But protesters appeared, by all accounts, to be heavily outmuscled by police, who showed in force in Tehran's squares and major thoroughfares in anticipation of demonstrations called by supporters of two key opposition leaders.
The Iranian opposition website Kaleme reported that security forces fired tear gas into a crowd of protesters in front of Tehran University. It described the surrounding streets as being very congested.
Witnesses reported more clashes along Azadi Avenue, where protesters were chanting "death to the dictator" and "Khamenei is a murderer. His authority is void."
Plainclothes security forces detained three protesters and took them away on motorbikes at Mozafar and Revolution avenues, one witness said.
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One resident said there were so many police patrolling Tehran that the city resembled a military base.
International journalists are restricted from covering demonstrations in Iran, making it difficult for CNN to obtain information.
Tuesday's demonstrations were sparked by reports that opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi had been imprisoned.
Kaleme, citing "trusted sources," said Monday that the men and their wives had been arrested and taken to Tehran's Heshmatieh prison. Iranian authorities denied the report.
The semiofficial Fars News Agency cited an unidentified source within Iran's judiciary who said both men were inside their homes "and the only restrictions placed on them are contacts with suspicious elements."
Another Iranian source gave a similar account, telling CNN the report of the men's imprisonment was false.
The conflicting reports came shortly after Fars reported that the government had restricted the movements and communication of two opposition leaders, who were not named.
Over the weekend, before the fate of the opposition leaders was known, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran expressed concern for the safety of Moussavi and Karrubi.
"Moussavi and Karrubi and their wives have been disappeared; they are being held incommunicado in an unknown location, a severe breach of Iranian and international law," Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the human rights group, said in a statement.
"Given the lynch mob-like calls for their execution by numerous Iranian politicians and clerics, there is reason to be deeply concerned for their safety and well-being," Rhodes said.
In February, state-run Press TV aired video of Iranian lawmakers chanting, "Moussavi, Karrubi ... execute them."
Last month, Iranian authorities began rounding up a number of government opponents amid calls for protests like those that have swept across North Africa and the Middle East.
Iranian government leaders have praised the revolution that overthrew Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, but when protesters took to the streets of Tehran on February 14, the government cracked down hard.
The Iranian government rounded up activists ahead of the protests after Karrubi and Moussavi called for supporters to gather at Azadi Square -- the site of mass protests by Iran's opposition movement after the disputed 2009 presidential elections.
Despite the security crackdown, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Tehran. Dozens of demonstrators were detained during those protests, while videos posted on YouTube showed others had been chased and beaten.
Two people were killed during the protests, according to Fars. Several others were seriously wounded as a result of the gunfire, which the Iranian government blamed on "agitators and seditionists."
During the protests in February, foreign journalists were denied visas, accredited journalists living in the country were restricted from covering the demonstrations, and internet speeds were slowed to a crawl in an apparent attempt to restrict information being transmitted abroad.
CNN's Reza Sayah contributed to this report.
Coment:
I think that in first place people shoudn't do any kind of protest.
#2
(CNN) -- Bolivia's president pledged that his government will build new houses for thousands of people who are homeless after a "mega-mudslide" triggered by heavy rainfall in the nation's capital, state media reported.
Nearly a day of uninterrupted downpours caused the Sunday mudslide, the state-run ABI news agency reported.
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"Natural phenomena unfortunately are causing a lot of damage. Something is changing on the planet," Bolivian President Evo Morales said, according to a statement posted on the La Paz government website Monday.
The homes of at least 4,000 people were destroyed, ABI said.
Victims left homeless by the disaster struggled to salvage their belongings Monday, ABI said. A massive crack in the ground split a cemetery in two, leaving bones exposed beside crucifixes and cracked headstones.
The news agency said construction along steep hillsides has become common as La Paz expands beyond the valley where it was founded in 1548.
Coment:
I belive that this is not only foult od the nature but that it is also of the goverment because thy dosen't give much money to that kind of projects
#3
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- You wouldn't think that Apple, the largest and most hyped-up tech company on the planet, would have anything left to prove. But Wednesday's iPad 2 announcement will be an important test for the company.
A year ago, when Apple introduced the iPad, it was the first tablet of its kind on the market. Now there are as many iPad competitors as Dalmatians. Meanwhile, the iPad has become a critical revenue stream for the company -- so there's far less margin for error.
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And one more thing: Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) will likely be without its charismatic leader at the San Francisco event, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. Steve Jobs remains on a medical leave of absence. Investors will be keeping a close eye on the presenters to evaluate how the company is being led in Jobs' stead.
That's not an insignificant amount of pressure.
"This event is not to be taken lightly," said Brian White, analyst at Ticonderoga Securities. "Apple must make a convincing case for why the iPad 2 is better than the plethora of competitors coming to market."
Increased competition: The good and the bad news for Apple is that the year-old iPad still rates highly among even its newest rivals.
That's good news, because Apple should again have the best-in-its-class tablet if the iPad 2 is as improved as the rumors say it will be.
But that's also bad news: How much thinner, lighter, faster, better -- and perhaps most importantly, cheaper -- can the iPad get? Did Apple shoot itself in the foot by making its first generation tablet too good?
Tim Cook, Phil Schiller or whichever Apple executive introduces the iPad 2 will need to offer some impressive specs, lest Apple fans walk away disappointed.
Rival tablets have front- and rear-facing cameras, dual-core processors, four times as much RAM as the iPad, HDMI output and Adobe Flash support. Other than Flash, Apple is expected to at least meet all of its competition's features -- and to significantly slim down iPad 2 compared to the original.
If that's all Apple does, its fans will probably be unimpressed. Apple may need to have something "magical" up its sleeve, as Jobs likes to say, to wow its potential customers.
Though it's not facing a whole lot of price pressure from its rivals, cost will also be an important factor. Only the 32 gigabyte $599 Motorola Xoom tablet gives the iPad a real run for its money in cost: It is a full $130 cheaper (if you shell out for a a required Verizon data plan) than the similarly sized $729 iPad 3G, which has an optional data plan for an additional price.
With a strong marketing campaign and hype-machine behind the Xoom, Apple may opt to drop the price of the iPad 2. Alternatively, some analysts expect Apple to slash the cost of the original iPad and keep iPad 2 prices steady.
The importance of the iPad: Getting it right is so crucial because Apple is becoming increasingly reliant on the revenue it generates from iPad sales.
In 2010, Apple sold $9.6 billion worth of iPads, which represented 12.5% of Apple's revenue. That surpassed iPods and iMacs in net revenue. Not too shabby for a device that Apple started selling in April.
And while Apple's Macintosh computers have always struggled for traction in the business world, the iPad is generating strong crossover interest from business customers. Around 80% of Fortune 100 companies have deployed the tablet for their employees.
"The iPad is a critical device to Apple," said Colin Gillis, analyst at BGC Partners. "The iPad is remaking a landscape for consumers, and it's even making its way into the enterprise."
The Jobs factor: It's unlikely that Steve Jobs will be presenting the iPad this year (though he's reportedly definitely maybe thinking about the possibility of going there, perhaps).
Jobs was not present at the unveiling of the iPhone 3GS, deferring to Phil Schiller, Apple's marketing head. Everything went swimmingly, and Apple's shares rose nearly $5 after he began his presentation.
But this is Jobs' third leave of absence in seven years. Investors are concerned about the company's future post-Jobs. Some shareholders are clamoring for a succession plan, and people want to know how the company is being run without Jobs overseeing day-to-day operations.
All of that will be scrutinized on Wednesday.
"With this company, every piece of minutia analyzed to nth degree, sometimes to levels that are not rational," Gillis said. "People are very concerned about Steve."
Coment:
I thing that not really need to an outstanding product because it has many more good products
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