emacs.d/init.el, you can start Emacs with
emacs --debug-init to display debugging messages, or you can start Emacs with
emacs -q to skip your personal configuration. Before reporting a bug with Emacs or with a package, use
emacs -q (or
emacs -Q, which skips site-wide configuration as well) to see if it works as intended without your personal configuration.
To make it easier to find errors while Emacs is running, use
M-x toggle-debug-on-error, then do whatever you did to trigger the error. You will probably see a detailed list of functions called in the
*Messages* buffer. If you find this useful, you can enable this by default in your
~/.emacs.d/init.el. Add:
(setq debug-on-error t)
If you have code that takes a while, you might find the
debug-on-quit variable or the
M-x toggle-debug-on-quit function useful as well. You can quit a long-running operation by using
C-g (
You can narrow down the source of the problem by progressively commenting out more and more of the code. Make sure you comment out balanced sets of parentheses. To comment a region, select it and use
M-x comment-region. You can use
M-x uncomment-region to uncomment it.
M-x comment-dwim (do what I mean) guesses whether you want to comment or uncomment something, and has the handy keyboard shortcut
Here are some common error messages and how you can try fixing them. If you don't see the error you're struggling with here, ask the relevant mailing list, help-gnu-emacs, the #emacs channel on irc.freenode.net, or StackOverflow for help. Good luck!
Scan error: "Unbalanced parentheses" or "Containing expression ends prematurely"
You may have pasted in something that has a "
(" but no matching "
)", which results in unbalanced parentheses. Alternatively, you may have pasted in something that has "
)" but no "
(", which results in a premature end. You can use
M-x check-parens to quickly check for mismatched parentheses, or try reading the code carefully in order to find the mismatched pair. You can also use
C-M-f (
forward-sexp) and
C-M-b (
backward-sexp) to navigate by complete expressions until you find the specific one that causes the error.
Cannot open load file: …
The code is trying to require or load a file that Emacs can't find.
- Have you installed the appropriate package? Use
M-x list-packagesto see if it has been packaged into a form that's easy to install. You may need to add other sources to your
package-archivesto see a wider range of packages.
- Have you downloaded it manually and added it to your
load-path? See the notes on load-path for more details.
- If you're using
load, does the file exist?
Lisp error: (void-function …)
The code calls a function that has not been defined.
- Have you installed the appropriate package? Look at the function name and try to guess the name of the package. People usually start the function name with the package name in order to make the function names unique. Use
M-x list-packagesto see the available packages. You may need to add other sources to your
package-archivesto see a wider range of packages.
- If you downloaded the library manually,
- If you're copying some code that isn't packaged in a library, check if there are any
defun(define function) expressions that you forgot to copy. Make sure to include and evaluate those.
Symbol's value as variable is void: _
The code is trying to get the value of a variable that has not yet been set. See if there's other code that you need to evaluate first in order to set up those variables. If the expression involves
add-to-list or
add-hook, you may need to use
require to load the library that defines that list or hook first.
You might also get this if you're using
C-x C-e (
eval-last-sexp) to evaluate an expression that's inside
let or other things that create variables. When you're starting out, make sure you use
C-x C-e (
eval-last-sexp) after the outermost set of parentheses.
I'm using C-x C-e (eval-last-sexp) and I don't get the results I expected
Make sure you call
C-x C-e after the outermost
) for the expression you want to evaluate.
(ido-mode 1) ^ | +---- Your cursor should be here
If the code you're looking at has multiple expressions, you'll need to call
C-x C-e after each of them. It might be easier to select the region and use
M-x eval-region, or evaluate the entire buffer with
M-x eval-buffer. Alternatively, use
M-x ielm to evaluate the code instead.
Again, if you don't see the error you're struggling with here, ask the relevant mailing list, help-gnu-emacs, the #emacs channel on irc.freenode.net, or StackOverflow for help. Good luck!
Wrapping up the beginner course
I hope that this course has helped you become more comfortable with reading and tweaking Emacs Lisp configuration code from blog posts, wiki pages, and other resources. There's much more to learn, of course. With
describe-variable, and the ability to quickly experiment with Emacs Lisp code without restarting Emacs all the time, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it! If you'd like to review or refer to this course, you can get it as one page at http://emacslife.com/how-to-read-emacs-lisp.html .
Check out An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp, and delve into the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual for more details. Both are available within Emacs as Info manuals, which you can read with
C-h i (
info). Look for the
Emacs Lisp Intro and
Elisp entries, and browse through those manuals for more details. To search the current info manuals, type
s (
Info-search). To search all info manuals, use
M-x info-apropos.
If you liked this or you have other questions, please get in touch – email@example.com. I'd love to hear from you, and I'm happy to help with other Emacs questions you may have. Good luck and have fun!
More links:
- http://bzg.fr/learn-emacs-lisp-in-15-minutes.html
- http://harryrschwartz.com/2014/04/08/an-introduction-to-emacs-lisp.html
- http://toumorokoshi.github.io/emacs-from-scratch-part-3-extending-emacs-with-elisp.html
- An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp: A bit abstract, but a good place to start. Read it even if you don't understand everything. Read it again. Refer to it frequently. Graduate to the Emacs Lisp reference manual when you're more comfortable (or if you need to look up details).
- http://ergoemacs.org/emacs/elisp.html: Good collection of idioms and common uses.
- http://joelmccracken.github.io/entries/emacs-lisp-for-hackers-part-1-lisp-essentials/: Starts with ielm, focuses on data structures; other parts?
- http://cjohansen.no/an-introduction-to-elisp: Focuses on Emacs Lisp as a way of extending Emacs, uses programming examples (test cases)
- http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/01/emergency-elisp.html


text:
Irish Today Hungover Tomorrow St. Patrick's Day Slouchy Tee - Off The Shoulder Slouchy T-shirt
We are offering two styles of the slouchy tee in Viscose/Polyester Blend. (Out of Stock) FIRST OPTION (SD): S - STANDARD SLOUCHY TEE has a touch less length than our second option, however, with no less slouch. It has a stretchy neckline that allows for wear as a scoop neck, off one shoulder or both. Order up a size only if you are looking for extra slouchiness. SECOND OPTION: L - A BIT LONGER SLOUCHY TEE has a tunic fit and tapered length that can be gathered at the hip, worn pulled down as a beach cover up, or paired with leggings for full coverage. It is soft and lightweight, but is a bit less stretchy as our STANDARD option. It is a bit longer for maximum coverage with a little less sleeve material. It can be worn as a scoop neck or off of one shoulder. White tee is slightly sheer.
Turnaround Time
T-shirts, stickers, bathing suits and other non-personalized items*** can take 1-5 business days to ship from our Florida warehouse. Please message us at email@example.com for our rush and express shipping options if you need an order in-hand, sooner than our standard turnaround times.
***Keep in mind that if you purchase custom items along with this item your turnaround time will be extended to custom merch timeline.


text:
This is my second wallpaper challenge!
My close friend said that she loves white haired boy characters. N to think about that … me too!.
N in this challenge, all of u only have to make a wallpaper with white haired character on it. Remember, just the white haired one. But, u can put more than one character on the wallpaper as long as his/her hair is white. (not just for boys character, u can make the girls too if u want). It can be from any anime or games. Up to u.
Rules :
- It must be ur own work.
- Tell me the site where do u found the main picture that u used for the wallpaper. (But it's okay if u forgot where d u find the picture. I sometime forget them too.)
- Please tell me how u made them. (at least u can just tell me what program n brushes d u use (if u remember the names of course) )
- U can submit as many as u want.
Prize :
Beside medals, u'll have :
1st : 3 wallpapers & 2 cards
2nd : 2 wallpapers & 1 card
3rd : 1 wallpaper
I'll be judging fairly, especially from ur creativities n the wallpaper (high) qualities.
Have fun n have a nice day!
Editted :
Argh! I wish I can chose 6 winners!!!
Thanks a lot for ur participation, guys!
About why I chose those three as the winner for my challenge, that bcoz :
1. Rogue Elemental by Samird
Bcoz this one is the most creative wallpaper in this challenge. From the base he draw it himself and add some effects on it. The sizes also awesome!. (I told u before, right? If I'll chose especially by creativity n the wallpaper high quality)
2. Gintoki's pet puzzle by Izsah
The second of the most creative wallp in this challenge. The idea is great. She made the main pict into puzzle. Even on the wide screen version it looks kinda stretched, but somehow it still looks nice (which normally would looks bad). The highest size also looks great! (Even in some part the pieces aren't looks really neat, but it still looks great. The creativity gave a very high point!)
3. Light Star Fly! By Starwing12
Actually, I was confused to chose between Starwing's or SakuraDust's here. I wanna chose SakuraDust's wallp bcoz the quality is so great! But, then … Starwing's wallp, even the quality isn't so high, but it looks really pretty with the effects (brushes) she/he used. N the main factor why I chose Starwing's wallp here bcoz the main picture of her/his wallp is rather difficult to rendered(vectored)! But She/He still did it n the result is nice!
Yup! These r what I think. Once again, thanks a lot for ur participation, friends! I hope u all didn't mad at me, n still want to join my next challenge (If I make it).
Thanks! (*bows*)


text:
Verily, verily I say unto you (John 6:53-56) – Thomas Tallis
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Verily, verily I say unto you, composed by Thomas Tallis (1505-1585)
Performed by St. Joseph choir of Wekerle. Gergely Kaposi conducts the orchestra of Matthias Church.
Tallis: Verily, verily I say unto you / The Tallis Scholars sing Thomas Tallis: Spem in alium / Gimell Records
A Tallis Anthology composed by Thomas Tallis (1505-1585). Edited by John Milsom. Arranged by Milsom. For Mixed Choir. Mixed Voices. Sacred. Choral Collection. 128 pages. Published by Oxford University Press (OU.9780193534100).


text:
shown on heathered charcoal
Design is white. White designs show up best on black, dark colors and bright colors. If you choose a very light color for your shirt, it will not show very well.Available on District Perfect Triblend Racerback ladies' cut tank top.
- Side seamed
- 50/25/25 poly/combed ring spun cotton/rayon
- curved hem


text:
CAIRO (REUTERS) - A new 5 per cent surtax on the incomes of wealthy Egyptians will last for three years, the finance minister said on Saturday, less than three weeks before the country elects a new president.
Mr Hany Dimian said the tax, approved by the cabinet last week, would apply to those earning more than one million Egyptian pounds (S$177,250) annually in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He said the first payment would be due in January 2015.
Those subject to the tax would be given the choice of whether their funds should go towards public projects in education, health, agriculture, housing or infrastructure.
The temporary tax had been under discussion for several months, but its approval comes shortly before a May 26-27 presidential election which is widely expected to be won by former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The measure still needs to be passed by Interim President Adly Mansour before it can be implemented.
Social justice and fairer distribution of wealth were among the demands of protesters who ousted veteran president Hosni Mubarak in Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring revolution. Elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi was removed by the army last year in the wake of mass protests.
The turmoil has hammered the economy, driving away foreign investors and tourists.
The country of 85 million has been struggling to curb a budget deficit that swelled to around 14 per cent of gross domestic product last year. It is under pressure to cut subsidies that eat up around a fifth of its budget, but risks triggering protests if it does so.
In a television interview this week, Sisi said energy subsidies could not be lifted quickly and insisted he would intervene to protect the poor from rising prices. But he did not spell out details of how he would manage the economy of the largest Arab state.


text:
The 6th house in astrology is where you will find your health habits, your daily routine, be it your job, the way in which you work out, spend time with your small pets or on the other extreme, bad habits such as drinking, excessive porn and over eating. The 6th house is ruled by Virgo a sign of service and order in Astrology.
Sun in the 6th house indicates you are very much a person that requires order in your daily life. You prefer going to the gym at the same time each day and you are happiest when working and getting things done. You may have a natural affinity towards pets and may spend quite amount of time with those in your household.
Moon in the 6th house indicates you are nurturing toward those in your work environment, your career and health may fluctuate due to the nature of the moon, seeing how the moon is naturally ruled by Cancer this placement may indicate stomach problems and upsets which are directly tied in to your immediate environment. You look for emotional fulfillment in your job choice
Mercury in the 6th house indicates a lot of communication is involved in your daily life, perhaps you are in a job that requires you speak quite extensively on a daily basis as well as multi tasking. Probably highly efficient with an ability to think quickly, only concern is you may "over think" or have nervous energy surrounding the work environment
Venus in the 6th house shows when you need a job one will be their waiting, I have worked with someone for many years that never even applied to work at my place of employment, some how the company discovered his resume via his college website. Sidenote: his degrees aren't even in the same field. May indicates laziness tendency at work because you are accustomed to all your coworkers liking you and experiencing a general ease with work or laziness may manifest in the sense you stay at a job instead of looking for another. Looking good is important so is having an attractive work area. Avoid over eating and over doing it at the gym as this placement of Venus can be prone to excess.
Mars in the 6th house may indicate disagreements in the work place due to your forceful nature. You want to get things done and may have a bulldog in a china shop approach wanting things instantly and your way. This energy is served well along with Mars in the 10th house in careers in the military and police force where direct force and aggression is required
Jupiter in the 6th house similar to Venus but with amplified effects (Jupiter and Venus are considered the great benefics in astrology) be careful of over working, over drinking and over eating. Jupiter represents expansion, just make sure that isn't referring to your waist line.
Saturn in the 6th house indicates you may take on many responsibilities in the work arena or you may feel burdened and have a sense of never being able to get ahead. With that being said you are a very hard worker, even if there are delays in recognition… you will still continue to honor your responsibilities and then some. Saturn is ruled by Capricorn and Capricorn rules the skin, acne and rosacea may be an issue as well as bone ailments
Uranus in the 6th house screams sudden changes in work, maybe you will start our a nurse then you will become an air traffic control agent and then maybe you will quit everything and work at a surf shop on a beach some where. Sudden, erratic and unexpected changes in your chosen profession including starting jobs and suddenly quitting. This position dictates you prefer a job that is NOT 9 to 5. You are drawn to unconventional careers that offer a lot of room to breathe.
Neptune in the 6th house: watch the consumption of alcohol!! Neptune rules escapism and the 6th house rules health habits..need I say more! You would be happiest in careers related to health or where you can be of service to others as Neptune tends to be self-sacrificing. fictious ailments that feel real are quite likely. You absorb the energy of the environment around you so you should try to work in fields that offer harmony
Pluto in the 6th house can indicate obsession with routine, may pick up and become obsessed with fad diets or work to the point that health suffers. Obsessions manifest in terms of health routine and daily work habits.


text:
Our mission is to provide the equine breeding industry with high quality breeding equipment & supplies perceived as reliable and affordable, complimented by customer service that exceeds your expectations.
Please Contact us if you have questions, would like volume pricing or need us to help you build a complete lab.
Please log in for quick re-orders and easy check out.


text:
A Chinese official today denied accusations that the government was responsible for attacks that accessed hundreds of Google Gmail accounts.
"The so-called allegations that the Chinese government supports hacking is completely fabricated with ulterior motives," said Hong Lei, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a Beijing press briefing today.
On Wednesday, Google announced it had disrupted a targeted phishing campaign designed to hijack Gmail accounts belonging to senior U.S. and South Korean government officials, military personnel, Chinese activists and journalists.
Google said it had traced the identity theft attacks to Jinan, China, a city in eastern China that was linked to the December 2009 attacks on Google's network. Those attacks eventually prompted Google to transfer its search engine from China to Hong Kong.
According to the Reuters news service, the U.S. is looking into Google's claims.
"We are obviously very concerned about Google's announcement regarding a campaign that the company believes originated in China," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters Thursday. "We take them seriously, we're looking into them."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will lead the inquiry, Clinton indicated. The FBI did not reply to Computerworld's request for comment on the investigation.
Lei also called Google's accusations "unacceptable," and said "China is also a victim" of hacking.
But the most caustic comments came from Xinhau News Agency, the Chinese government's official press arm.
In an editorial published on the agency's Web site, Yang Lina blasted Google, saying it was "impudent...to lash out at others without solid proof to support its accusation" and calling the U.S. company's complaint "chimerical."
"Furthermore, it is not appropriate for Google, a profit-first business, to act as an Internet judge," said Lina.
Google credited its internal abuse detection systems, designed to warn it of suspicious behavior by Gmail accounts, for kick-starting its investigation, but also gave a tip of the hat to Mila Parkour, a Washington D.C.-based independent security researcher who reported on the Gmail phishing campaign in mid-February.
Unlike the attacks in late 2009 that targeted Google and dozens of other Western corporations, the phishing campaign did not try to plant malware on victim's PCs, said Parkour today.
The earlier attacks, dubbed "Aurora," had exploited a then-unpatched vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) to let hackers infiltrate Google's corporate network and make off with confidential information.
But Parkour noted that the phishing attacks included components that sniffed out the antivirus software on victims' computers, perhaps for follow-up assaults. "Their script gathered info about the installed AV type, probably for real malware attacks later," Parkour said in an email reply to questions.
Parkour did not report her findings directly to Google -- "It was not a zero day, just some old way to dupe," she said -- but simply posted her findings on her Contagio Malware Dump blog.
Among the emails Parkour uncovered were ones that spoofed sending addresses from the U.S. Department of State and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, hinting that the targets worked in the same agencies.
Parkour was most concerned with the attack's aggressiveness and its attempt to hijack Gmail accounts, which then gave the hackers the ability to either read the messages directly in the inbox or secretly forward selected messages to a secondary account.
"It is an old-school approach, but it worked and worked well," she said.
Sam Masiello, chief security officer at Return Path, a New York City-based email certification company, agreed that the Gmail phishing campaign was nothing new.
"It was no different than any other phishing campaign other than the type of people who were being victimized," said Masiello, who pointed out that, contrary to some headlines yesterday, Google or Gmail were not hacked.
"There was no vulnerability in Gmail," Masiello said. "But these types of folks have access to a lot of privileged information."
Masiello also noted that once the hackers had a victim's Gmail account password, they could try to hijack his or her official government or military account using that same password. "Some people do have a habit of using the same password for multiple sites and accounts, so there could be a potential tie there, as well," said Masiello.
Google said it had notified victims and secured their accounts. The company also spelled out steps all Gmail users can take to better protect themselves against phishing attacks.
"There is no such thing as too many reminders and too much user education," said Parkour. "It helps especially when [people] see how easy it is to fall for simple tricks."
Google declined to comment about the attacks or the timetable of its investigation, and instead pointed to the Wednesday blog post by Eric Grosse, the director engineering on Google's security team.
Read more about security in Computerworld's Security Topic Center.