U.S., Canada air defenses on alert after Ottawa shooting

U.S. and Canadian air defenses were put on heightened alert Wednesday following a shooting in Canada's parliament, and the American embassy in Ottawa was placed on lockdown, officials said.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) "is taking appropriate and prudent steps to ensure we are adequately postured to respond quickly to any incidents involving aviation in Canada," said a U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The move came as a precaution after a gunman opened fire in and around the Canadian parliament. The gunman was killed after shooting dead a Canadian soldier who was guarding a nearby war memorial.

NORAD spokesman Captain Jeff Davis declined to provide details but said steps had been taken to ensure defenses were "adequately postured." 

State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf confirmed the U.S. embassy in the Canadian capital was on lockdown, and staff movements had been restricted.

President Barack Obama spoke by telephone with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, while Secretary of State John Kerry was also briefed as he flew home from a visit to Germany.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," Harf said, adding all U.S. embassy staff had been accounted for.

While the shooting incident in Ottawa raised fears of a potential link to extremists, NORAD's Davis said there were no signs of possible hijackings or imminent threats to aviation.

"We're not aware of any current, specific threats against the aviation system," he told AFP.

U.S. intelligence officials were not immediately available to comment as to whether there were any suspected links to extremists in the shooting in Canada.

NORAD, founded during the Cold War, is a combined U.S. and Canadian military command designed to safeguard the air space over the two countries, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

After the attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, the command regularly scrambles fighter jets to intercept private aircraft that enter prohibited areas over the U.S. capital or elsewhere, escorting them to the nearest runway. 
 

Bomb explosion outside Cairo University

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

An explosion outside Cairo University wounded at least seven people on Wednesday, among them police and civilians, security sources said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Islamist militants have carried out a series of attacks against police and soldiers, mainly in the remote but strategic Sinai region, since the army ousted President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last year after mass protests against his rule.

Cairo University was a focal point for protests against the government that succeeded Mursi until authorities tightened security with the start of the new term this month.

Egypt has cracked down on the Brotherhood and declared it a terrorist organization, but the group says it is peaceful.

Attacks in the capital are less common than in Sinai but when they do occur, they tend to prompt questions about the effectiveness of the government's efforts to end the bloodshed that has hit tourism, a pillar of the economy.

Iranians protest rash of acid assaults on women

Wed, 10/22/2014 - 17:09

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Iranians took to the streets in Isfahan and Tehran to protest the recent incidents of acid throwing in Isfahan and demand that the authorities provide security for all citizens.

In Isfahan, reports indicate that more that 2000 people gathered in front of the Justice Department buildings demanding swift action from the government.

Demonstrators in Isfahan also called on city authorities to use their closed circuit cameras installed around all over the city to identify the acid throwers.

In recent weeks in a number of incidents, women have been assaulted with acid, leaving at least one dead and many others struggling with serious burns to their hands and faces.

In Tehran people gathered in front of parliament to demand safety and security for all citizens.

The authorities have said that according to investigations from the victims, the assailant appears to be a single individual.

Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam, head of the country's security forces told ISNA that foreign media have tried to link the incidents to hijab and the Islamic dress code in public, but he stressed: "The victims are pious individuals from religious families."

3 Denver female teens stopped in Germany trying to travel to Syria

DENVER, AZ - Sources tell ABC News that three teenage girls from the Denver metro area were taken into custody by the FBI in Germany after authorities said they were trying to travel to Syria.

The three girls, all under the age of 18, were persuaded to travel overseas and were in contact with someone in Germany. Someone close to them notified authorities, and the FBI tracked them down in Germany, ABC News reported.

Sources said the teens may have been on their way to Syria, but they were turned around and sent back to the United States. It's not clear if the teens are being charged.

One law enforcement official told ABC News that this is part of a particular concerning trend of "disaffected youth" who are being radicalized.

The officials said the teens were trying "to fulfill what they believe is some vision that has been put out on a slick media campaign" by radical groups in Syria, including ISIS, ABC News reported.

Foreign travel to Iran enjoys sharp increase

Sun, 10/19/2014 - 19:36

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Reports indicate a significant increase in the number of foreign tourists visiting various parts of Iran in the past 12 months.

The head of Iran’s Tourism Organization told the Associated Press that the country has seen a 35-percent increase in the number of foreign tourists, adding that visits from 4.5 million tourists have brought the country an income of 6 billion dollars.

Massoud Soltanifar added that the increase is a direct result of the 2013 presidential election and the victory of Hassan Rohani.

The new administration’s policies have made it easier for travelers to obtain a visa, adding that visitors from Europe have increased by 200 percent.

The head of the Tourism Organization said Iran expects that by 2025, it will be welcoming 20 million foreign travelers a year.

Iran has 17 Cultural Heritage sites registered with UNESCO that are popular tourist attractions.

Press TV official calls reporter’s death in Turkey “suspicious”

Press TV official calls reporter’s death in Turkey “suspicious”

Mon, 10/20/2014 - 19:27

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The head of Press TV's English Newsroom Hamidreza Emadi has announced that the death of its reporter Serena Shim in Turkey is "suspicious."

"The Turkish government is accountable to the global public opinion and to journalists as Ms. Shim's suspicious death comes right after she made a number of critical reports regarding Turkish authorities," Emadi said according to IRNA.

He stressed that Press TV reserves the right to full investigations regarding Serena Shim's death.

Serena Shim was reportedly killed on Sunday October 19 in an accident in Turkish territory near the border with Syria while covering the activities of Sunni extremist group ISIS in the region. Her videographer, the other passenger in the vehicle, was injured in the accident and is currently in hospital.

On Friday, while on air, Shim accused Turkish authorities of harassing her with false accusations. She said that she was being pursued by Turkish security officials over allegations of espionage and stressed that she has never done anything other than her duties as a conscientious reporter and journalist. She also stated that she was in fear of her life.

Serena Shim was a 30-year-old mother of two. She held Lebanese-American citizenship and had covered news for Press TV, the English language branch of Islamic Republic News Agency in Lebanon, Iraq and Ukraine.

Tags: journalists, Press TV, Serena Shim, Turkey

Court suspends rights lawyer Sotoudeh from practicing law

Court suspends rights lawyer Sotoudeh from practicing law

Sun, 10/19/2014 - 19:25

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Nasrin Sotoudeh

The Lawyer’s Disciplinary Court has suspended Nasrin Sotoudeh from practicing law for three years in an order issued on Saturday October 18.

Reza Khandan, Sotoudeh’s husband, has reported on his Facebook page that the head of the Disciplinary Court had urged Sotoudeh earlier to surrender her licence because the court was under pressure to issue a suspension order.

In August, the Disciplinary Court issued a verdict allowing Nasrin Sotoudeh to keep her licence and go on practicing law. That order reportedly drew criticism from the prosecutor’s office and Evin Court.

Nasrin Sotoudeh is a prominent human rights lawyer who was jailed on a charge of “propaganda against the regime” and went on a hunger strike on several occasions to protest the violation of her prisoner rights.

She was finally released last year along with a group of other political prisoners.

Tags: human rights, Nasrin Sotoudeh