Georgetown Security Law Brief

Leader says Somalia's al-Shabab joins al-Qaeda

02/10/12: The Miami Herald reports that the Somali militant group al-Shabab has formally joined al-Qaeda, according to a video translation released Thursday of a message from al-Qaeda's leader. Ayman al-Zawahri gave "glad tidings" that al-Shabab had joined al-Qaeda, according to the translation of the 15-minute video by the Site Intelligence group. "Today, I have glad tidings for the Muslim Ummah that will please the believers and disturb the disbelievers, which is the joining of the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia to Qaedat al-Jihad, to support the jihadi unity against the Zio-Crusader campaign and their assistants amongst the treacherous agent rulers," he said.

Surveillance drone crashes in Somali capital

02/03/12: ABC News reports that witnesses say a surveillance drone has crashed into a refugee camp in the Somali capital. Drones have been used by the US to attack or observe al-Qaida-linked militants in the Horn of Africa nation. Refugees and soldiers in Mogadishu's Badbado camp say they watched the drone crash Friday into a hut made of sticks, corrugated cans and plastic bags. Sacdiyo Sheikh Madar, a refugee at the camp, says African Union peacekeepers came to remove it. Police officer Ali Hussein says the drone was shaped like a small plane. A similar drone crashed into a house in Mogadishu last year.

Nigerian police arrest terrorist group's spokesman

02/02/12: CNN reports that the spokesman for Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has been captured after a months-long surveillance operation, a spokesman for Nigerian police said Wednesday. Security services tracked Abu Qa Qa through his phone and are now trying to confirm his true identity, though they believe that he is a Nigerian citizen. Boko Haram has carried out multiple bombings and shootings across northern Nigeria in recent days.

Al Shabaab kicks Red Cross out of regions in Somalia

01/31/12: CNN reports that the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab says it has banned the International Committee of the Red Cross from operating in the regions it controls, accusing the organization of distributing expired food. In a statement on Twitter Monday the group said it "has decided to terminate the contract of ICRC permanently... Following the repeated distribution of expired food and false accusations," that the organization is hindering food distribution.

Algerian re-imprisoned after Guantanamo extradition

01/31/12: The Daily Star reports that a legal charity supporting detainees in Guantanamo has condemned the conviction and sentencing of an Algerian after he was forcibly repatriated after eight years in the US Guantanamo detention center. Naji was sent back to Algeria in July 2010. He was convicted on January 16 of "belonging to a terrorist group abroad" and sentenced to three years in prison, according to the state news agency.

Libyan detainees sue former MI6 chief over their rendition

01/31/12: The Huffington Post reports that two former Libyan detainees, Sami Al Saadi and Abdel Hakim Belhadj, at the center of claims that British spies were involved in rendition and torture, are launching legal proceedings against the former director of counter-terrorism at MI6. The two men claim that evidence of the UK's role in the couple's rendition is detailed in a number of documents held by the Libyan security services, which came to light after the fall of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

Can you be a pirate on land?

01/31/12: Slate reports that two days after US special operations forces rescued a pair of aid workers from Somali abductors, news surfaced that another American, surfing journalist Michael Scott Moore, had been “kidnapped by Somali pirates.” But the crime didn’t happen anywhere near the surf. Moore was on land, driving to a Somali airport, and his captors were described as 15 men in two SUVs. Can you commit piracy on dry land? Not as it’s defined in international law.

Egypt bans travel for US official’s son, 9 others, amid crackdown on human rights groups

01/27/12: The Washington Times reports that Egypt is preventing at least 10 Americans and Europeans from leaving the country, including the son of US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, raising tensions with Washington over a campaign by Egypt's military against groups promoting democracy and human rights. The United States warned Thursday that the campaign raised concerns about Egypt’s transition to democracy and could jeopardize American aid that Egypt’s battered economy needs badly after a year of unrest.

Mubarak’s lawyer contends US and Israel plotted shooting of protesters

01/26/12: The Centre Daily Times reports that the United States and Israel plotted the killing of Egyptian protesters during last year's 18-day uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, a lawyer for his former interior minister claimed Thursday. Lawyer Mohammed el-Gendi also accused security guards at the American University in Cairo of opening fire on protesters. The university's historical main building borders Tahrir Square, which was the focus of the anti-Mubarak revolt.

US military raid in Somalia frees American, Dane

01/25/12: CBS reports that US Navy SEALs parachuted into Somalia under cover of darkness early Wednesday and crept up to an outdoor camp where an American woman and Danish man were being held hostage. Soon, nine kidnappers were dead and both hostages were freed. President Barack Obama himself authorized the mission two days earlier, and minutes after he gave his State of the Union address to Congress he was on the phone with the American's father to tell him his daughter was safe.

ICC charges four Kenyans over 2007 unrest

01/24/12: The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the International Criminal Court has charged four Kenyans, including two serious presidential contenders, with crimes against humanity for their alleged involvement in ethnic violence after a disputed presidential election in 2007. The charges raised the political stakes ahead of Kenya's next presidential vote, scheduled for later this year or early 2013, but they also offered hope among citizens for an end to impunity for a corrupt political elite.

Libya suspends transitional government members

01/23/12: The Boston Globe reports that the head of Libya's transitional government on Sunday suspended delegates from Benghazi, the city that kicked off the movement that toppled ruler Moammar Gadhafi last year. The suspension is the latest sign of discord within the body that led the anti-Gadhafi uprising but has struggled to establish an effective government to replace his regime. The move follows protests in Benghazi accusing the body of corruption and not moving fast enough on reform. It was prompted by street protests and rejected by the delegates.

Mali becomes first African state to enforce ICC sentences

01/23/12: Jurist reports that Mali signed an agreement with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to become the first African country to agree to enforce the ICC's sentences of imprisonment. Article 103 of the Rome Statute, which governs the ICC, states that "[a] sentence of imprisonment shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons." Mali joins Finland, Belgium, Denmark, the UK and Austria as countries which have agreed to detain individuals convicted by the ICC.

Maldives asks for UN help to resolve a “judicial crisis”

01/23/12: ABC News reports that the Maldives has asked the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to send a group of international jurists to resolve what it calls a judicial system failure that has resulted in the military's detention of a senior judge. President Mohamed Nasheed's government is under heavy pressure. Street protests have broken out in the capital Male following last week's arrest of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed after he ordered the release of a government critic.

Libya had undeclared chemical weapon stockpile

01/21/12: The Seattle Times reports that international inspectors have confirmed that late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi had an undeclared stockpile of chemical weapons, the organization that oversees a global ban on such armaments announced Friday. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said inspectors who visited Libya this week found sulfur mustard and artillery shells "which they determined are chemical munitions," meaning the shells were not filled with chemicals, but were designed specifically to be loaded with chemical weapons.

Somali ambassador contends accused pirate should be tried in Somalia

01/19/12: The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that the Somali ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday that a man from his country charged with piracy should be tried in Somalia instead of the Virginia courtroom where he's being prosecuted. Ambassador Elmi Ahmed Duale had been subpoenaed to testify at an evidentiary hearing in the case, but invoked diplomatic immunity to avoid attending. He told The Associated Press in a phone interview that there's a system in place in his country for trying pirates, and dozens have been imprisoned.

World sea piracy drops in 2011, Somali attacks up

01/19/12: The Columbus Telegram reports that sea piracy worldwide dropped slightly in 2011 for the first time in five years but Somali pirates have intensified attacks and remained the greatest threat, a global maritime watchdog said Thursday. The number of attacks dipped to 439 last year from 445 cases in 2010, the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur said in a report. There were 45 vessels hijacked and 802 crew members taken hostage, as compared with 53 ships seized and 1,181 people taken hostage in 2010.

US promotes democracy with suddenly important Togo

01/18/12: CBS News reports that after venturing to reclusive Myanmar, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pressed democratic reforms Tuesday in another place long dominated by dictators, becoming the first American in her post to ever visit the African nation of Togo. The choice of Togo isn't solely about goodwill. The West African country of 6.8 million people, tucked between Benin and Ghana, is as of two weeks ago a UN Security Council member. That means it may vote alongside the world's biggest powers on resolutions that could cover anything from a future Palestinian state to sanctions against Syria.

Rwanda genocide tribunal transfers prosecution materials to national government

01/18/12: JURIST reports that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) transferred prosecution materials to the Rwandan government on Monday for the first time with respect to a case stemming from the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The transfer was announced at a press conference by the ICTR's prosecutor Hassan Bubacar Jallow and Rwanda's Prosecutor-General Martin Ngoga. The decision to transfer the prosecution materials demonstrates the ICTR's recognition of Rwanda's capability to provide genocide defendants a fair and effective justice system, according to Ngoga.

Rwanda trial against opposition politician delayed

01/16/12: The Boston Globe reports that the trial against Rwanda's top opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been postponed again, until February 13. Ingabire's lawyer, Iain Edwards, described the delay as frustrating. The court case began last September. The prosecution says that piles of documents retrieved from Holland that serve as state's evidence still need to be translated. Rwanda accuses Ingabire of supporting rebel activities in Rwanda and Congo. Ingabire has maintained her innocence against charges of genocide denial and ethnic divisionism.

Sudan president on first visit to post-Gadhafi Libya

01/07/12: The San Francisco Examiner reports that Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir is in Tripoli on his first visit since the fall of Moammar Gadhafi, in a bid to restore relations which soured in the last years of the Libyan dictator. Airport sources said al-Bashir arrived Saturday with a high-level delegation for a two-day visit. Khartoum had accused Gadhafi of supporting Sudanese rebels in the western region of Darfur. In return, al-Bashir openly said he supported Libyan rebels in their 2011 uprising, providing them with weapons and money.

Britain issues warnings of terror threats in Kenya

01/07/12: CNN reports that British officials Saturday warned of terror threats in Kenya as the east African nation battles Islamist militants in neighboring Somalia. "Kenyan authorities have alerted the public to a heightened threat from terrorist attacks in Nairobi. We believe that terrorists may be in the final stages of planning attacks," the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement. It said the attacks may target places where expatriates gather such as hotels, shopping centers and beaches.

Darfur rebels ask International Criminal Court to halt prosecution

01/06/12: The Washington Post reports that two Darfur rebels accused of taking part in a 2007 attack that left 12 peacekeepers dead in Sudan have asked the International Criminal Court to halt the case because their lawyers cannot visit Sudan to interview witnesses. Lawyers for Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus say Sudan’s refusal to let them into the country makes it impossible to mount an effective defense and prevents a panel of trial judges from “adequately fulfilling its obligation to determine the truth.”

South Sudan appeals for humanitarian aid amid fighting

01/06/12: CNN reports that South Sudan appealed for international aid for a remote region under attack by roaming fighters, as thousands of residents fled into the bush to avoid the violence. At least 50,000 people fled to avoid the clashes, officials said, but the extent of the violence was unclear. The government declared the state a "humanitarian disaster area" and urged international aid agencies to help provide urgently needed assistance. Ethnic tensions in Jonglei state have flared as tribes fight over grazing lands and water rights, leading to cattle raids and abduction of women and children.

UN diplomat wants Libya NATO investigation

01/05/12: The Boston Globe reports that the incoming UN Security Council president called Wednesday for an investigation into human rights abuses committed during NATO's bombing campaign to oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. South Africa's UN Ambassador Baso Sangqu, who holds the rotating Security Council presidency for January, said he believed NATO overstepped its mandate enforcing a no-fly zone, killing an untold number of innocent civilians.

Tunisia tries ex-president in absentia for killings of protesters

01/04/12: JURIST reports that former Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali went on trial in absentia Tuesday before a military court. The trial will focus on who ordered snipers to kill 41 protesters during last year's Tunisian revolution which resulted in the death of more than 200 protesters. Along with Ben Ali, numerous former senior officials were named as defendants in this trial. Among them was the former director general of public security, Lotfi Zwawi, who on Monday denied any knowledge of the death of the protesters.

Tunisia president sets conditions for handing over ex-Libyan premier to new rulers

01/03/12: The Chicago Tribune reports that the visiting Tunisian president is setting conditions for handing over a Libyan who was prime minister under ousted ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Tunisia is holding the ex-prime minister, Baghdadi al-Mahmudi. Beginning his first state visit to Libya on Thursday, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki said Tunisia would have to be assured that al-Mahmudi would get a fair trial and would not be harmed. Marzouki told a joint news conference with Libyan leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil that the ex-premier could be handed over for trial in Libya "after establishing a democratic state and civil institutions."

Group threatens lawsuit over terror tweets

01/02/12: Wired reports that an Israeli legal advocacy group Shurat HaDin has threatened Twitter with a lawsuit if it didn’t remove the accounts of US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations such as the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Somalia’s al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab. Though a legal tussle may give the folks at Twitter a headache, the terrorists behind the Twitter accounts probably aren’t sweating a potential shutdown. The lawsuit threat is based on a Supreme Court case, Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, which upheld a controversial portion of the Patriot Act banning support to terrorists.

Somalis scramble for way to send relatives money

12/31/11: ABC News reports that Somalis caught off guard when more than a dozen Minnesota businesses stopped accepting wire transfers said Friday they were scrambling to find a way to get money to relatives in East Africa and options mentioned by the US Treasury weren't realistic. Somalis in the US use the businesses, known as hawalas, to send money to relatives in the famine-stricken nation and nearby refugee camps because Somalia hasn't had a functioning government since 1991 and has no banking system.

Al Qaeda leader sends veteran jihadists to establish presence in Libya

12/30/11: CNN reports that Al Qaeda's leadership has sent experienced jihadists to Libya in an effort to build a fighting force there, according to a Libyan source briefed by Western counter-terrorism officials. The jihadists include one veteran fighter who had been detained in Britain on suspicion of terrorism. The source describes him as committed to al Qaeda's global cause and to attacking US interests. The source told CNN that the al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, personally dispatched the former British detainee to Libya earlier this year as the Gadhafi regime lost control of large swathes of the country.

Rwanda genocide tribunal sentences former political leaders to life in prison

12/22/11: JURIST reports that the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda on Wednesday sentenced former Rwandan political party leaders, Matthieu Ngirumpatse and Edouard Karemera, to life in prison for their role in the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. The court was unanimous in condemning Ngirumpatse, who was the chairman of Rwanda's then-ruling National Revolutionary Movement for Development (NRMD) party. In confirming the life sentence handed down to Karemera, the former deputy leader of the NRMD, the court found the two were in a "joint criminal enterprise" intent on exterminating Tusis and bore "superior responsibility" for the NRMD's youth wing—the Interahamwe—that conducted most of the crimes.

Kenya marches into Somalia but can’t see the enemy

12/18/11: ABC News reports that Kenyan troops marched into this decaying Somali fishing village two months ago, but the al-Qaida-linked militants they came to hunt are nowhere to be seen. The Kenyan military says it's getting ready to push forward with its offensive against the al-Shabab insurgents, who are blamed for attacks on Kenyan soil including tourist kidnappings. For now, though, the soldiers spend their days among ramshackle huts and along the sandy shoreline without cover or body armor.

Congress moves to restrict money for Egypt, Pakistan in foreign aid bill that avoids deep cuts

12/17/11: The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Congress would impose restrictions on aid to Egypt, Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority in a $53.3 billion bill that avoids the deep cuts in foreign assistance and State Department funding that Republicans had pursued this year. The legislation is part of a sweeping, $1 trillion-plus year-end spending package that provides money for 10 Cabinet agencies through September. The House passed the measure on Friday and the Senate is expected to vote sometime this weekend.

Egypt's military to decide fate of Guantamo returnee

12/12/11: The Miami Herald reports that Adel el Gazzar emerged from eight years of imprisonment at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, with one leg, no US charges against him and no chance of returning to his native Egypt, where he was sure to have been locked up again by President Hosni Mubarak's government. So, Gazzar was transferred instead to a Slovakia migrants center until last winter, when Mubarak fell in the Arab Spring uprisings. The revolt against three decades of authoritarian rule presented Gazzar with a gamble: Would the new Egypt grant a fair trial and eventual freedom to a man once branded as a terrorist? His answer is expected December 27, in a military court case that could set precedent for how Egypt deals with the jihadists who are trickling back now that the Mubarak has gone.

The United Nation’s Ban Ki-moon visits Mogadishu and presses for progress

12/09/11:  The Star-Telegram reports that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Somalia's seaside capital Friday, the first trip in nearly two decades by the UN's top leader to a city known for a seemingly perpetual state of war. Ban announced that the UN would move its Somalia political office from Kenya to Mogadishu next year. Ban's arrival in the war-torn capital city was made possible because of the military gains that African Union forces have made this year against al-Shabab militants, who last year at this time controlled most of Mogadishu.

Al-Qaida denies Sahara kidnappings

12/09/11: The Caspar Star-Tribune reports that northern Africa's local branch of al-Qaida denied it has kidnapped three foreign aid workers in Algeria, but confirmed it was behind two other kidnappings in Mali, according to a statement carried by a Mauritanian news agency.  The statement, purportedly by Al-Qaida in North Africa, said the group was focusing its efforts against French and Malian interests and had nothing to do with the October kidnapping of Spanish and Italian aid workers in southern Algeria.

Libya will allow British police to visit for Lockerbie inquiry

12/09/11: The New York Times reports that Libya’s post-Qaddafi leaders signaled new flexibility in prosecuting the Libyan perpetrators of the Lockerbie bombing and the killing of a London policewoman during the 1980s, telling a visiting British official that British investigators would soon be invited into the country to conduct inquiries, Britain said Thursday. Both the United States and Britain have made clear they expect the new Libyan government to help find those responsible for the attacks, and the new Libyan leaders had been giving mixed signals about their intention to cooperate.

US troops land in central Africa to help hunt down Lord's Resistance Army

12/08/11: The Denver Post reports that the US military has dropped its first set of boots into the tropical overgrowth of central Africa, one of the most inaccessible areas of the world, to help find a brutal rogue rebel group that's known for abducting children and mutilating the faces of victims. The armed commandos are there only to help the Ugandan army hunt down the elusive Lord's Resistance Army and its legendary leader, Joseph Kony, officials say. The US special-operations troops have been arriving in the southeastern Central African Republic town of Obo since the beginning of the month.

Somalia's al-Shabab launches 'Twitter war'

12/08/11: The BBC reports that Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab has launched an account on the micro-blogging site Twitter. The feed has attracted dozens of followers since it was created on Wednesday. The account appears to be an attempt by al-Shabab to counter Kenya's military spokesman, Maj Emmanuel Chirchir, who regularly tweets about operations in Somalia.

Vote set on controversial South African secrets bill

11/21/11: The Missoulian reports that South Africa's parliament prepared Monday for a vote the following day on a state secrets bill that critics within and outside the governing party said would smother freedom of expression and make it harder to fight corruption. The African National Congress, which holds a majority of parliament's seats, sponsored the bill, making it likely it would become law. The ANC said South Africa needs to update apartheid-era legislation defining state secrets and imposing penalties for their disclosure.

Moroccan protesters demand boycott of poll

11/21/11: The Financial Times reports that thousands of Moroccans are protesting in cities across the country calling for a boycott of a parliamentary election later this week which they say will not be truly democratic. The November 25 vote is a test of reforms made by Morocco's ruler, King Mohammed, to try to defuse pressure for change in the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty in the wake of uprisings this year across the Middle East. A reporter in the city of Tangier, across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain, said about 10,000 protesters had gathered in a square in the working class Beni Mkada district.

Islamist Hamadi Jebali named new Tunisian prime minister

11/19/11: The BBC reports that a senior official from the Islamist Ennahda party, Hamadi Jebali, is to become Tunisia's next prime minister, as part of a coalition deal between the three biggest parties. The Congress for the Republic will hold the post of president, while Ettakatol will choose the speaker of the constitutional assembly, sources added. Ennahda won the largest share of the vote in assembly elections last month.

Mali citizen pleads guilty in NYC to terror charge

11/16/11: The Sacramento Bee reports that an African man has pleaded guilty in New York City to a terrorism charge, admitting that he engaged in the drug dealing trade with men who claimed they worked for terrorists who committed kidnappings. Oumar Issa pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Egyptian police arrest 2 leading members of al-Qaida-inspired militant group in Sinai desert

11/14/11: The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that a senior Egyptian security official says police have arrested two leading members of an al-Qaida-inspired group in the Sinai peninsula a day after the group's leader was arrested. The group was behind attacks on Egyptian police and on a gas pipeline transporting fuel to Israel and Jordan. The official says Abdel-Karim Mohammed Ahmed and Ahmed Salem Awwad were arrested at dawn Monday at their hideout on the outskirts of the northern Sinai town of el-Arish.

African Union troops in Somalia facing funding shortfall

11/12/11: The San Francisco Chronicle reports that African Union troops fighting al-Qaida-linked Islamists in the failed state of Somalia have a $10 million funding gap which has delayed the deployment of reinforcements and lifesaving equipment, officials said Saturday. Senior commanders say the lack of cash is hampering recent advances against the Islamists, discouraging countries from sending troops and may have cost lives.

France launches Gulf of Guinea anti-piracy operation

11/11/11: Reuters reports that France has launched a three-year plan to train local forces and provide surveillance for anti-piracy operations in Benin, Togo and Ghana as part of international efforts to curb insecurity from spreading in the oil-producing Gulf of Guinea. French aid comes after the United Nations Security Council last month pledged to look at ways of tackling the problem, which has long affected Nigeria's Niger Delta region but has spread, hurting Benin's shipping industry in particular.

Niger army clashes with arms traffickers

11/11/11: The Seattle Times reports that Niger's army has clashed repeatedly with arms traffickers from neighboring Libya, underlining the security threat posed by the fall of the late Moammar Gadhafi, Niger's president said Friday. "We are very worried because this crisis will destabilize the whole region," President Mahamadou Issoufou told reporters during a visit to South Africa. He and South African President Jacob Zuma, who had spearheaded failed African efforts to mediate a solution in Libya, discussed Libya and other issues earlier during Issoufou's visit.

Urgent issues facing Sierra Leone war crimes court

11/03/11: JURIST reports that the Open Society Justice Initiative is urging key national and international players to address residual issues to ensure that the legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone will be maintained after its closure in late 2011 with the completion of proceedings against former Liberian president Charles Taylor. The court will be the first post-Cold War international tribunal to conclude its mandate and has prosecuted eight of those who committed serious violation of international humanitarian law during the conflict in Sierra Leone that started in 1991 and lasted for 11 years.

Morrocan court sentences cafe bomber to death

10/29/11: ABC News reports that the chief suspect in the April bombing of a Marrakesh cafe that killed 17 people was found guilty on Friday and sentenced to death. The suspect, Adel al-Othmani, was convicted of premeditated murder and building explosives, among other charges. An associate was sentenced to life in prison, and other defendants were sentenced to lesser terms. The defendants maintain their innocence and say they will appeal.

Libya’s interim leaders to investigate Qaddafi killing

10/24/11: The New York Times reports that the head of Libya’s interim government announced the creation of a formal committee of inquiry on Monday to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi, the country’s former leader, while in the custody of his captors after he fled his final refuge last week. The announcement acknowledged the calls by foreign powers and rights groups  for an investigation into how Colonel Qaddafi wound up dead with a bullet to the head.