With a presence in nearly every city and town across Iran, the paramilitary Basij volunteer corps has an ever-increasing influence on life in the Islamic Republic. Authorities created the Basij, which means mobilization in Persian, just after the country's 1979 Islamic Republic. It is part of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard. Photo: In this Thursday, August 22, 2013 photo, a female member of the Basij paramilitary militia aims a rifle as a trainer looks over her shoulder in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

Moscow riot policemen detain an activist during an unauthorized protest anti-Putin opposition rally to defend Article, 31 of the Russian Constitution which guarantees the right of assembly, in Triumfalnaya Square in Central Moscow, Russia, on December, 31, 2011 (Photo by Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images)

Photo by: Sergey A.; Source: LiveJournal

Workmen use a crane to winch a large stone head, created by British sculptor Emily Young, into Berkeley Square on February 2, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental airliner, the company's newest and largest passenger plane, takes off for its first test flight at Paine Field Airport March 20, 2011 in Everett, Washington. The new plane features quieter, more fuel efficient engines, more seating and a redesigned interior.

Israelis of Ethiopian origin take part in a rally against racism on January 10, 2012, in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Malachi, Israel. Hundreds of demonstrators hit the streets of Kiryat Malachi, protesting what they call the discrimination of Ethiopian immigrants. According to Ethiopian residents of Kiryat Malachi, housing committees in the city have been refusing to sell them apartments. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)