News in Brief

China to launch moon rover tomorrow
Afp, Beijing

 
China will launch its first ever moon rover mission tomorrow, state media said, as Beijing embarks on the latest stage in its ambitious space programme.
A rocket carrying the vehicle, named "Jade Rabbit" in a nod to Chinese folklore, will blast off at 1:30am local time.  China is aiming at creating a permanent space station by 2020 and eventually send someone to the moon.

US apologises over Helmand drone strike
The Guardian Online

 
The United States has moved to end the tense standoff with Afghan president Hamid Karzai over his refusal to sign a security pact between the two countries by formally apologising for a US drone strike in Helmand province that killed a toddler and injured two women.
The apology was delivered in a phone call to Karzai late on Thursday by marine General Joseph Dunford, the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan.

'No dismantling of Iran nuke sites'
Afp, London

 
Iran will not dismantle its nuclear facilities, President Hassan Rohani said in an interview with The Financial Times published Friday after a historic deal between Tehran and world powers.
Israel has bitterly opposed the deal struck in Geneva last weekend, saying that any pact with Tehran must have the sole purpose of dismantling Iran's nuclear capability.

Plane crashes in Namibia; 34 killed
Reuters, Windhoek

 
A Mozambique Airlines plane en route to Angola crashed in a game park in northeast Namibia killing all 34 people on board, Namibian police said yesterday.
Flight TM 470 left Maputo on Friday for the Angolan capital of Luanda with 28 passengers and six crew members on board when it lost contact with air traffic controllers, the national carrier said in a statement.