New Zealand cliffs collapse in Christchurch earthquake

Cliffs have collapsed in New Zealand during an earthquake in the city of Christchurch on the South Island.

No serious damage or fatalities were reported in the Valentine's Day quake that struck at 13:13 local time (00.13 GMT).
Beaches to the east of Christchurch were busy with swimmers and surfers when rocks began to fall into the sea.
The 5.7 magnitude quake occurred days before the anniversary of a deadly one in 2011.
That destroyed the city centre and killed 185 people.
New Zealand lies on the notorious Ring of Fire, the line of frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions that circles virtually the entire Pacific rim.
 Image caption The earthquake, classified as severe, lasted less than 30 seconds3

New Zealand's seismological body GNS Science classified Sunday's earthquake as "severe", recording that it took place at a depth of 15km (nine miles) and 15km to the east of the city.Resident Stephen O'Dwyer said he was on the beach with his wife walking their dog when the cliff in Sumner started to collapse.

"The ground started to go soft. Water was coming up under the sand and people were sinking down to the ankles as the ground went soft. It shook for about 20 seconds," he told the BBC.

The quake sent large clouds of dust billowing over the suburb.
 

The cliff that collapsed was in the coastal suburb of Sumner 

"I have to say that it was business as usual 15 minutes after the fact," said local Richard Loffhagen, who took a photograph of the dust and debris rising from Scarborough Beach.
During the tremor, which was reportedly felt across the South Island, some shops in Christchurch were evacuated and photos on social media showed items that had fallen off shelves.
A Polish couple posted a clip on YouTube showing the cracks their house suffered, saying it was their first experience of an earthquake in Christchurch and they had not expected it to be so intense.

Are you in Christchurch? Have you been affected by the earthquake? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7525 900971
• Send pictures/video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk
• Upload your pictures / video here
• Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
• Send an SMS or MMS to +44 7624 800 100

 

Severe earthquake south of New Zealand felt as far north as Dunedin

GEONET

The location of this morning's 6 magnitude quake.

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People as far north as Dunedin are reporting feeling a "severe" earthquake which struck far to the south of the country.
The 6 magnitude earthquake hit at 8.28am, 175km southwest of Snares Islands at a depth of 10km.
Geonet had recorded seven felt reports as of 9.02am. It was classified as "severe".
Several people in Southland and at least one in Dunedin have reported feeling the quake.
On Facebook, Irene-Síomhaith West said she felt the earthquake in North East Valley in Dunedin.
"Jolted me awake when it hit."
Department of Conservation operations manager for Murihiku Tony Preston said no DOC staff or members of the public were on Snares Island, and it was believed no-one was on any of the sub-Antarctic islands at the moment either.

Dozens Of Guns & Over 20,000 Rounds Of Ammo Seized From 2 Muzzies In Greece After Crossing Turkish Border | Another Caught With 200,000 Rounds

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“Greece’s coast guard has reportedly arrested two “heavily armed” British men carrying more than a dozen guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition from Turkey, a top security official said.

A high-ranking security official told AP that the suspects were both Iraqi-born British subjects in their 20s. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the ongoing investigation.

The two were arrested Saturday night by coast guard officers near the port of the Greek city of Alexandroupolis, off the Turkish border.
The two suspects were driving a trailer loaded with more than a dozen guns of an unspecified type and well over 20,000 rounds of ammunition, the security official said.”
Read More: https://www.rt.com/news/332404-greece-turkey-arms-smuggling/
“THESSALONIKI, Greece – Greek police say they arrested a British citizen on the main border crossing to Turkey carrying a large weapons cache.
The 40-year-old suspect is an Iraqi Kurd, a police official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation. Police say they seized four air rifles, eight scopes and 200,000 .22-caliber bullets.”
Read More: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/02/14/suspect-arrested-with-guns-bullets-at-greece-turkey-border.html

SN7

Hong Kong riot police fire warning shots in bloody street clashes

Hong Kong riot police fired warning shots on Tuesday during clashes that erupted in the Chinese-ruled city when authorities tried to remove illegal street stalls set up for Lunar New Year celebrations, the worst violence since pro-democracy protests in 2014.
Demonstrators prised bricks from the sidewalk to hurl at police, while others toppled street signs and set fire to rubbish bins in Mong Kok, a tough, working-class neighborhood just across the harbor from the heart of the Asian financial center.
"We have noticed a shift in some members of the public," said Hong Kong Police Commissioner Lo Wai-chung. "(They) have an inclination to use violence or radical acts in order to express their opinion."
Nearly 90 police sustained injuries ranging from fractured bones to lacerations and bruises and 54 protesters were arrested, Lo said. Hong Kong television showed police officers being beaten with poles and sticks as they lay on the ground.
Many protesters and police were also shown with blood streaming down their faces.
Police said two warning shots were fired into the air, with pepper spray and batons also used to disperse the crowd. Television footage showed the shots were fired as protesters surrounded traffic police, pelting them with rubbish, bricks and bottles and wrestling one of them to the ground.
Lo said the life of the officer who fired the shots was being threatened. He also said there would be a full investigation into the incident.
The remains of burned bins and flower pots, chunks of brick and broken bottles lay scattered along the Nathan Road shopping strip, which leads to the harbor at Tsim Sha Tsui. A taxi with shattered windows was parked nearby.
The narrow streets in and around Mong Kok were the scene of some of the most violent clashes during protests in late 2014 to demand greater democracy for the former British colony that returned to Beijing rule in 1997.
The violence broke out after police moved in to clear illegal vendors who sell local delicacies, trinkets and household goods from makeshift streetside stalls.

Related Video

Riot police, protesters clash over Hong Kong street vendors

The hawkers, a common sight on Hong Kong's bustling streets, quickly attracted a strong social media following under the hashtag #FishballRevolution.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said the government strongly condemned the violence. Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said police were investigating indications the clashes had been organized.
The protesters had dispersed by 8 a.m. (7.00 p.m. ET on Monday) but more than 100 had confronted police in a tense, pre-dawn stand-off during the Lunar New Year holiday, when most of the city is shut down.
Police said they did not expect another riot on Tuesday night, when new year fireworks are planned over the harbor, but they were boosting manpower nonetheless.
Hong Kong Indigenous, a "localist" group that is fielding a candidate in a Legislative Council by-election in a few weeks, was involved in the protest, though it was not immediately clear the role it played or the extent to which it was involved.
The group said on its official Facebook page and confirmed to Reuters that its candidate, Edward Leung Tin-kei, had been arrested.
Many so-called localists remain deeply embittered by the lack of any concessions from Beijing or Hong Kong authorities during the 2014 protests. Television footage showed protesters on Tuesday shouting: "Establish a Hong Kong country!" during running battles with police.
The clashes in December 2014 came when authorities cleared the last of pro-democracy demonstrators from the streets after more than two months of protests that had presented Beijing with one of its greatest political challenges in decades.
(Additional reporting by Anne Marie Roantree, Bobby Yip and James Pomfret; Editing by Paul Tait and Nick Macfie)

An unidentified injured man is escorted by riot police at Mongkok in Hong Kong, China February 9, 2016.

Reuters/Bobby Yip

2/06/2016 -- Colorado shaken up by M4.0 earthquake at Fracking / Oil pumping operation

Deadly earthquake topples buildings in Taiwan city of Tainan

An earthquake has toppled buildings in the south Taiwanese city of Tainan, killing at least 11 people.

The magnitude 6.4 quake struck just before 04:00 (20:00 GMT Friday) when most people were at home asleep.
A baby was among at least four people killed when a high-rise building, containing 100 homes, collapsed.
At least 30 people remain missing. Tainan's mayor said people were alive but trapped under the rubble and all means would be used to rescue them.

President Ma Ying-jeou, who toured the city of two million, said shelters would be set up for those who had lost their homes.

Leaning ruins

Television pictures showed rescue workers frantically trying to reach people trapped in collapsed buildings, using ladders to climb over piles of rubble.
One of the worst affected was the 17-storey Wei Kuan apartment complex, home to at least 256 people.
More than 200 people were rescued, but a baby, young girl and two adult men did not survive, officials said. At least 70 people were taken to hospital.
Interior Minister Chen Wei-jen said he feared more people may have been in the fallen apartment block than usual as families gathered to celebrate Chinese New Year.
He said investigators would examine whether the building's construction met requirements.



Residents told how they were able to escape from their homes in the block, using their own tools and ladders.
"I used a hammer to break the door of my home which was twisted and locked, and managed to climb out," one woman told local TV.
Another man tied clothes together to make a rope and lowered himself from the ninth floor to the sixth floor below, Apple Daily reports.
One Tainan resident said his bed turned over as the wall collapsed. "My home completely turned into debris. I didn't know what was happening. I was really frightened as I have never seen such an earthquake," he said.
A 35-year-old woman described how she and her two children were pulled from the rubble.
"Rescue workers broke through (the building) layer by layer. And they asked us to climb out but I said my children are too small to climb. So they dug a bigger hole. Then one rescue worker tried his best to climb in and take the children out. Then I slowly climbed out myself," she said.
 


The quake was shallow, meaning its effects would have been amplified, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
There have also been at least five aftershocks. The quake was felt in the capital Taipei, 300 km away.
Although the damage does not appear to be widespread, a number of tall buildings have been left leaning precariously.
There are also reports of power outages, and transport links have been disrupted on what is one of the busiest travelling days of the year ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday.
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and often sees tremors.
Beijing has offered assistance although at the moment at least, given the relatively limited scale of the disaster, it does not look as if much outside help is needed, the BBC's John Sudworth reports from the Chinese capital.
Back in 1999, when a 7.6 magnitude quake killed more than 2,300 people in central Taiwan, a similar offer of help from the mainland became embroiled in political wrangling, with Taiwan accusing China of exploiting the situation for its own political ends, our correspondent adds.

Five things you need to know about Zika

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

Updated 2254 GMT (0654 HKT) January 27, 2016

 

(CNN)A relatively new mosquito-borne virus is prompting worldwide concern because of an alarming connection to a neurological birth disorder and the rapid spread of the virus across the globe.

The Zika virus, transmitted by the aggressive Aedes aegypti mosquito, has now spread to at least 24 countries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning pregnant women against travel to those areas; health officials in several of those countries are telling female citizens to avoid becoming pregnant, in some cases for up to two years.

The U.S. Defense Department is offering voluntary relocation to pregnant employees and their beneficiaries who are stationed in affected areas.

"That's a pandemic in progress," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. "It isn't as if it's turning around and dying out, it's getting worse and worse as the days go by."

Here are five important things to know:

1. What is Zika and why is it so serious?

The Zika virus is a flavivirus, part of the same family as yellow fever, West Nile, chikungunya and dengue. But unlike some of those viruses, there is no vaccine to prevent Zika or medicine to treat the infection.

Zika is commanding worldwide attention because of an alarming connection between the virus and microcephaly, a neurological disorder that results in babies being born with abnormally small heads. This causes severe developmental issues and sometimes death.

What is the Zika virus? 01:55

Since November, Brazil has seen 4,180 cases of microcephaly in babies born to women who were infected with Zika during their pregnancies. To put that in perspective, there were only 146 cases in 2014. So far, 51 babies have died.

Other Latin American countries are now seeing cases in newborns as well, while in the United States one Hawaiian baby was born with microcephaly linked to the Zika virus after his mother returned from Brazil. Several states have confirmed the virus in individuals who traveled to areas where the virus is circulating, including Illinois, where health officials are monitoring two infected pregnant women.

The CDC is asking OB-GYNs to review fetal ultrasounds and do maternal testing for any pregnant woman who has traveled to one of the 24 countries where Zika is currently active.

A smaller outbreak of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that can lead to life-threatening paralysis, is also linked to Zika in a several countries.

2. How is Zika spread?

The virus is transmitted when an Aedes mosquito bites a person with an active infection and then spreads the virus by biting others. Those people then become carriers during the time they have symptoms.

Zika virus expected to spread across Americas, WHO says

In most people, symptoms of the virus are mild, including fever, headache, rash and possible pink eye. In fact, 80% of those infected never know they have the disease. That's especially concerning for pregnant women, as this virus has now been shown to pass through amniotic fluid to the growing baby.

"What we now know," said Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, "is that fetuses can be infected with the virus. That's not new for infectious diseases, but it is new for this virus."

"This is a very remarkable and unusual situation," agreed Fauci, "because the other flaviviruses don't do that to our knowledge. You just don't see that with dengue or West Nile or chikungunya."

Zika virus: What to know

In addition, the CDC says there have been documented cases of virus transmission during labor, blood transfusion, laboratory exposure and sexual contact. While Zika has been found in breast milk, it's not yet confirmed it can be passed to the baby through nursing.

There have been only two documented cases linking Zika to sex. During the 2013 Zika outbreak in French Polynesia, semen and urine samples from a 44-year-old Tahitian man tested positive for Zika even when blood samples did not. Five years before that, in 2008, a Colorado microbiologist named Brian Foy contracted Zika after travel to Senegal; his wife came down with the disease a few days later even though she had not left northern Colorado and was not exposed to any mosquitoes carrying the virus.

3. Where is the Zika virus now?

The Zika virus is now being locally transmitted in Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela, says the CDC.

Zika has arrived in the United States, but only from travelers returning from these infected areas. The concern, of course, is whether these imported cases could result in locally transmitted cases within the United States.

The Aedes albopictus, or Asian tiger mosquito, which along with Aedes aegypti transmits Zika virus, is present in many areas of the United States.

Will Zika virus spread to U.S.? 02:25

If mosquitoes in the United States do become carriers, a model created by Toronto researchers found more than 63% of the U.S. population lives in areas where Zika virus might spread during seasonally warm months. A little over 7% of Americans live in areas where the cold might not kill off the mosquito in the winter, leaving them vulnerable year round.

4. What can you do to protect yourself against Zika?

With no treatment or vaccine available, the only protection against Zika is to avoid travel to areas with an active infestation. If you do travel to a country where Zika is present, the CDC advises strict adherence to mosquito protection measures: Use an EPA-approved repellent over sunscreen, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts thick enough to block a mosquito bite, and sleep in air-conditioned, screened rooms, among others.

How to keep mosquitoes carrying Zika, dengue at bay

If you have Zika, you can keep from spreading it to others by avoiding mosquito bites during the first week of your illness, says the CDC. The female Aedes aegypti, the primary carrier of Zika, is an aggressive biter, preferring daytime to dusk and indoors to outdoors. Keeping screens on windows and doors is critical to preventing entry to homes and hotel rooms.

5. What's being done to stop Zika?

Researchers are hard at work in laboratories around the world trying to create a Zika vaccine. Until those efforts bear fruit, health officials are implementing traditional mosquito control techniques such as spraying pesticides and emptying standing water receptacles where mosquitoes breed. The CDC is encouraging local homeowners, hotel owners and visitors to countries with Zika outbreaks to join in by also eliminating any standing water they see, such as in outdoor buckets and flowerpots.

Brazil is taking steps against the Zika virus 01:38

Studies show local control is only marginally effective, since it's so hard to get to all possible breeding areas. And since Aedes aegypti has evolved to live near humans and "can replicate in flower vases and other tiny sources of water," said microbiologist Brian Foy, the mosquitoes are particularly difficult to find and eradicate.

Another prevention effort is OX513A, a genetically modified male Aedes aegypti, dubbed by critics as the "mutant mosquito" or "Robo-Frankenstein mosquito." The creation of British company Oxitec, OX513A is designed to stop the spread of Zika by passing along a gene that makes his offspring die. Since females only mate once, in theory this slows the growth of the population. Each OX513A carries a fluorescent marker, so he can be tracked by scientists.

Key West, Florida, residents gave the genetically modified male his monster nicknames while protesting a trial release of the mosquito in 2012 as a way to combat an outbreak of dengue fever in South Florida. That effort is under review by the Food and Drug Administration.

But field trials in Brazil in 2011 were hugely successful, according to Oxitec, eliminating up to 99% of the target population. A new release of males in the Pedra Branca area of Brazil in 2014 was 92% successful, according to the company. The mosquito has also been tested in the Cayman Islands, Malaysia and Panama.

Last year, Oxitec announced plans to build an OX513A mosquito production facility in Piracicaba, Brazil, that it says will be able to protect 300,000 residents.

Iran Travel Advice

Summary

• Still current at:
  14 January 2016
• Updated:
  23 August 2015
• Latest update: [Summary - The British Embassy in Tehran reopened on Sunday 23 August 2015.]

Download map (PDF)

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to:

• within 100km of the entire Iran/Afghanistan border
  
• within 10km of the entire Iran/Iraq border
  
• the province of Sistan-Baluchistan
  
• the area east of the line running from Bam to Jask, including Bam
  

At present the British Embassy can only offer a limited consular service. If you need routine consular assistance in Iran you should contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on +44 20 7008 1500.
If you need emergency consular assistance, including an emergency travel document, you should contact the Swedish Embassy in Tehran.
Re-establishing a full consular service is a priority and we hope to be in a position to offer this within the next few months.
See Safety and security
There is a general threat from terrorism. See Terrorism
Take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before you travel.

Safety and security

British nationals - including dual British/Iranian nationals - face greater risks than nationals of many other countries. The security forces may be suspicious of people with British connections. The risks are likely to be higher for independent travellers or students than for members of tour parties or business people invited by the Iranian authorities or companies.
Any behaviour that doesn’t have an obvious explanation can put you at risk, no matter how innocent you believe it to be. This may include travel off the beaten track, being present near crowds or sensitive sites, having contact with Iranians who are of interest to the authorities, taking photographs (except in major tourist sites), or behaviour that could be perceived as contrary to official Iranian interpretations of Islam. The threat to travellers is likely to be higher if there’s any national unrest, terrorist incident or an increase in tensions between Iran and the international community.
You should consider carefully the risks of travelling to Iran. If you choose to travel, keep a low profile.
The Iranian authorities have in many cases failed to meet their international obligations to notify Embassies when foreign nationals have been detained. Even if requested, adequate consular access isn’t always granted. You should therefore keep in close touch with family or friends back home.
At present the British Embassy can only offer a limited consular service. If you need routine consular assistance in Iran you should contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on +44 20 7008 1500. If you need emergency consular assistance, including an emergency travel document, you should contact the Swedish Embassy in Tehran.

Border areas

Border areas are particularly sensitive. The FCO advise against all travel to: areas within 100km of the Iran/Afghanistan border; within 10km of the entire Iran/Iraq border; the province of Sistan-Baluchistan; and the area to the east of Bam and Jask, including Bam. This area is notorious for banditry and is the main route for drug-traffickers from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The towns of Zahedan, Zabol and Mirjaveh are particularly insecure.
Some Iranian officials and media reports have falsely alleged a UK connection to separatist groups in Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchistan. If you travel to these areas against our advice, stick to the main routes to avoid accidentally entering the numerous restricted or military zones.

Crime

There have been some attacks and robberies against foreigners. Young men on motorcycles or in cars have snatched bags from individuals either on the street or through open car windows/doors.
There have been attempted robberies by bogus policemen, usually in civilian clothing. If you are approached by anyone who claims to be a policeman, ask to see their ID and request the presence of a uniformed officer or marked patrol car. Don’t hand over any documents or cash, or get in to any vehicle.
There have been incidents of motorcycle taxis taking tourists to quiet locations where they are then robbed.
Take sensible precautions to protect yourself from street crime. Avoid carrying large amounts of money and keep your passport safe. Pre-booked taxis are safer than those hailed from the street.

Road travel

Iran has a high rates of road accidents. Take great care when travelling by road, including by public transport and when crossing streets. If you’re involved in an accident, no matter how minor, don’t leave the scene. Wait until the police arrive to make their report.
The Iranian authorities sometimes set up informal roadblocks both in cities and on main highways. They are often staffed by young and inexperienced officers. You should always carry your identification with you and avoid getting into disputes.
If you wish to drive your own vehicle into Iran, you may be subject to Iranian customs and other regulations. There are special requirements for travellers wishing to bring motorcycles into the country. Women aren’t allowed to drive a motorcycle on public roads. Contact the Iranian authorities for details well before you travel.

Air travel

The European Union has highlighted a number of concerns about air safety oversight in Iran. Since April 2010, the State carrier Iran Air has been subject to operational restrictions in the EU and only 14 Airbus A300, eight Airbus A310 and one Boeing 737 from their fleet have permission to operate to/from the European Union. The restriction was put in place because Iran Air had been unable to demonstrate that a number of aircraft in its fleet meet international safety standards.
The list of airlines banned within the EU is based on random inspections on aircraft of airlines that operate flights to and from EU airports. The fact that an airline is not included in the list does not automatically mean that it meets the applicable safety standards.
There is limited reliable independent expert information available about domestic airline safety in Iran and the International Civil Aviation Organisation has not audited those bodies responsible for air safety oversight in Iran. Aircraft operating domestic routes in Iran may not necessarily comply with international safety standards. There have been a number of fatal accidents.

Sea travel

Many areas of the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf are highly sensitive politically. The waters around the islands of Abu Musa and the Tunbs in the southern Persian Gulf are particularly sensitive and are militarised. In 2005 a British couple who anchored at Abu Musa were detained and French and German nationals were imprisoned for entering the waters near the island. In November 2009 a group of British sailors were detained for a week, along with their yacht, after accidentally sailing into Iranian waters in this area.
Mariners should not attempt to dock at all or sail into waters around these islands without express permission from the Iranian authorities.
You should maintain a high state of awareness and be alert to local and regional tensions which may affect your route. Vessels operating in the Gulf of Oman, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab El Mandeb regions may be at increased risk of maritime attack.
In April 2015, a container ship with an international crew was detained by Iranian forces while transiting the Straits of Hormuz, following what the Iranian authorities said was a court order relating to a commercial dispute; the ship and crew were released 9 days later.

Political situation

The June 2013 Presidential Elections passed peacefully. However demonstrations are heavily policed with security forces deployed in large numbers and protestors have previously been taken into custody. You should stay away from demonstrations, rallies, large crowds and areas where police and security forces are deployed. International news events can sometimes trigger anti-western demonstrations. Western diplomatic missions have been the focus for previous protests. There is the potential for these to occur on Fridays after prayers. If you are unable to leave the immediate vicinity quickly, you should find a place of safety off the street, preferably indoors.

Consular assistance services

At present the British Embassy can only offer a limited consular service.
If you need routine consular assistance in Iran you should contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on +44 20 7008 1500. In an emergency, including if you need an emergency travel document, you should contact the Swedish Embassy in Tehran.
Swedish Embassy
Address: 27 Nastaran Str, Boostan Ave, (North of Lavasani), Tehran
Telephone: 0098-21-2371 2200
Fax: 0098-21-222 964 51
Email: ambassaden.teheran@gov.se
Re-establishing a full consular service is a priority and we hope to be in a position to offer this within the next few months.
You can’t apply for a British passport in Iran at this time. If you want to apply for a new British passport or renew an existing one in Iran, you should use another passport (if you hold dual nationality) to exit Iran and make a full validity UK passport application elsewhere.

Local laws and customs

Iran is a Muslim country in which Islamic law is strictly enforced. You should respect local traditions, customs, laws and religions at all times and be aware of your actions to ensure that they do not offend, especially during the holy month of Ramadan or if you intend to visit religious areas. It is forbidden to eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours during the month of Ramadan.
In 2016, the holy month of Ramadan is expected to start on 6 June and finish on 5 July. See Travelling during Ramadan
Islamic codes of behaviour and dress are strictly enforced. In any public place women must cover their heads with a headscarf, wear trousers (or a floor length skirt), and a long-sleeved tunic or coat that reaches to mid-thigh or knee. Men should wear long trousers and long-sleeve shirts.
There are additional dress requirements at certain religious sites. Women may be asked to put on a chador (a garment that covers the whole body except the face) before entering.
Relationships between non-Muslim men and Muslim women are illegal, although few Westerners have been prosecuted. If a Muslim woman is found in a relationship with a non-Muslim man, she may be sentenced to be whipped.
Women should take extra care, particularly when travelling alone or with friends of the opposite sex. If you’re a woman travelling in Iran you should respect local dress codes and customs and avoid isolated areas. See these travel tips for women travellers.
Unmarried partners and friends of the opposite sex travelling together should be discreet at all times in public. Iranian hotel managers could insist on seeing a marriage certificate before allowing any couple to share a double hotel room. Homosexual behaviour, adultery and sex outside of marriage are illegal under Iranian law and can carry the death penalty.
Women’s magazines and DVDs or videos depicting sexual relations are forbidden. There are occasional clampdowns. Satellite dishes and many Western CDs and films remain illegal.
The import, sale, manufacture and consumption of alcohol in Iran is strictly forbidden on religious grounds, with exceptions only for certain recognised Iranian religious minorities (not foreigners). Penalties can be severe.
Photography near military and other government installations is strictly prohibited. Sensitive government buildings and facilities are often difficult to identify. Take extreme care when taking photographs in any areas that are anything other than very obvious tourist attractions.
Using a laptop or other electronic equipment in public places can be misinterpreted, especially if it contains photographs. You may be arrested and detained on serious criminal charges, including espionage. It’s better to ask before taking photographs of people.
Penalties for importing and possessing drugs are severe and enforced. Many individuals convicted of drug offences, including foreign nationals, have been executed.
Importing pork products isn’t allowed.
The Iranian legal system differs in many ways from the UK. Suspects can be held without charge and aren’t always allowed quick access to legal representation. In the past, consular access has been very limited.
In some cases, we believe that individuals involved in commercial disputes with Iranian companies or individuals have been prevented from leaving the country pending resolution of the dispute.
As a representative of a British or western company, you may be subject to particular attention. British business people travelling to Iran should take appropriate steps to protect commercially sensitive information (including password protection of electronic devices (minimum 4 digits) and not taking unnecessary information with you). Electronic devices may be screened by customs officials on arrival and departure.
You should carry a photocopy of your passport for identification. Make sure you have included emergency contact details.

6. Health
7. Natural disasters
8. Money
9. Contact FCO Travel Advice Team