Iran successfully sends monkey into space: Minister

Iran on Monday successfully sent a monkey into orbit, paving the way for a manned space flight, Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state television.

Arabic-language channel Al-Alam and other Iranian news agencies said the monkey returned alive after travelling in a capsule to an altitude of 120 kilometres (75 miles) for a sub-orbital flight.
"This success is the first step towards man conquering the space and it paves the way for other moves," General Vahidi said, but added that the process of putting a human into space would be a lengthy one.
"Today's successful launch follows previous successes we had in launching (space) probes with other living creatures (on board)," he added.
"The monkey which was sent in this launch landed safely and alive and this is a big step for our experts and scientists."
Iranian state television showed still pictures of the capsule and of a monkey being fitted with a vest and then placed in a device similar to a child's car-seat.
A previous attempt in 2011 by the Islamic republic to put a monkey into space failed. No official explanation was ever given.
A defence ministry statement quoted by Iranian media said earlier Iran had "successfully launched a capsule, codenamed Pishgam (Pioneer), containing a monkey and recovered the shipment on the ground intact".
Iran announced in mid-January its intention to launch a monkey into orbit as part of "preparations for sending a man into space," which is scheduled for 2020.
Iran's space programme deeply unsettles Western nations, which fear it could be used to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads they suspect are being developed in secret.
The same technology used in space launch rockets can also be used in ballistic missiles.
The Security Council has imposed on Iran an almost total embargo on nuclear and space technologies since 2007.
Tehran has repeatedly denied that its nuclear and scientific programmes mask military ambitions.
Iran's previous satellite launches were met by condemnation from the West who accused Tehran of "provocation."
The Islamic republic has previously sent a rat, turtles and worms into space. It has also successfully launched three satellites -- Omid in February 2009, Rassad in June 2011 and Navid in February 2012.
In mid-May last year, Tehran announced plans to launch an experimental observation satellite Fajr (Dawn) within a week but it did not happen and Iran gave no explanation for the delay.
The Fajr satellite was presented by Iranian officials as "an observation and measurement" satellite weighing 50 kilos (110 pounds), built by Sa-Iran, a company affiliated to the defence ministry.

Egypt's Black Bloc condemns 'defamation' by Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya

The Black Bloc anarchist group in Qena, Upper Egypt, has condemned 'defamatory photos' posted on the Facebook page of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya. 

The newly formed group, which espouses the use of political violence to fulfill the goals of the January 25 Revolution, said photos of people 'making love' at a protest were not members of the Black Bloc, as was claimed by Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya.
The photo was first published in a French magazine and was not taken in Egypt, Egyptian Popular Current member Hamada Alaa told the Al-Ahram Arabic website.
Black Bloc members have participated in recent protests in Cairo.
The group announced its formation in a YouTube video last week. It vowed to fight the "fascist" Muslim Brotherhood regime and warned the Interior Ministry not to intervene.
Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya is an ultra-conservative Islamist group.

Egypt's National Salvation Front rejects dialogue with Morsi

Egypt's National Salvation Front (NSF), a coalition of opposition parties and groups, rejected on Monday an invitation by President Mohamed Morsi to hold talks aimed at resolving the current political crisis.

At a press conference held at Wafd Party headquarters in Cairo, the NSF – in a statement read out by NSF co-founder and Constitution Party chief Mohamed ElBaradei – rejected Morsi's proposed dialogue as a "facade" and issued several pre-conditions for talks.
"We are not against holding talks, but we will not let the Egyptian people down by engaging in fake dialogue," ElBaradei said.
"Many missteps have led to the current situation…security measures will not solve the current crisis, but a political solution must be found," he added.
NSF members who attended the conference – including failed presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabahi and Amr Moussa, along with Wafd Party chief El-Sayed El-Badawi – said they would soon unveil their "conditions" for dialogue.  
The NSF had earlier proposed five demands that it said were necessary for national consensus.
"We met with Morsi earlier, and all we got from the meeting was a dictatorial constitutional declaration," said Sabbahi. "The second dialogue meeting did not accomplish anything either."
Sabbahi went on to demand that the president "acknowledge his responsibility" for the bloodshed, admit the legitimacy of the "people's demands" and respect peaceful protests. He further demanded that interior ministry and security officials be prosecuted for using excessive force to disperse recent demonstrations.   
The opposition front also stressed its commitment to "the revolution," saying it would engage in any actions that would lead to the realisation of revolutionary goals. It went on to claim that it would only employ peaceful methods and condemned all forms of vandalism and violence.
NSF leaders also denied they had plans to form a "presidential council."
The NSF also stressed its solidarity with the people of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez, adding that they would not tolerate the "isolation" of the three canal cities.
Clashes have been ongoing between police and protesters in the three cities since Friday, which marked the second anniversary of Egypt's January 25 Revolution. More than 40 people have been reported killed in the violence.
The death toll rose dramatically in Port Said when a court on Saturday sentenced 21 Port Said residents to death for their involvement in last February's Port Said stadium disaster, in which scores of football fans were killed. Since then, the city has witnessed intense rioting, with residents accusing the central government of scapegoating and marginalising them.
Intermittent clashes remain ongoing in Cairo, Damanhour and Alexandria. The nationwide death toll is now estimated at more than 50 with hundreds more injured. At least 296 protesters have been arrested since Friday, according to security sources.

Algeria hostage-takers 'aided by Libyan Islamists'

Libyan Islamists provided logistical support to the militants who seized an Algeria gas plant before they were killed in a bloodbath which also left 37 foreigners dead, well-informed sources said.

"Logistical support was provided from Libya," a source close to extremist groups in Libya told AFP.
The source did not specify the exact nature of such aid but acknowledged that Libyan Islamists were responsible for establishing contacts between the captors and the media.
International media groups, including AFP, were able to get from Islamist circles based in eastern Libya telephone numbers of the kidnappers as they last Wednesday overran the In Amenas gas plant in the deep Algerian desert.
"There were no Libyans in the group which led the attack," the source said but recognised that there were "contacts" between the captors and Libyan jihadists.
The source also said that Libyan Islamists had no organisational link with the group, "Signatories in Blood", that led the four-day siege of the gas complex.
The group is led by one-eyed Mokhtar Belmokhtar, one of the founders of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM ). Belmokhtar left Al-Qaeda in October to create his own group.
Since the fall of the regime of Moamer Kadhafi in October 2011, Libyan Islamists have gained influence and inherited a large military arsenal from the conflict that ousted and killed the former Libyan strongman.
Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said on Monday the Islamist militants who carried out the attack on the gas plant had crossed from northern Mali.
He said they had planned the attack for nearly two months, much before France's intervention in northern Mali.
The militant group had said that their attack on the gas complex was in retaliation for French intervention in northern Mali.
Thirty-seven foreigners were killed in the attack on the remote gas plant, some of them executed with a bullet to the head, Sellal said.
He said that a total of 29 militants were also killed and three captured in the siege, which ended in a final showdown on Saturday after Algerian special forces stormed the sprawling gas complex.
Algeria has said its special forces managed to free 685 Algerian and 107 foreign hostages, most of them on Thursday, during their first rescue operation.

Tehran suggests Cairo for nuclear talks with P5+1 powers

Iran has suggested that the next round of nuclear talks with world powers should take place in Cairo, the ISNA news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the Islamic state's foreign minister.
"When I was in Egypt ... it was suggested that the next meeting be held in Cairo," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by ISNA on Wednesday.
"This issue was welcomed by our dear friends in Egypt and Egypt will consult with the P5+1 for hosting this meeting."
The last round of negotiations between Iran and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had ended last Friday in the capital Tehran with no deal, awaiting a second meeting on 12 February.
The IAEA conducts regular inspections of Iran's unveiled nuclear sites, seeking access to other facilities where it believes are sites for undeclared activities at developing nuclear weapons took place since 2003.
According to AFP, it was unclear what went wrong this time but in the past Iran has insisted that the agreement include clauses that could infringe on the IAEA's ability to conduct proper inspections.
Iran incessantly denies having worked on devoting nuclear energy for military purposes.
At their last meeting, held in Moscow in June, Tehran rejected P5+1 calls for it to scale back its nuclear enrichment activities, while asking for substantial sanctions relief.
The Islamic republic's economy is currently struggling to survive with punitive measures adopted by the US and the EU targeting its key oil sector and access to international financial markets.
 Salehi, for his part, told Al-Ahram newspaper in August that Tehran is keen on establishing relations of "friendship and brotherhood" with Egypt, adding that Iran hoped to restore "normal" ties after relations were terminated in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Such statement came ahead of his meeting with Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi on 9 January to discuss the Syrian crisis in Cairo.

Hamas prime minister prepares for elections in Gaza

Gaza-based Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya will invite the Central Election Commission (CEC) to the Gaza Strip within the next few days, Salah Al-Bardawil, a leader of the Islamist movement, said on Thursday.

The prime minister will ask the CEC to begin updating voter registration lists, Al-Bardawil told the Palestinian Maan News Agency.
"Hamas has the willingness and persistence to implement all the terms and conditions stipulated in the reconciliation deals signed in Cairo and Doha with Fatah," Bardawil said.
The formation of the committee to supervise elections in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank was stipulated in the deal signed by Fatah and Hamas in Cairo in April 2011.
Hamas Political Bureau member Ezzat Al-Rashak said on Friday that the group had agreed with rival group Fatah to form a cabinet of "independents," during reconciliation talks in Cairo the day before.
According to Egyptian state news agency MENA, Al-Rashak said the long-awaited "unity" cabinet was chiefly assigned the task of organising the next legislative and presidential elections, if held.
"Fatah and Hamas agreed on ending the period of political division. All indicators on the ground signify the complete readiness of both movements to implement the reconciliation deal," he said.
"This is the last opportunity given to us by the Palestinian people to sort out our problems, and we should take advantage of it."
Fatah, the political party of Palestinian President which runs the West Bank, and Hamas, which rules Gaza, agreed on Thursday 17 January to revive their long-stalled reconciliation accord by the end of this month, the head of the Fatah delegation told AFP.
"Fatah and Hamas agreed at a meeting in Cairo on Thursday between delegations of the two movements on a timetable for implementing Palestinian reconciliation," Azzam Al-Ahmad said by telephone from the Egyptian capital.
"We are in agreement on the mechanisms and timetable to end the division, the most important being the resumption of operations by the Central Election Commission (CEC) in the Gaza Strip on the 30th of the month at the latest and afterwards in the West Bank," he said.
The two groups reached an Egyptian-sponsored unity agreement in April 2011, although the deal's main articles have not been applied so far.
In December, leaders of Hamas and Fatah called for the renewal of reconciliation attempts that have been stalled for more than one year.
In Gaza, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, in his first-ever trip to the coastal territory, said it was time for the bitter opponents to make good on the deal they signed in Cairo in 2011.
The deal had been intended to pave the way for presidential and legislative elections by May 2012, but disagreements over who would head up a transitional government snarled implementation of the agreement.

Back to Africa: Egypt's Morsi arrives in Addis Ababa Sunday

President Mohamed Morsi on Sunday is scheduled to arrive in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where the African Union is located, to take part in an African Summit.
"This is an important sign of Egypt's commitment to bolstering its ties with Africa,” said Egyptian ambassador to Ethiopia Mohamed Idris.
The trip will be Morsi's second visit to the Ethiopian capital since he was sworn in as Egyptian head of state on 30 June. Morsi's last visit to Addis Ababa was last July, when he took part in the previous African Summit.
In the years preceding the 2011 revolution, several African countries had complained about Mubarak-era Egypt's seeming disinterest in the continent. Since Egypt's Tahrir Square uprising two years ago, however, Cairo appears to have stepped up its interest in Africa.
According to Idris, Morsi will meet with top African officials and leaders – especially those of the Nile Basin – on the summit's sidelines.
Morsi's current Ethiopia visit comes amid continued Egyptian concern over a new dam that Ethiopia is building over the Nile River with the aim of expanding its annual share of Nile water. The new dam, Cairo fears, could bite into Egypt's traditional allotment of water.
Egyptian officials have repeatedly warned of a brewing "water crisis" and have been working with counterparts from Nile Basin countries to ensure that any changes of water allotments would not come at the expense of other states' shares.  
Egypt and Sudan – now Egypt and North Sudan – have both taken exception to a recent agreement adopted by Nile Basin countries aimed at redistributing Nile water. Both countries have been urging greater cooperation between all Nile states in hopes of maximising use of the river's resources.
Nile water resources will be on the agenda of Morsi's address in Addis Ababa.
"Cooperation between Egypt and Ethiopia in several fields, including maximising the use of Nile water, will be on the agenda of the president's talks with top Ethiopian officials and those of the Nile Basin countries," Idris said.
Morsi's visit to Ethiopia is his first since Ethiopian leader Meles Zenawi died last August. Zenawi was known for his apprehension regarding Egypt and Egypt's vast water needs.
Haile Mariam Desalegne, Zenawi's predecessor, is reportedly committed to Zenawi's dream of building a series of dams over the Nile to help generate electricity. Egypt plans to manage its relations with Desalegne in hopes of achieving better cooperation on water sharing.
Morsi is expected to address key issues on the summit's agenda. At the top of this is the current situation in Mali, where an African-led international force is acting to deter Islamist fighters from toppling the France-supported regime.
The Morsi administration has not supported the military intervention in Mali, conducted at the request of the Malian government, and had hoped instead to broker a deal between the rebels and the regime.
Developments in Mali and the potential role of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood (from which Morsi hails) in bringing radical Islamists in the Middle East and Africa to a more moderate version of political Islam will both likely crop up in Morsi's talks with French counterpart Francois Hollande. The two heads of state are scheduled to meet in Paris on 31 January.