president hassan rouhani tweeted happiness is our people's right, we shouldn't be too hard on befores caused by joy. why are other iranian authorities threatened by people dancing in a video? >> this was disappointing. the video sparked copycats. so in this case, you know, it's hard to say what the crackdown was about, whether it was about the unveiled women and morality or if it was seen as a him uking of the west. nevertheless the kiss cord is apparent in hassan rouhani's tweet. >> china is known for censoring the internet. they blocked the social media, and what they do is called the great firewall of china. over the weekend the chinese government talked about making the internet tightly controlled, citing foreign attacks. are there ways for the chinese people and people elsewhere to get around the internet censorship. >> the chinese government is trying to aim at the harmonisation at the internet. it strikes a balance, blocking out what they see as inappropriate. there are a number of ways that people in china can circumvent because the chinese government is adept at playing the g

when we say constructed interaction, some say you are after compromise with the world. >> hassan rouhani has been criticised for some, for had stance on the programme. >> hundreds attended a funeral in germany or an exchange student killed. 17-year-old student was killed after a home owner caught the teen in his garage. u.s. has been criticised for gun laws. the map pleaded not guilty to a charm of delivered homicide. >>> an investigation reveals veterans administration record have been falsified. clrks were instructed to lie, and it appeared that the clinics staff were seeing patients within 14 days of the request as the agency requires. many waited months. >>> the city of new orleans has been facing blight since hurricane katrina, which destroyed many homes. as jonathan martin reports, it's leading a charge to turn neighbourhoods around. >> the run down homes across new orleans has been linked to poverty. >> there's thousands of blighted structures, with the x on the door from when the search crews came through. >> considered a blighted city after the 2005 hur day, new orleans is putti

. >>> in an attempt to end deadlock the iranian president hassan rouhani made a speech on tv. >> translation: confrontation with the world will not succeed. i said from the beginning that this government is on the path of interaction with the world, constructive interaction. when we say constructive interaction some say we are after compromise. >> hassan rouhani has been criticised for histone to the nuclear programme and the signing of a nuclear deal with world powers. >>> afghanistan's president declared a day of mourning for those killed in the landslide. 2,000 are believed to be dead in the badakhshan. yesterday the search was called off due to lack of equipment. we have more. >> reporter: this man tend to an injured boy. this child is one of the lucky ones to get prompt treatment. this clinic is one of several that have been set up near the disaster area. >> translation: we found on injured child trapped under the mud. he has injuries to his head and is undergoing treatment in the center. he has been provided with medication. >> many other were not so fortunate. when the lapped slide ha

the primary catalyst was the election last year of iranian president hassan rouhani, a reform-mindedn a surprising and convincing victory by promising to improve the economy and end iran's international isolation. clearly, something is going on in tehran, and we wanted to see it firsthand. last month, we were granted visas and packed our bags for an eight-day visit. the thing that strikes you most about tehran is that it defies expectation. it's a sprawling, modern city with 12 million people, and most of them are offended by the perceived image of their country as a hostile, backward, dangerous place filled with terrorists, a conservative islamic police state ruled by a religious theocracy. it's much more complicated than that. iran is one of the wealthiest, best educated, most sophisticated countries in the middle east. and most people here are eager to end their political and economic isolation, if their government can work out a deal. >> mohammad nahavandian: there is a lot of misinformation and disinformation about iran. >> kroft: dr. mohammad nahavandian speaks from experience,

. >>> iranian president hassan rouhani says his country is not seeking nuclear weapons, and he urged leaders of foreign nations to assess that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. rouhani made the comment in a speech to iranian scientists and nuclear experts. he said negotiators will be transparent in their talks with representatives from the world powers. he said iran would never accept what he called nuclear apartheid by giving up its program. analysts say rouhani is looking to counter iranian hard-liners that have been critical of the way his administration has handled the talks. rouhani's comments come ahead of the start of a fresh round of meetings in vienna on tuesday. negotiators are scheduled to draft a final agreement on iran's nuclear program. they hope to reach a final deal by july 20th. >>> monday marks the final day of voting in india's general election. the poll has been going on for more than a month, and it's said to be the world's largest democratic vote. more than 800 million people are eligible to cast ballots. analysts say the country could have a change

they're the latest victims of a fierce power struggle going on between hardliners and hassan rouhani,has promised to open up the internet. the fight broke out into the open a few days ago when hardliners blocked one of rouhani's speeches on freedom of expression from being broadcast on state tv. in spite of the arrests, the "be happy" video has gone viral in iran. young people there see it as a protest effort. and iran's president might agree. today, he tweeted, "happiness is our people's right. we shouldn't be too hard on behaviors caused by joy." >> pelley: liz palmer is joining us now from london. liz, there was a lot of joy when rouhani was elected as a reformer last year, but he doesn't seem to be making a whole lot of progress. >> reporter: he hasn't delivered on any of the reforms he promised, and as the pressure grows on him, especially from young people, the more his fight with the hardliners is coming out into the open. it's becoming more bitter and much more public. >> pelley: liz palmener london, thank you, liz. can a skateboard save the world? you be the judge. next. jake

the guards facing off with the new president hassan rouhani who is supporting more freedom, especially on the internet. tonight six of the seven young people from the video were released. iran's president even tweeting happiness is our people's right. but diane, critics say the dancers shouldn't have been arrested in the first place. >> and the whole world will keep watching. thank you so much. >>> sometimes humor is the hardest thing. ask fbi director. james comey. today his attempt at a joke about marijuana back fire and back fired big time. abc's senior justice correspondent now on the punch line gone wrong. >> reporter: the fbi has been known as the straight-laced just the facts lawmen depicted in the abc classic tv show. >> you're under arrest. >> reporter: if you smoked marijuana in the past three years, you need not apply to the fbi. but a bit of buzz has been created after director was asked on monday if the fbi would hire a computer wiz who smokes pot. in response, he said, i have to hire a great workforce to compete with the cyber criminals and some of those kids want to smok

ongoing struggle between the hardline judiciary in iran and the more modern instincts of president hassan rouhanipp violate individual's prooif di. one judge reportedly said today that was not the case. president rouhani himself was quoted last week as describing the cyberworld as an opportunity and asking, quote, why don't we trust our truth? the iranian president is a user of twitter. he said, quote, let people have peace of mind, stop interfering in their affairs, even with good suspensions and out of compassion. but a lot of hardliners believe social media and the internet in general spread a decadent western culture in iran. as for mr. zuckerberg, he's made no public comment on the alleged court summons. but it seems highly unlikely he would visit an iranian courtroom. >> jonathan, thank you. >>> moments from you, aaron hernandez is due in court, facing new charges that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life. we'll tell you about that. >>> plus, one couple going from rags to riches as their pot of gold hits the auction block. >>> wouldn't you like to find a pot of gold? >> why no

so hassan rouhani was elected who is, granted, more moderate, but he's still a regime insider. he was still on the slate of candidates preapproved by the supreme leader. and so power passed without controversy, without protest to a hand-picked candidate of the supreme leader. so i think what that election shows is that the current government is even stronger than it was in 2009. so i think that the united states is doing some things to encourage democracy, and iran there have been some reports about the united states providing information technology that would potentially allow opposition movements in iran to communicate, to organize. so i think there are some steps in that direction. and potentially could do more. but i think we still have the same problem that i talked about in the opening remarks which is that the current government is strong enough now that it's really hard for me to see how they fall in time for it to solve the nuclear program. the nuke problem for us. we're engaged in these negotiates. the deadline for the next, to get this comprehensive deal is july 20th

the old guard facing off with the new president hassan rouhani who is supporting more freedom, especiallyfrom the video have now been released. iran's president even tweeting happiness is our people's right. but critics say the dancers shouldn't have been arrested in the first place. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >> it's remarkable, isn't it? the disparity. >> right. the question is why were they arrested. is it a religious faction that's trying to exercise some kind of power that they feel is being taken away from them? the president during a conference did say why are we so nervous and why don't we trust our youth? there is an indication that some don't trust the youth. >>> coming up, a 40th anniversary party. remember the rubik's cube? >> yeah. >> we will do a flashback thursday coming up. >>> "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations ♪ >>> time now for our "throwback thursday." and today we celebrate the big 4-0. one of america's most popular toys. >> 40 years ago this week that the rubik's cube was created by an young architecture professor. >> five years la