North Korea Lashes Out at UN Rebuke

15 Apr 09 | AJE and FT

Pak Tok-hun, North Korea’s ambassador to the UN has told Al Jazeera that North Korea will take “strong measures” in response to the UN statement condemning its recent rocket launch (2:10):

North Korea has accused the UN of double standards and declared that it will restart its nuclear activities after the world body condemned Pyongyang’s rocket launch last week.

Iran: Israel to Blame for Egypt-Hezbollah Row

15 Apr 09 | Ha’aretz

Iran’s foreign minister accused Israel on Wednesday of sparking a row between Egypt and Hezbollah as a way of intervening in inter-Lebanese politics.

Iraq Kurdistan Region: Security Forces Above Law

14 Apr 09 | AI

Security forces in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region operate outside the rule of law and regularly abuse their authority, according to a new Amnesty International report [.pdf].

Moldova Begins Election Recount

15 Apr 09 | AJE

Officials in Moldova have begun a recount of votes from the country’s disputed parliamentary elections, which the opposition claim was rigged.

‘Nazi Guard’ Deportation Blocked

15 Apr 09 | BBC

An 89-year-old man wanted in Germany on war crimes charges has been released from custody after his deportation from the US was blocked.

China Releases ‘Human Rights Plan’

14 Apr 09 | NYT and AI

China’s cabinet released on Monday what it called the country’s first national human rights action plan, a lengthy document promising better protection of a wide range of civil liberties enshrined in the Constitution but often neglected and sometimes systematically violated.

Morales Ends Hunger Strike

15 Apr 09 | AJE

Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, has ended his five-day hunger strike after Bolivia’s congress approved a new election law.