1. ISRAEL LAUNCHES SPY SATELLITE…Israel says it has successfully launched a spy satellite. The procedure went smoothly when Eros B was blasted into space from Siberia on Tuesday. The satellite is expected to beam its first pictures to Earth this weekend. For the time being, the main focus will be Iran’s nuclear program. The satellite is reportedly capable of transmitting clear photographs of objects on Earth as small as two feet long.
2. EGYPT MAKES FIRST ARRESTS AFTER DAHAB BOMBS…Egyptian security officials have arrested several people in the Sinai Peninsula following this week’s terror attacks in the Red Sea vacation resort Dahab. More than 20 people were killed in three bombings and dozens were wounded. With some experts suggesting the Egyptian opposition force the Muslim Brotherhood may have been behind the attacks, the organization has issued a statement denying involvement. It is now widely assumed Al-Qa’ida was behind the operation, using locals as part of the strike force.
3. Al-ASAD INVESTIGATED…The team investigating the February 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri has questioned Syria’s President Bashar Al-Asad for the first time. Two previous bids to meet Al-Asad had been rejected. An interim report from the United Nations investigators suggests Syrian involvement in the killing. The panel has already questioned several senior Syrian officials. Al-Hariri was opposed to Syria’s 30-year presence in Lebanon.
4. PERES: IRANIAN LEADER SHOULD VISIT DEATH CAMPS…It would do Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad the world of good to visit the death camps of Europe where six million Jews died in the Holocaust. That is the view of Israeli veteran politician Shimon Peres. He made the comment during a visit to Poland on the annual day that Israel commemorates the Holocaust. Once again this week Ahmadi Nejad urged Jews living in Israel to return to their homes in Europe. The Iranian president has also denied the Holocaust took place.
5. IRAN MAY WANT TO SHARE NUCLEAR KNOW-HOW WITH SUDAN…In the latest public comments on its nuclear activities Iran has indicated it may aid Sudan in creating nuclear power plants. The statement was part of a broader report by the official Iranian news agency IRNA regarding the visit to Tehran by Sudan’s President ‘Umar Al-Bashir. The countries have agreed to expand economic cooperation in the spheres of energy, transportation, banking, health, agriculture and vehicle production.