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- Council urges tougher action against piracy
The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday calling on individual countries to enact legislation to prosecute and jail piracy suspects and asking UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to examine possible prosecution options at the international level. Pirates continue to prowl waters off the Somali coast and extend their attack zone farther from shore despite the efforts of U.S. and EU joint naval patrols. CNN (4/28) , TIME (4/27)        | - Aid is not reaching all displaced Haitians
The struggle that residents of Port-au-Prince's Avenue Poupelard face to rebuild their lives in the wake of the Jan. 12 earthquake points to the limitations in government and aid agency efforts to help Haiti's population recover. Residents complain that the government offered little aid and failed to deliver on the few promises it did make, while aid agency efforts to provide services like free food were stymied by corrupt local businessmen. The New York Times (free registration) (4/27) - Baltic countries are at risk for TB
A decrease in spending on public health because of the global economic crisis may lead to a resurgence of tuberculosis cases in the Baltic region, scientists warn. An examination of similar spending reductions during the recession-plagued end of the Soviet Union demonstrated a rise in infectious diseases, a pattern researchers fear may reoccur. AlertNet.org/Reuters (4/27) - Germany sparks electric car industry
German authorities are looking to provide massive funding for the development of electric cars to boost the domestic auto industry and help curb greenhouse-gas emissions. But some industry insiders warn emission gains from electric cars are minimal and the vehicles' limited travel distances on a single charge constrains their market potential. Der Spiegel (Germany) (English online version) (4/28) - Amnesty: Mexico is failing to protect migrants
Tens of thousands of Central American migrants face widespread abuses by criminal groups and little sympathy from officials in Mexico as they await a chance to cross into the U.S. for work, Amnesty International charges in a new report. Mexican officials ignore or take part in the rape, kidnap and murder of migrants, who rarely report incidents over fear of reprisals, the group says. BBC (4/28) - HRW: Torture was common at covert Baghdad prison
Detainees at a Baghdad prison, the existence of which was a secret until recently, suffered torture including rape, electrical shocks, whipping, being suffocated and being hung upside down, Human Rights Watch reported. After interviewing some of the 300 detainees, the organization urged the Iraqi government to investigate. The Guardian (London) (4/28) - Myanmar: Meet the new civilian boss, same as the old military boss
Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein and 22 other senior government leaders resigned from the military junta in order to run as civilians in upcoming government elections -- and thereby prolong military rule. The elections, the first since 1990 elections won by democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, will not see the participation of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Despite the shuffle, General Than Shwe is expected to remain the most powerful figure in the country and the head of several key ministries. The Guardian (London) (4/27) , BBC (4/27) - S&P cuts Greece, Portugal debt ratings
Standard Poor's slashed the debt ratings of Portugal and Greece, sending European markets into rapid decline after weeks of relative stability amid deepening concern. Wall Street -- which enjoyed 19-month highs last week -- also fell, with the Dow sliding 145 points. One Greek official said that the International Monetary Fund was considering boosting its loan by $6 billion to $12 billion, though the Greek official expressed some doubt. S&P defended its decision to downgrade Greece's debt rating to junk status despite the ongoing loan talks, expressing doubt in the Greek government's commitment to austerity measures. Los Angeles Times (4/27) , The Wall Street Journal (4/28) - U.S. should stand ready for political fallout in Sudan
U.S. special envoy to Sudan Maj. Gen. Scott Gration says that the U.S. should prepare to witness Sudan emerge as an independent state, despite the flawed vote. The secession that southern Sudan will hold in January will have ramifications that could prove to be climactic, given the war-torn history of the country and the mass oil resources in the south. Gration says that the U.S. must stand ready to pour resources into southern Sudan, which has few government institutions in place to guide the political transition. The New York Times (free registration) (4/27) - Venezuela's Chavez has a shorter way to vent: Twitter
Known for his lengthy speeches and tirades, Hugo Chávez will try his hand at short-form writing on his new Twitter account, @Chavezcandanga. His first tweet to 25,000 followers translates as follows: "Hey how's it going? I appeared like I said I would: at midnight. I'm off to Brazil. And very happy to work for Venezuela. We will be victorious!!" The Guardian (London) (4/28)
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