Sunday, August 4, 2013

Iran's Rohani vows not to surrender to sanctions

New Iranian President Hassan Rohani, who took the oath of office today, said US-led sanctions would not deter the country from pursuing its nuclear program.

By Scott Peterson,?Staff writer / August 4, 2013

New Iranian president Hassan Rohani, seen here in June, took his oath of office on Sunday.

Majid Hagdost/Reuters

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Pledging moderation at home and ?removing tensions? abroad, Iran?s new President Hassan Rohani took the oath of office before legislators today in Tehran.

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The veteran regime insider who was Iran?s top nuclear negotiator a decade ago vowed to improve the economy and lives of all Iranians.

But it was Rohani?s explicit reference to US-led sanctions and Iran?s controversial nuclear program that drew the loudest applause and will be most closely followed in Washington. As nuclear negotiations over Iran?s program remained deadlocked, both wings of Congress last week took steps to add yet more sanctions, with the House voting overwhelmingly to tighten restrictions.

Iranians will ?safeguard their national interests? and ?cannot be made to surrender through sanctions; such a people cannot be threatened to war and fighting,? said Rohani, according to a simultaneous translation by state-run PressTV. ?The only way for interaction with Iran is a dialogue on an equal footing, confidence-building which should be mutual, and mutual respect as well as reducing antagonism and aggressiveness... I want to clearly express, that if you want the right response [on the nuclear issue], it should not be through the language of sanctions, it should be through the language and discourse of respect,? Rohani said, prompting the loudest applause of his swearing-in speech.

Tasked with restoring the health and credibility of Iran?s Islamic system after eight years of the often-tumultuous presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Rohani called on divine guidance to help him solve Iran?s problems. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei also called for ?maximum cooperation? and support for Rohani?s government from all of Iran?s political factions at a smaller ceremony on Saturday at which Khamenei officially bestowed his endorsement.

But in a reminder this week of who wields ultimate authority in the Islamic Republic, Khamenei also vetoed some of Rohani?s initial cabinet choices. Some of those he rejected served under reformist President Mohammad Khatami, one of the few senior Iranian politicians not to take part in inauguration events, or criticized Khamenei?s violent crackdown on street protests in 2009. Still, through negotiation, Rohani has presented an inclusive cabinet of experienced technocrats who span much of Iran's political spectrum.

?The balance of power has not changed. The Supreme Leader remains the supreme leader, he?s the final arbiter. But he is not as powerful as he was before,? Nazanin Ansari, the diplomatic editor of Kayhan London newspaper, told BBC World Service Radio. ?He is a candidate that is seen inside Iran who has the best chance to take the Islamic Republic out of its current quagmire. And in the West, he is certainly viewed as someone who can open the doors. But he has to prove that he can.?

Rohani's words

Rohani repeatedly referred to his government as one of ?hope and prudence" and said that he would not shy away from tackling ?shortcomings and deficiencies.?

?The respected people of Iran voted for moderation and distancing from extremism,? said Rohani, standing at the flower-bedecked podium inside Iran?s cavernous and futuristic pyramid-style parliament building. ?The threats will be reduced, and the opportunities must be increased. So moderation insists on moral values, and patience, and compromise.?

Those were all attributes in short supply during the presidency of Mr. Ahmadinejad, whose record was harshly criticized even by fellow hardline conservatives during the campaign leading to the June 14 vote. Running as a centrist and promising reform Rohani got the backing of Mr. Khatami and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The new president trounced five conservative candidates and won a surprise first-round victory with just over 50 percent of the vote.

The ascent of Rohani reflects a ?rising rationality and a big tendency toward moderation? in Iran, says a Tehran analyst who asked not to be named. ?Radicalism is no longer accepted in society.?

Yet it remains unclear how that dynamic will affect nuclear talks, or how far Rohani will be able to recalibrate Iran?s approach with the rest of the world. Khamenei has said in recent weeks that he has not blocked nuclear talks or dealing with the US, but that past experience makes him pessimistic because ?Americans are untrustworthy, irrational and dishonest.?

Rohani has a PhD from Scotland, and the candidate he named today for foreign minister ??Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran?s former United Nations ambassador ? was educated at the University of Denver.?

Presidential limits

While recent Iranian presidents have done much to shape Iran?s political space ??and have been able to convince Khamenei to move one way or another ? they have also always been subject to any limitations Khamenei decided to impose upon them.?

?Over the past two decades, Khamenei has developed several mechanisms to control the presidency and other democratic institutions,? writes Mehdi Khalaji, an Iran specialist at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, in an analysis this week. ?Tensions between the president and Supreme Leader are inherent in the structure of the regime, regardless of personality or ideology.?

Still, many of the steps that Rohani vows to take are those that Khamenei will share, at least for now after the Ahmadinejad era saw direct challenges to the leader?s own authority.

And today Rohani had his own indirect reminder for Khamenei when he quoted the leader of Iran?s 1979 Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as saying that ?everything must be based on the people?s vote. That?s the benchmark and the yardstick.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/KJuKbApnVYk/Iran-s-Rohani-vows-not-to-surrender-to-sanctions

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Google's Android grabs record high global market chunk while Apple iOS slides

Google's Android platform is going strong, with a 65 per cent lead over all other mobile operating systems, according to new stats from Strategy Analytics.

The report tips a growing global smartphone market, up 47 per cent year over year for a total 230 million units shipped in the second quarter.

Android is the greatest benefactor of the uptick, having captured a record 80 per cent share of the global smartphone OS market. Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston chalks the success up to competitive licensing costs, numerous hardware partners, and a large app store.

Meanwhile, Apple's iOS reached a 14 per cent share this quarter ? its lowest level since Q2 2010. Microsoft slipped into third place, with four per cent share ? its highest in three years.

"Microsoft is making steady progress in the smartphone market due to strong support from Nokia," Linda Sui, a Strategy Analytics analyst, said in a statement. "However, we believe Microsoft's WP8 platform still needs to improve in at least two areas before it truly takes off."

The first, she said, is a more competitive license fee charged to manufacturers; Redmond must also dramatically accelerate its support for advanced technologies like octo-core chipsets, which lag behind Android, Siu said.

The "others" category, which includes the BlackBerry OS, dropped from 10 per cent last year to a low three per cent, though the analytics firm offered no explanation for the steep decline.

Smartphone shipments around the world reached a whopping 229.6 million units in the second quarter, compared to 156.5 million at the same time last year.

"Growth was driven by strong demand for Android models across all price-tiers in developed and developing markets, such as the U.S., China, and Brazil," Scott Bicheno, senior analyst with Strategy Analytics, said in a statement.

Earlier this week, we exposed some of the advantages of the oft-criticised fragmented nature of Android, and why Apple is trying to take tips from it.?

Last night, Motorola launched its new flagship Moto X smartphone, running Android 4.2.2.?

Source: http://feeds.itproportal.com/~r/itproportal/rss/~3/r6yUWLqd-LA/

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Ad Exec Jennifer Rosoff Died When Balcony ... - Business Insider

Ad executive Jennifer Rosoff, 35, died Wednesday night after her 17th-floor balcony railing collapsed in Midtown Manhattan.

She was on the balcony with a friend on their first date.

?[Her date] advised her not to sit on the rail,? said Paul Browne, the NYPD?s chief spokesman. ?She said that she had done it before and wasn?t worried. She didn?t think it was a problem.?

The Department of Buildings issued a vacate order for all balconies and is investigating the accident.

Rosoff was a director of sales at TripleLift, a digital advertising analytics firm. She began five months ago and previously worked at publications including The New Yorker, Lucky, Cosmopolitan, and In Touch.

TripleLift CEO Erica Berry released a statement:

She was a well-loved and highly respected member of our team. Her tremendous energy and humor brought so much joy to the office. The entire company is distraught by the loss of Ms. Rosoff -- she will be deeply missed.

New Yorker publisher Lisa Hughes said,??Jenn was a force to be reckoned with, smart, dynamic and charismatic.?

The New York Times writes:

A friend in the ad sales industry, who requested anonymity because of the delicacy of the situation, said Ms. Rosoff had been a mentor to young people in the field. ?I hate in situations like this when people want to bury saints, but she was a great person,? the friend said. ?I was meeting someone for coffee today and the second they got off the elevator they said: ?I had the worst e-mail. The subject was Jenn Rosoff died.'?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/ad-exec-jennifer-rosoff-died-when-balcony-collapses-during-first-date-2013-8

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Kuwait pardons those convicted of offending him

KUWAIT CITY (AP) ? Kuwait's ruler says he is pardoning all those convicted of offending him.

The move is an apparent effort to cool political tensions after last week's parliamentary elections in the Gulf nation.

The official Kuwait News Agency gave no further details on Wednesday about Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah's announcement. It came during a speech for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The ruler said the pardon extends to "all" ? meaning it would apparently apply to jailed opposition figures and online activists.

Over the past two years, dozens of people have been charged with remarks deemed offensive to the emir, which is a crime in Kuwait.

It's part of similar crackdowns around the Gulf Arab states that have brought harsh criticism from rights groups.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kuwait-pardons-those-convicted-offending-him-074605039.html

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