Iran election: What does Hassan Rohani mean for the United States?

The United States is taking a wait-and-see attitude toward Iran?s election of Hassan Rohani, generally perceived as the moderate, reformist candidate and the surprisingly clear winner in Friday?s presidential vote.

Initial statements from the White House and the State Department are cautiously welcoming.

?We admire the courage of the Iranian people who went to the polls and made their voices heard in a rigidly controlled environment that sought to limit freedom of expression and assembly,? said Secretary of State John Kerry. ?We remain concerned about the lack of transparency in the electoral process, and the attempts to censor members of the media, the internet, and text messages. Despite these challenges, however, the Iranian people have clearly expressed their desire for a new and better future.?

Would that ?new and better future? include changes in policy as it applies to regional security and a relationship with the United States that has remained tense since the Islamic revolution of 1979 overthrew Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi?

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The US will watch closely for any change to Iran?s nuclear policy and also to its support for the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

While Rohani?s victory puts him in charge of an executive branch that traditionally has taken the lead in handling the economy, nuclear efforts, defense, and foreign affairs remain primarily in the hands of the ruling clerics and their powerful protectors, the Revolutionary Guard, the Associated Press noted Sunday. Rohani, a former nuclear negotiator, has called for reaching out to the international community but has little authority over Iran?s nuclear activities tied to sanctions.

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On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against easing sanctions on Iran, saying the international community must not get caught in "wishful thinking" and ease the pressure on Tehran. "The more pressure increases on Iran, so will the chance of ending Iran's nuclear program, which remains the biggest threat to world peace," Mr. Netanyahu said. "Iran will be tested by its deeds."

There?s been no indication that the US position differs from Israel, nor is it likely to on Syria. ?Although Rohani argues for constructive interactions with other countries and although he supports applying a softer political tone ? as opposed to the combative, controversial and provocative language that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or other hardliners utilize ? when dealing with the international community and regional state actors in regards to Syria, Rohani has not called for an overall sweeping shift in Iran's foreign policy,? writes Middle East scholar Majid Rafizadeh on CNN?s web site Sunday. ?For instance, Rohani has neither asked Assad to step down from power nor pressed to halt the Islamic Republic of Iran's military, intelligence, financial, and advisory support to Damascus.?

Other experts see in Rohani the possibility for change here.

?Rohani is, as we say in Persian, more bazaari than resistance, meaning he?s more a dealmaker than a rigid ideologue,? Karim Sadjadpour, an Iranian American and analyst for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the Washington Post. ?It?s true that Iran?s existing foreign policy principles are pretty entrenched, but he may be able to impact them, at a minimum tactically.?

For President Obama and his national security team, Rohani represents ?the best hope for detente with Iran,? Mr. Sadjadpour said.

For Americans, Iran?s election reflects ? if nothing else ? a vibrant voting democracy in a nation former present George W. Bush labeled a member of the ?Axis of Evil? (along with North Korea and Iraq). Voter turnout there was estimated at 73 percent ? higher than the 58 percent turnout in the 2012 US presidential election ? and the winner was a political moderate who had pledged to ?destroy extremism.?

But Iranians living in the United States ? mostly in southern California, and largely those who had supported the Shah and fled during the 1979 revolution ? remain skeptical.

?Some Iranians in Tehran are dancing in the streets. But here in Los Angeles, home to the largest community of Persians outside Iran, the reaction has been muted,? writes Robert Faturechi in the Los Angeles Times.

?It?s really sad that we?re hoping a Shia cleric is going to lead us out of the religious system,? said Siamak Kalhor, host on an Iranian-language radio station in Los Angeles, who voted absentee for Rohani. ?We?re hoping a mullah is going to save us out of the mullahs? hands?. It just shows, in hell there are certain dragons that are so scary that you find shelter among lions.?

?He is more liberal, quote unquote, than the others, but he?s not a reformist,? said Homa Sarshar, an Iranian activist and media personality. ?For me, they?re all the same.?

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-election-does-hassan-rohani-mean-united-states-154450670.html

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Shrinking soaps vie for Daytime Emmy Awards

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) ? It's survival of the fittest among shrinking soap operas at the Daytime Emmy Awards.

Sunday's ceremony pits the only four remaining soaps still airing on the broadcast networks against one that found new life on the Internet.

Top-rated "The Young and the Restless" takes on last year's winner "General Hospital," ''Days of Our Lives," ''The Bold and the Beautiful" and online refugee "One Life to Live" for best daytime drama honors.

Among daytime talk shows, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" had a leading 11 nominations.

"Good Morning America" weather anchor Sam Champion, along with HLN network's A.J. Hammer and Robin Meade, host the ceremony airing live at 8 p.m. EDT on HLN.

The 40th anniversary of the Daytime Emmys will be recognized with a past, present and future theme woven throughout the two-hour show airing from the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills.

Reflecting the current era of dwindling daytime audiences, network budget-cutting and the cancellation of some soaps, the awards show is being aired by cable news channel HLN, having lost its longtime home on the broadcast networks last year.

The Daytime Emmys moved back to Southern California last year after being in Las Vegas for two years, and its ratings, like many of the daytime shows it celebrates, have bounced up and down in recent years. Last year, HLN scored its highest numbers ever for a scheduled non-news broadcast when it aired the awards for the first time.

In an effort to liven up the proceedings, the night's biggest winners will be chatted up on stage by celebrities right after their acceptance speeches.

CBS and PBS came into the night tied with a leading 13 creative arts Daytime Emmys from last Friday's ceremony honoring technical and other behind-the-scenes achievements.

Kevin Clash, who played the Elmo character on "Sesame Street" before resigning last November, won three trophies, including outstanding performer in a children's series.

Clash left the PBS show amid allegations that he sexually abused underage boys. His attorney has said that related lawsuits filed against Clash are without merit. He played Elmo for 28 years and has a total of 26 Daytime Emmy awards.

Ziggy Marley won for outstanding original song, writing the music and lyrics for "I Love You Too" for the Disney Channel show "3rd & Bird!"

Syndicated shows were second with nine creative arts trophies, followed by HUB Network and Nickelodeon with seven each. ABC received four awards, while Disney Channel and NBC had three each. In a sign of changing times, Facebook and YouTube each received a trophy.

Overall this season, CBS' "The Young and the Restless" had a leading 24 nominations, while ABC's "General Hospital" was next with 19.

"One Life to Live," along with the venerable "All My Children," ran for more than 40 years on ABC until both were canceled. Each has since been revived online with much of their casts intact, leaving just four soaps still airing on the broadcast networks compared to a dozen in 1991.

"General Hospital" is celebrating its 50th anniversary, while "The Young and the Restless" recently marked 40 years on the air.

"The Young and the Restless" co-stars Peter Bergman, Doug Davidson and Michael Muhney are up against each other Sunday night for best actor in a daytime drama, along with Jason Thompson of "General Hospital."

Best daytime actress nominees are Susan Flannery, who has since retired from "The Bold and the Beautiful," Peggy McCay of "Days of Our Lives," Michelle Stafford of "The Young and the Restless," and Heather Tom of "The Bold and the Beautiful," who won the last two years.

Among the presenters are Alex Trebek, Dr. Drew, Kathy Griffin, Kris Jenner, Rachael Ray and Steve Harvey.

Meade, the HLN morning host, will show off her vocal chops by singing both best song nominees, with Sheryl Crow and Little Big Town vying for the trophy.

The show will pay tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award winners Monty Hall and the late Bob Stewart.

Now 91, Hall hosted the popular "Let's Make a Deal" game show starting in the 1960s. He helped make the phrase "Door No. 1, Door No. 2 or Door No. 3" part of the pop culture vernacular. Wayne Brady, who currently hosts a revived version of the show on CBS, will present Hall with his award.

Stewart, who died last year, created such game shows as "The Price is Right," ''To Tell the Truth," ''Password" and "The $10,000 Pyramid." Betty White, enjoying a career revival at 91, will honor Stewart.

Jess Walton of "The Young and the Restless" and actor Corbin Bernsen will introduce the in memoriam segment, which will include his mother, Jeanne Cooper, the grand dame of "The Young and the Restless" who died last month at 84. Italian opera trio Il Volo will sing during the tribute.

___

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shrinking-soaps-vie-daytime-emmy-awards-142642145.html

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Mobile phone dealers fined Lastupdate:- Sun, 16 Jun 2013 18:30:00 ...

Srinagar, June 15: As many as eight mobile phone dealers in the City have been fined for allegedly overpricing Chinese brand of mobile phones, an official handout said.
?On the instructions of Secretary Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, field executives of Legal Metrology department booked eight retail-outlets of mobile phones/mobile & computer accessories/rechargeable batteries for flouting the norms of imported Packaged Commodities, the handout said.
?The Inspector, Legal Metrology Sgr? booked two dealers at Lal Chowk locality for selling Chinese(Imported) mobiles at exaggerated MRP. The? MRP printed on the label of mobile was? Rs 1100/=? whereas the same mobile was being sold to a customers at Rs 2000/=?? at the time of inspection, it added.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 15 Jun 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 15 Jun 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:00:00 IST

Source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2013/Jun/16/mobile-phone-dealers-fined-17.asp

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One size security doesn't fit all for SMBs: Kaspersky | IT Business

SAN FRANCISCO ? Many small businesses view IT security as either a daunting undertaking or an unnecessary expense, but some form of security is necessary for any small business, and it?s not a case of one-size fits all.

In an interview at Kaspersky Lab?s annual security reviewers summit, Tiffany Rad, a security researcher with the Russian vendor?s global research and analysis team, told ITBusiness.ca that while a certain level of protection is necessary for any small business, the level of protection needed will vary based on their threat level and risk tolerance.

?To understand what your threat is, you need an understanding of what your assets are and what your risks are,? said Rad. ?Those are the factors that need to be weighed to determine what you need, and whether putting in an enterprise-level security suite and physical security is necessary or practical.?

For example, a business with an e-commerce storefront or that handles credit card information will want to keep that information secure with a higher level of protection. Also, many small businesses are part of a larger supply chain, handling components of projects for larger contractors. A small business could be viewed as a weak point to access that sensitive information.

?You need to recognize who your clients are, what types of products or services they?re offering, and if it might be of interest to malicious actors,? said Rad.

Smaller companies and ?mom and pop? operations have also been a growing target of financial malware, said Rad, due to the perception that they?re less secure and less aware of security issues than larger companies.

?(They think) it may be easier to hit a bunch of smaller companies, as opposed to one very large company with strong security in place,? said Rad.

At a minimum, Rad said any business that uses e-mail needs to at-least have anti-virus protection. A growing risk for SMBs though is mobile threats, with smartphones being targeted and often containing as much sensitive corporate data as a laptop. Too often laptops aren?t protected either though, said Rad. Many SMBs will pick up a laptop at Best Buy, use the pre-loaded software for the free three months, and then never renew it after expiry.

?It?s better to have something than nothing, and there are ways to get protection on a limited budget,? said Rad. ?I recognize cost concerns, but there are alternatives.?

When it launches its 2014 consumer suite in mid-August, Kaspersky will be taking a multi-device approach with a new offering, Kaspersky Internet Security Multi-Device. It will include licenses for all of Kaspersky?s platform offerings ? Kaspersky Internet Security for PC, Kaspersky Internet for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Android (merging formerly separate solutions for smartphones and tablets) so a household can protect all their assorted devices with one purchase.

?We?re changing it so the consumer gets the understanding of what they need for their different devices, and all will have the Internet Security nomenclature,? said Elliot Zatsky, senior director of consumer partner services for Kaspersky Lab. ?Increasingly people are doing the same thing on different devices. It?s the same Internet, and they need to be protected.?

For PCs, Kaspersky will also continue to offer Kaspersky Pure Total Security and Kaspersky Anti-Virus.

A unified management console will follow in September, called Kaspersky Protection Center. It?s an online web portal that will provide one place where users can manage all their devices, see their license status, get real-time status of their protection and, with Android devices, remotely manage their settings and access anti-theft tools.

Source: http://www.itbusiness.ca/news/one-size-security-doesnt-fit-all-for-smbs-kaspersky/36358

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Culprit implicated in neurodegenerative diseases also critical for normal cells

June 13, 2013 ? The propensity of proteins to stick together in large clumps -- termed "protein aggregation" -- is the culprit behind a variety of conditions including Huntington's, Alzheimer's, and mad cow diseases. With this notoriety, protein aggregation is considered to be a bad accident of nature that happens when protein structure is mismanaged. But new research published online on June 13th in the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell shows that, when kept in balance, protein aggregation has beneficial functions that allow cells to organize themselves in both time and space. The findings will be valuable as researchers design treatments for diseases that involve this process.

"We discovered that protein aggregation is a way cells can create spatial patterns in molecules called transcripts, which are the intermediaries between the DNA and proteins," says senior author Dr. Amy Gladfelter of Dartmouth College. Positioning transcripts in specific places allows the cells to control where the encoded proteins are made and can influence the localization and function of proteins. "This work redeems or elevates protein aggregation as not simply a terminal or negative function, but opens it up for examination as a mechanism exploited by cells for diverse purposes," says Dr. Gladfelter.

Key to this process is a repetitive stretch of a protein building block called glutamine, which is known to serve as a glue for protein aggregates in disease. Through studies in yeast, Dr. Gladfelter and her team found that this repetitive stretch of glutamine is also used to cluster proteins for a normal cellular process, namely the regulation of a cell's division cycle. They note that many other proteins that are not associated with disease have similar glutamine stretches in their sequences.

"We hypothesize that many cell functions may be spatially organized by taking advantage of these repetitive glutamine tracts that are surprisingly common in many types of proteins," says Dr. Gladfelter.

As more examples of useful protein aggregation are identified, it should become clear how aggregates are regulated so that they do not reach toxic levels associated with diseases. "Understanding how this 'sweet spot' of aggregation is achieved will be useful for understanding pathways that are misregulated in established protein-aggregation disorders," explains Dr. Gladfelter. Also, as therapies are developed to treat protein-aggregation-based pathologies, it will be critical to consider that there may be many useful aggregates that should not be destroyed in the process of treating disease-causing aggregates.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Cell Press, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. ChangHwan Lee, Huaiying Zhang, Amy?E. Baker, Patricia Occhipinti, Mark?E. Borsuk, Amy?S. Gladfelter. Protein Aggregation Behavior Regulates Cyclin Transcript Localization and Cell-Cycle Control. Developmental Cell, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2013.05.007

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/69ctqy-xzBM/130613124307.htm

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House considers jail term for military sex assault

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The House is heading toward passage of a sweeping defense bill that reflects the outrage among lawmakers over the growing number of sexual assaults in the military.

The legislation is expected to be completed Friday and includes a measure requiring a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison for a member of the armed services convicted of rape or sexual assault in a military court.

"Being in a military uniform should not be a get-out-of-jail card," said Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, who proposed the measure that House lawmakers included in the bill authorizing spending for the 2014 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

The additional punishment is part of a series of steps lawmakers have taken to tackle the growing problem of sexual assault. Both the House and Senate appear determined to shake up the military's culture in ways that would ensure victims that if they report a crime, their allegations won't be discounted and their careers won't be jeopardized.

Once completed, the House bill must be reconciled with the Senate's version.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said Thursday the panel's 2014 defense policy bill included a provision requiring an automatic review by an individual higher in the chain of command should a commander decide not to prosecute an allegation of sexual assault. The committee's bill also would make it a crime to retaliate against victims who report a sexual assault and would strip commanders of the authority to dismiss court-martial convictions.

Levin called the automatic review provision "a very significant protection and assurance of the seriousness with which allegations are going to be taken and not simply swept under the rug by a lawyer or by anybody."

The full Senate will take up the committee's bill in the coming weeks.

The House Armed Services Committee last week approved provisions in the defense bill that included stripping military commanders of the power to overturn convictions in rape and sexual assault cases. The panel also voted to require that anyone found guilty of a sex-related crime receive a punishment that includes, at a minimum, a dismissal from military service or a dishonorable discharge.

Officers, commissioned warrant officers, cadets and midshipmen convicted of rape, sexual assault, forcible sodomy or attempts to commit those offenses would be dismissed under a mandatory minimum sentence. Enlisted personnel and noncommissioned warrant officers convicted of similar crimes would be dishonorably discharged.

Turner and other lawmakers argued on Thursday that they needed to add a minimum sentence to that punishment. Yet several Democratic women opposed the step, arguing that while confinement was appropriate, Congress should wait for a Defense Department report on sentencing guidelines.

Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Mass., who worked with Turner in crafting several of the provisions, broke with her colleague on the amendment, saying it was premature until the Pentagon report.

The Pentagon estimated recently that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year, up from an estimated 19,000 assaults in 2011, based on an anonymous survey of military personnel. While the number of sexual assaults that members of the military actually reported rose 6 percent to 3,374 in 2012, thousands of victims were still unwilling to come forward despite new oversight and assistance programs aimed at curbing the crimes, the report said.

The House defense bill would provide the military with $638 billion for 2014, including $86 billion for the war in Afghanistan. The Obama administration has threatened a veto of the legislation, objecting to provisions that would limit the president's authority in handling terror suspects at the military-run detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and implementing a nuclear reduction treaty.

Despite the congressional clamor to cut the budget deficit, the bill rejects several Pentagon attempts to save money. It spares a version of the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, rebuffs attempts to increase health care fees for retirees and their dependents and opposes another round of domestic base closures.

Overall, the bill fails to acknowledge the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts that Washington has grudgingly accepted. The cuts of $41 billion hit the Pentagon on March 1 and forced the military to furlough workers and scale back training.

The Pentagon faces deeper reductions in projected spending of close to $1 trillion over a decade, but the bill did not reflect that reality for next fiscal year. The Pentagon likely will have to cut $54 billion to meet the numbers dictated by the so-called sequester.

Levin said the defense policy bill approved by the panel Thursday authorizes $625 billion in spending for 2014. The legislation approves a 1 percent pay raise for the troops, as the Defense Department requested.

To help offset the negative impact of the automatic spending cuts on the military readiness, Levin said, the committee found $1.8 billion in budget savings and efficiencies. That money was shifted into other accounts for all the services in an attempt to restore flying hours, steaming days for Navy vessels, unit training and essential depot maintenance.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-06-14-US-Defense-Bill/id-206e19dfcc2e42b9aa8c8ce5eba0faf9

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Shaq vs. 2-Year Old: Who's the Better Shooter?

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