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WORLD
Iran says it launched monkey into space 3 detained in Brazil fire
TEHRAN, Iran -- A gray-tufted monkey strapped in a pod resembling an infant's car seat rode an Iranian rocket into space and returned safely, officials said Monday in what was described as a step toward Tehran's goal of a manned space flight.
The mission also touched on concerns that advances in Iran's rocket expertise could be channeled into military use for long-range weapons that might one day carry nuclear warheads. Iran says it does not seek atomic weapons.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the U.S. had no way to confirm the monkey's voyage, but that it was concerned by the reports because "any space launch vehicle capable of placing an object in orbit is directly relevant to the development of long-range ballistic missiles." The U.N. Security Council has expressly forbidden Iran from such ballistic missile activity, Nuland added.
With its ambitious aerospace program, Iran has said it wants to become a technological leader for the Islamic world.
SANTA MARIA, Brazil -- There was no fire alarm. There were no sprinklers or fire escapes. And when a band member tried to put out a fire that had been started by pyrotechnics, the extinguisher didn't work.
The result was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning.
Brazilian police said they detained three people in connection with the blaze, while the newspaper O Globo said on its website that a fourth person had surrendered to police. Police Inspector Ranolfo Vieira Junior said the detentions were part of the ongoing police probe and those detained can be held for up to five days.
Vieira declined to identify those detained, but the Brazilian newspaper Zero Hora quotes lawyer Jader Marques saying his client Elissandro Spohr, a co-owner of the club, had been held. Globo reported that the fourth person detained was another club co-owner. G1, Globo Television's internet portal, reported that Spohr acknowledged the club's operating license was not up to date.
Zero Hora said police also detained two members of the band. The band's guitarist told Brazilian media he saw flames lick the ceiling after the group's spark machine was deployed.
More than 100 people remained hospitalized for smoke, local officials said.
From our wire services
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