WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government for the first time on Friday formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election.

The headquarters of the Democratic National Committee is seen in Washington, U.S. June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron

“We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities,” a U.S. government statement said on Friday about hacking of political groups.

“These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process.”

U.S. intelligence officials concluded weeks ago that the Russian government was conducting or orchestrating cyber attacks against the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, possibly to disrupt or discredit the election, in which Democrat Hillary Clinton faces Republican Donald Trump.

A Kremlin spokesman called the U.S. allegations “nonsense”, the Interfax news agency reported.

On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the U.S. accusations lacked any proof and were an attempt by Washington to fan “unprecedented anti-Russian hysteria”.

“This whipping up of emotions regarding ‘Russian hackers’ is used in the U.S. election campaign, and the current U.S. administration, taking part in this fight, is not averse to using dirty tricks,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday in comments posted on the ministry’s website.

The Obama administration’s decision to blame Russia for the attacks is the latest downward turn in U.S. relations with Moscow, which are under strain over Russia’s actions in Syria and Ukraine and in cyberspace.

Also on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Russian and Syrian actions in the Syrian civil war, including bombings of hospitals, “beg for” a war crimes investigation.

In addition, a U.S. intelligence official said on Friday that Russia was moving short-range nuclear-capable missiles into Kaliningrad, a tiny Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania, confirming Estonian news reports.

Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, said the public blaming for the hacks left one remaining question of “why Donald Trump continues to make apologies for the Russians”. Trump had previously expressed doubt about Russia’s involvement. In July, he suggested Russia should attempt to retrieve and publish emails from Clinton’s private server.

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hours after the U.S. government’s accusation was levied, WikiLeaks posted hundreds of emails on its website purportedly hacked from Podesta’s private account.

CHANGE IN TONE

Until Friday, the Obama administration had avoided publicly singling out Russia in connection with the mounting civilian deaths in Syria or the cyber attacks.

The statement by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not blame the Russian government for hacking attempts against state election systems, but said “scanning and probing” of those systems originated in most cases from servers operated by a Russian company.

However, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said U.S. officials had concluded that the hacking attacks or probes of state voter registration systems were “consistent with Russian motivations”.

Concern has grown about the reliability of the U.S. voting system as a result of the breach, and Trump has called the system “rigged,” but without providing specific evidence.

U.S. intelligence officials have said there is no evidence that voting recording systems have been manipulated.

Identifying Russia as the actor behind the cyber attacks on political organizations falls short of more punitive measures the United States has taken against other countries for cyber intrusions.

Lawmakers of both political parties welcomed the formal accusation. Republican Senator Cory Gardner, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity, said he planned to introduce sanctions legislation.

Earlier this year, a U.S. grand jury indicted seven Iranians employed by two Iran-based computer firms on charges of hacking into the U.S. financial sector. In 2015, Obama announced sanctions against North Korea for hacking into Sony Pictures.

In 2014, the United States charged five Chinese military hackers for economic espionage aimed at U.S. nuclear, metals and solar industries.

A senior U.S. official said the administration is considering other retaliatory steps against Russia, but he declined to identify them. Those steps may remain covert, the official said.

The Democratic National Committee publicly disclosed intrusions into its systems in June and held Russia responsible. Leaks of committee emails from pro-transparency group WikiLeaks soon followed, demonstrating what appeared to be favoritism for Clinton over another Democrat, Bernie Sanders, by committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Wasserman Schultz, a Florida congresswoman, stepped down.

In Friday’s statement, the government said disclosures of emails by WikiLeaks and hacking entities known as DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 “are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts”.

WikiLeaks has not identified the source of its leaks and criticized those who have claimed it was Russia. Guccifer 2.0 has identified itself as a Romanian hacker, but U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks are both a front for Russian spy units.</s>"We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," a U.S. government statement said on Friday about hacking of political groups.

"These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process," the statement said.

U.S. intelligence officials concluded weeks ago that the Russian government was conducting or orchestrating cyber attacks against the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, possibly to disrupt or discredit the election, in which Democrat Hillary Clinton faces Republican Donald Trump.

A Kremlin spokesman called the U.S. allegations "nonsense," the Interfax news agency reported.

The Obama administration's decision to blame Russia for the attacks is the latest downward turn in Washington's relations with Moscow, which are under strain over Russia's actions in Syria and Ukraine and in cyberspace.

Also on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Russian and Syrian actions in the Syrian civil war, including bombings of hospitals, "beg for" a war crimes investigation.

In addition, a U.S. intelligence official said Friday that Russia is moving short-range nuclear-capable missiles into Kaliningrad, a tiny Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania, confirming Estonian news reports.

Still, until Friday, the administration had avoided publicly naming Russia in connection with the mounting civilian deaths in Syria or the cyber attacks.

The statement by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not blame the Russian government for hacking attempts against state election systems, but said "scanning and probing" of those systems originated in most cases from servers operated by a Russian company.

However, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman told Reuters that U.S. officials have concluded that the hacking attacks or probes of state voter registration systems are "consistent with Russian motivations."

Concern has grown about the reliability of the U.S. voting system as a result of the breach, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called the system "rigged," but without providing specific evidence.

U.S. intelligence officials have said there is no evidence that voting recording systems have been manipulated.

Naming Russia as the actor behind the cyber attacks on political organizations falls short of more punitive measures the United States has taken against other countries for cyber intrusions.

Republican Senator Cory Gardner, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity, said he planned to introduce sanctions legislation.

Earlier this year, a U.S. grand jury indicted seven Iranians employed by two Iran-based computer companies on hacking charges into U.S. financial sector. In 2015, Obama announced sanctions against North Korea for hacking into Sony Pictures. In 2014, the United States charged five Chinese military hackers for economic espionage aimed at U.S. nuclear, metals and solar industries.

A senior U.S. official said the administration is considering other retaliatory steps against Russia, but he declined to identify them. Those steps may remain covert, the official said.

The Democratic National Committee publicly disclosed intrusions into its systems in June, blaming Russia for the attacks. Leaks of the committees' emails from pro-transparency group WikiLeaks soon followed, demonstrating what appeared to be favoritism for Clinton over another Democrat, Bernie Sanders, by committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Wasserman Schultz, a Florida congresswoman, stepped down.

In Friday's statement, the government said disclosures of emails by WikiLeaks and hacking entities known as DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 "are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts."

WikiLeaks has not identified the source of its leaks and criticized those who have claimed it was Russia. Guccifer 2.0 has identified itself as a Romanian hacker, but U.S. intelligence officials have concluded it and DCLeaks are both a front for Russian spy units.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations during the campaign for the Nov. 8 presidential election.

U.S. officials have said in the past few months that they believe cyber attacks were orchestrated by hackers backed by the Russian government, possibly to disrupt the election in which Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton faces Republican Party candidate Donald Trump. Russia has dismissed allegations it was involved in cyber attacks on the organizations.

"We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," a U.S. government statement said on Friday about hacking of political groups.

The statement by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not blame the Russian government for hacking attempts against state election systems, but said "scanning and probing" of those systems originated in most cases from servers operated by a Russian company.

"These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process," the statement said. "However, we are not now in a position to attribute this activity to the Russian Government," the statement said.

The condemnation coincides with increasing tensions between Washington and Moscow on a range of international issues, from the Middle East to Ukraine and cyberspace.</s>WASHINGTON: US officials on Friday formally accused the Russian government of directing cyber attacks “intended to interfere with the US election process,” amid escalating tensions between the two powers.

The assertion against Russia comes with relations already frayed over stalled efforts to end violence in Syria, NATO defenses and other differences.

A joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence was the first official accusation by Washington against Moscow in the spate of cyber attacks, although many analysts had said the hacks appeared to be from Russia.

A US administration official said Washington would respond to the cyber attacks, without offering details.

“We will take action to protect our interests, including in cyberspace, and we will do so at a time and place of our choosing,” said an official shortly after the statement accusing Russia of cyberattacks.

The official statement said the US intelligence community “is confident that the Russian government directed the recent compromises of emails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations.”

The officials added: “We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities:”

The statement said the disclosures of alleged hacked emails on WikiLeaks and other websites and by the online persona “Guccifer 2.0” were “consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts.”

“These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process,” the statement said.

The statement, however, stopped short of accusing Russia in the recent cyber attacks on state election databases.

“Some states have also recently seen scanning and probing of their election-related systems, which in most cases originated from servers operated by a Russian company,” the statement said.

“However, we are not now in a position to attribute this activity to the Russian government.”

It was not immediately clear how Washington would respond in the matter. Officials have in the past said any cyber attacks on important US institutions would prompt a response, which could take the form of diplomatic or economic sanctions, or possibly cyber measures.

US Senator Dianne Feinstein, who last month said she and other lawmakers believed Moscow was seeking to disrupt the election, said the new statement “conveys the seriousness of the threat” to the vote.

“Attempted hacking of our election system is intolerable, and it’s critical to convince the Russian government to cease these activities,” the California senator said.

“If it does not, we must develop a strong response.”

Jason Healey, a former White House director of critical infrastructure protection who is now a researcher at Columbia University and with the Atlantic Council, said the US has tools to respond.

“The initial response will be to protect and thwart what the other side wants to do,” Healey told AFP.

Healey said Washington is also capable of “counteroffensive cyber actions” which can limit or deter attacks.

“Don’t attack them back but use our own cyber capabilities to disrupt them,” he said.

“I would not call that offensive, it’s counteroffensive.”

The FBI has been investigating a leak of Democratic National Committee emails, which were published by WikiLeaks in July.

A hacker group using the name Guccifer 2.0 has also released leaked emails and has claimed to have hacked into the Clinton Foundation, led by former US president Bill Clinton, whose wife Hillary is the Democratic presidential nominee.

But the US statement said that “it would be extremely difficult for someone, including a nation-state actor, to alter actual ballot counts or election results by cyber attack or intrusion.”

That is because of the decentralized nature of the US election system, which is operated by thousands of state and local government entities.

“States ensure that voting machines are not connected to the Internet, and there are numerous checks and balances as well as extensive oversight at multiple levels built into our election process,” the statement said.

“Nevertheless, DHS continues to urge state and local election officials to be vigilant and seek cybersecurity assistance from DHS. A number of states have already done so.” – AFP</s>US accusations that Russia was responsible for cyber attacks against Democratic Party organisations lack any proof and are an attempt by Washington to fan “unprecedented anti-Russian hysteria”, the foreign ministry in Moscow said.

“This whipping up of emotions regarding ‘Russian hackers’ is used in the US election campaign, and the current US administration, taking part in this fight, is not averse using dirty tricks,” deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday in comments posted on the ministry’s website.

Mr Ryabkov also said Moscow reiterated an offer to Washington, first made last year, to hold consultations on fighting cyber crime together.

The Obama administration formally accused the Russian government on Friday of stealing and disclosing emails from the Democratic National Committee and a range of other institutions and prominent individuals, immediately raising the issue of whether president Barack Obama would seek sanctions or other retaliation.

In a statement from the director of national intelligence, James Clapper Jr., and the Department of Homeland Security, the US government said the leaked emails that have appeared on a variety of websites “are intended to interfere with the US election process.”

The emails were posted on the well-known WikiLeaks site and two newer sites, DCLeaks.com and Guccifer 2.0, said to be online personas associated with Russian intelligence.

“We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities,” the statement said. It did not name Russian president Vladimir Putin, but that appeared to be the intention.</s>The announcement marks the first time the US administration has officially accused Russia of hacking into US political systems. Earlier in the week, the two countries broke off formal talks about a ceasefire in Syria.

"We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia's senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," the Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a joint statement.

"The recent disclosures of alleged hacked emails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts," the statement added. "These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process. Such activity is not new to Moscow -- the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there."

The announcement was referring to the breach of Democratic National Committee emails and the sites of other Democratic Party-linked organizations disclosed over the summer.

RELATED: How Russian hacking has tied US government in knots Officials told CNN that Friday's announcement follows long deliberations within the Obama administration as to whether and when to take this step. They have had confidence on the assessment for some time, with the only question being whether to go public. Previously law enforcement and intelligence officials had pointed to Russia anonymously, with lawmakers among the few to go on record accusing Moscow of being behind the intrusions. The collapse of the US-Russian relationship in other areas, such as Syria, played a role as well, removing incentives for the White House to remain silent on the matter. On Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry went so far as to call for Russian and Syrian military strikes against civilians and medical facilities in Aleppo to be investigated as "war crimes." The administration, however, disputes that there was any delay in naming Russia, saying the announcement was made publish as soon as the proper evidence to make an official attribution of responsibility was gathered. "We also worked as quickly as possible to release as much information as possible in order to provide state and local officials sufficient time to fortify their infrastructure," a senior administration official told CNN. Another senior administration official said that the major focus of making the announcement at this time was an effort to reassure the public that government is on top of the situation, that officials know who carried out the hacking and that the US political system can withstand the attacks. The joint announcement Friday from the two agencies said the US wasn't yet ready to attribute blame for a series of additional hacks and attempted hacks of voter registration websites in several states. But US intelligence and law enforcement officials told CNN that there's strong evidence Russian intelligence services are also behind the cyberattacks against state voter registration websites. There has been debate within the intelligence community about whether to "name and shame" the Russians for the cyberattacks. Some in the FBI and Justice Department felt the evidence was strong enough to point the finger, but others in US intelligence agencies and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence felt it could encourage retaliation or the exposure of US intelligence operations. Others in the White House worried about the political overtones over naming Russia, fearing it would be seen as an effort to help Democrat Hillary Clinton given the warm exchanges between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The attack on the Democratic National Committee exposed emails appearing to favor Clinton over opponent Bernie Standards exchanged between senior staffers and the DNC chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was eventually required to step down following their disclosure. Hackers thought to be working for Russian intelligence have also carried out a series of cyber breaches targeting reporters at The New York Times and other US news organizations. Democrats on Congress' intelligence committees were ahead of the administration by a few weeks in deciding to publicly point to Moscow, releasing a statement on September 22 that said they had "concluded" that Russian intelligence agencies were responsible for the intrusions. Trump has voiced skepticism about whether the Russians are to blame, saying at a recent debate that it could also be "somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds."</s>The Obama administration today publicly accused the Russian government of cyberattacks against U.S. political organizations and prominent figures that are “intended to interfere with the U.S. election process.”

The extraordinary move comes after months of disclosures stemming from the hacks of the Democratic National Committee and other groups — cyberattacks that the U.S. intelligence community is now “confident” were directed by the Russian government.

The accusation came in a joint statement by the office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security.

“The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations,” the statement reads. “The recent disclosures of alleged hacked e-mails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts.

“These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process,” the statement continues. “Such activity is not new to Moscow — the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there. We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.”

The statement appears to raise the political stakes over the cyberattacks, threatening a new confrontation with Russia at a time of increasingly tense relations between Washington and Moscow in Syria and elsewhere. But some commentators immediately noted that the joint statement cites no specific evidence to back up the public accusation. “Words, no proof, no threat,” wrote Jack Goldsmith, a former senior Justice Department lawyer during the Bush administration, on Twitter.

Earlier Friday, a group of former top national security officials and experts warned that Russian intelligence agents may “doctor” emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee and other political groups as part of a sophisticated “disinformation” campaign aimed at influencing the 2016 election.

The group, including former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and former White House counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke, urged the news media to be “cautious” about publishing such material lest they play into Russian hands.

“What is taking place in the United States follows a well-known Russian playbook: First leak compelling and truthful information to gain credibility. The next step: Release fake documents that look the same,” the group said in a joint public statement.

“The Russians aren’t coming. They’re already here,” said Tara Sonenshine, a former undersecretary for public diplomacy under Clinton and one of the organizers of the joint statement.

The fear that more embarrassing emails may be coming is especially acute among Democratic operatives and loyalists, who have become convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin is more favorably disposed to Trump and doing what he can to assist his candidacy. And perhaps not surprisingly, most, if not all, of the 16 former officials and national security experts who signed the statement — including Chertoff, who served during the Bush administration — have endorsed Clinton.

Sonenshine insisted that the purpose of the letter was not to pressure the news media to refuse to publish any leaked emails. Instead, she said, it is only to inject a cautionary note into the review of such material given the Russian propensity to fabricate documents.

“You can’t put out a red stop sign to journalism,” she said. “But you can put up a yellow flag.”

Sonenshine and another organizer of the letter, Ken Gude of the Center for American Progress, said there is evidence that the Russian intelligence service has fabricated or altered documents to further its political aims in Ukraine and elsewhere. And the joint statement warns that such actions appear to fit into a larger strategy of using “cyber tools” targeting Western democracies. Similar concerns about Russian “information warfare” were raised in a recent U.S. intelligence report, disclosed last week by Yahoo News, that cited the activities of Russian Internet trolls and the broadcasts of RT and Sputnik, two state-sponsored media outlets.</s>WASHINGTON – The Obama administration on Friday officially accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the 2016 elections, including by hacking the computers of the Democratic National Committee and other political organizations.

The denunciation, made by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security, came as pressure was growing from within the administration and some lawmakers to hold Moscow accountable for a set of actions apparently aimed at sowing discord around the election.

“The U.S. intelligence community is confident that the Russian government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from U.S. persons and institutions, including from U.S. political organizations,” said a joint statement from the two agencies. “These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process.”

The DNC publicly disclosed the intrusions in June, saying its investigation determined that Russian government hackers were behind the breach. That was followed shortly after by a major leak of DNC emails, some so embarrassing that they forced the resignation of the DNC chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Fla., on the eve of the Democratic National Convention.

The administration also blamed Moscow for the hack of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the subsequent leak of private email addresses and cellphone numbers of Democratic lawmakers.

A series of other leaks of hacked material followed.

The digitally purloined material has appeared on websites such as DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks. It has included the private emails of former secretary of state Colin Powell and aides to former secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

An online persona calling himself Guccifer 2.0 has claimed responsibility for posting the material. Those sites and that persona are “consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts,” the statement said. “We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied any connection to the hacks. “I know absolutely nothing about it,” he said in an interview last month with Bloomberg News. “Russia has never done anything like this at the state level.” Moreover, he said, “I could never even imagine that such information would be of interest to the American public.”

The administration noted that attempts to interfere in other countries’ political processes are not new to Moscow. Russian hackers have used hacking and other techniques to influence public opinion in Europe and Eurasia, it noted. On the eve of a critical post-revolution presidential vote in Ukraine in 2014, for instance, a digital assault nearly crippled the country’s central election commission website.

The Washington Post’s David Filipov contributed to this report.</s>U.S. accusations that Russia was responsible for cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations lack any proof and are an attempt by Washington to fan "unprecedented anti-Russian hysteria", the Foreign Ministry in Moscow said.

"This whipping up of emotions regarding 'Russian hackers' is used in the U.S. election campaign, and the current U.S. administration, taking part in this fight, is not averse using dirty tricks," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday in comments posted on the ministry's website.

Ryabkov also said Moscow reiterated an offer to Washington, first made last year, to hold consultations on fighting cyber crime together.</s>Russian President Vladimir Putin has been publicly accused by U.S. government of a plot to interfere in the presidential election with hacking attacks.

On Friday the U.S. government formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyber attacks against Democratic Party organizations.

In a joint public statement the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said it was confident that Russia’s most senior officials had ordered the attacks.

According to the joint statement, “disclosures of alleged hacked e-mails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts.”

The statement amounts to an accusation that Vladimir Putin ordered interference in the American political system.

It is impossible for such an explosive charge to have been made without authorization from President Obama.

The statement said: ‘The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations.

‘We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.’

It added: ‘It would be extremely difficult for someone, including a nation-state actor, to alter actual ballot counts or election results by cyber attack or intrusion.

‘This assessment is based on the decentralized nature of our election system in this country and the number of protections state and local election officials have in place. States ensure that voting machines are not connected to the Internet, and there are numerous checks and balances as well as extensive oversight at multiple levels built into our election process.’

The statement comes just hours after Secretary of State John Kerry called for Russia to face a war crimes investigation over its actions in Syria “

Moscow dismissed Kerry’s words as “propaganda” intended to distract from US failure to implement the Syrian ceasefire agreement.
The Obama administration formally accuses the Russian government of cyber attacks against the U.S. Democratic Party in influencing presidential election.