Dramatic dashcam video captures Taiwan plane crash

Ukraine- Donetsk and nearby settlements under shelling

OSCE mission in Ukraine says crisis is deteriorating and urges ceasefire. According to the United Nations, over 5,000 people have been killed since mid-April last year as a result of armed clashes between Ukrainian troops and local militias in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Donetsk and nearby settlements under shelling - in photo gallery by TASS.

Moscow fears tensions will rise due to North Korea’s sharp criticism of US policy

MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. Moscow calls for deescalation of tensions between North Korea and the United States, the spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Alexander Lukashevich said that on February 4 North Korea issued the defense committee’s statement with a sharp criticism of Washington’s policies in regard to Pyongyang.

"In this context, I would like to point out that we do not support demarches like these, which could aggravate the situation, far from simple now, in the region next to Russia’s far eastern borders," he said.

"This arouses special concern that the belligerent rhetoric is repeatedly on the rise ahead of regular military exercises conducted by South Korea and the US," the Russian diplomat said.

"Our position is confined to a necessity to deescalate the situation using a policy of restraint and refusal to show force by all the sides," he said.

2 WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN TEHRAN

 

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Friday, Jan 23 2015

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Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Intelligence department has arrested a number of Women's rights activists on Monday, in Tehran, and has also summoned a number of the activists or has threatened them. It has been said that these are all in order to prevent the protest plans by these activists in connection with the recent Acid attacks.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Iranian Revolutionary Guards Intelligence arrested a number of women's rights activists. Zahra Khandan, journalist and former student activist from Amir Kabir University (Tehran Polytechnic) and Soha Mortazaei, other practitioners in the field, are two of these detainees who were arrested in Tehran at their homes.

Zahra Khandan, who has a record of working for Iran Labor News Agency (ILNA) and Etemad Newspaper, was arrested at her home by Intelligence officers and there is no news about her location. Intelligence officers in a contact with this journalist's father, informed him about his daughter's detention.

Also, on Monday 19th January, Intelligence officers arrested Ms Soha Mortazaei, student activist at her home. Soha Mortazaei, students activist is a student of Amir kabir University of Technology who had been suspended for one semester in the university, as well.

It is said, additional arrests of women's rights activists have been done in the same day that will be announced in following reports.

Women's rights activists believe that considering summoning and phone call threats of several other activists at the same day, the arrests are likely to deal with women's rights activists to prevent them from holding possible rallies to protest at the Acid attacks.

It should be noted that Mahdiyeh Golroo, another women's rights activists who participated in protests against the Acid attacks is still under detention.

Iran: New law legalizes suppression of women

The Iranian regime’s parliament has approved a legislation that makes creating any obstacles hindering the implementation of the suppressive plan of “Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice” a crime that faces imprisonment or fines.

In accordance with Article 9 the bill approved on Tuesday February 3, no individual and institution are entitled to create a barrier in enforcing the repressive plan of “Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice”.

Creating any obstacles is considered a crime by law, in addition to the punishment provided for the offense, the violator will be sentenced to imprisonment or a fine.

The lawmakers also approved an amendment to article 9 of this bill according to which the income generated by implementing this legislation will be deposited to the Treasury and with consideration in the annual budget, it will be 100% dedicated to the repressive headquarters of the “Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice”.

The suppressive plan of “Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice” gives the legal authority to Basij para-military force and state security forces to arrest youth and women with any excuse and anyone objecting this, is considered an offender.

Court orders Bogota to end ban on bullfighting

Colombia’s constitutional court authorized the return of bullfighting toBogota, two years after Mayor Gustavo Petro banned the controversial activity.

Petro wouldn’t allow bullfighting in Colombia’s capital because “it would be against my principles.” Instead, his administration turned the Santa Maria bullring into an athletic and cultural space.

The anti-bullfighting policy of the leftist mayor provoked the hunger strike of eight bullfighters while local bullfighting associations put the case on trial.

After a close 5-4 vote, the Santa Marta bullfighting supporters won. The mayor declared on this twitter account “Because of one vote, cruelty will continue: having fun over animals’ death.”

Argentine investigators failed on Thursday to track down a former spymaster

Argentine investigators failed on Thursday to track down a former spymaster wanted for questioning over the death of a prosecutor who had accused President Cristina Fernandez of covering up Iran’s alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center.

Prosecutors were unable to locate ex-counterintelligence boss Antonio Stiusso at three different addresses held in his name. One top official acknowledged the government did not know if Stiusso, who had been regarded as one of the most powerful operatives in Argentina’s leading spy agency, was even in the country. Alberto Nisman was found dead in his apartment on Jan. 18, a day before he was due to testify about his claim that Fernandez sought to whitewash his findings that Iran was behind the attack on the Jewish center, run by the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, that killed 85 people in Buenos Aires. “He was not at any of the properties registered as his own,” Oscar Parrilli, head of the Intelligence Secretariat (SI), told reporters.