UCPN (MAOIST) RULE FOR A DECADE Kathmandu, 28 Jan.: Chairman of the UCPN-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal has claimed that his party would rule the country for coming 10 years, RSS writes from Kawasoti . "The Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML won´t get chance to lead the government even after the election," Chairman Dahal said, claiming that his party has fully dominated the national politics. Inaugurating the second unity district convention of Nawalparasi district here on Monday, Chairman Dahal claimed that the NC and UML came close to the Maoists after they were ousted by the monarchy. The general convention of the party would bring quality change. It would not be a copy but an original one, he added. Similarly, Chairman Dahal said those willing to wage long-term revolution were status quoists. The socialist revolution would be accomplished through the fronts both from the government and streets, he said. According to him, the UCPN-Maoist would respect people´s decision but not of the opposition parties. On the occasion, Vice-Chairman of the party and Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai challenged the opposition parties to face election if they wanted to grab the power. He said some political parties were afraid of election and federalism. However, the journalists boycotted the programme addressed by the Prime Minister reasoning he promoted impunity. Meanwhile, the PM directed the officials in the district not to avoid duty citing the transition. At a programme at the District Development Committee Nawalparasi, PM Dr Bhattarai urged the government officials to abide by the rules and work for people´s welfare. Only progress in paper was not real so it was time to do something practical by the government employees, he stressed. Moreover, the PM directed the security chiefs in the district to remain vigilant to check border crimes. Nnnn OPPOSITION MISUSING MEDIA MAOIST CHARGE Kathmandu, 28 Jan.: UCPN (Maoist) Spokesperson Agni Prasad Sapkota has said that the opposition parties were using journalists as their political weapons to fulfill their partisan Interests, RSS writes.. Addressing an interaction program organized on the eighth anniversary of the Revolutionary Journalists´ Association in the capital on Monday, Spokesperson Sapkota said the opposition parties were using journalists for their interests though the journalists are supposed to disseminate free and fair information. The UCPN (Maoist) Spokesperson said the opposition parties plotted the Dailekh incident against the prior agreement of dealing all the conflict era cases through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Arrest of Nepal Army Colonel Kumar Lama in the UK was interference on Nepal´s sovereignty and the Dailekh incident was violation of the comprehensive peace accord, Sapkota said. On the occasion, General Secretary of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Om Sharma said some big media houses that neglected the murder of journalists during the insurgency period are now exaggerating some minor cases to meet their petty interests. He said, "Those not paying the journalists for nine months are making much fuss in the name of independent journalism and security of journalists. The working journalists should counter such follies of the media houses." Also speaking at the same program, coordinator of Association Govinda Acharya accused the FNJ of moving ahead unilaterally. Acharya expressed dissatisfaction to the absence of FNJ Chairman Shiva Gaunle at the program Nnnn IRAN SENDS MONKEY INTO SPACE Kathmandu, 28 Jan.: Iran on Monday successfully sent a monkey into orbit, paving the way for a manned space flight, Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state television, AFP reports from Teheran.. 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. Nnnn