In the early hours of Sunday morning, North Korea launched a satellite into space. Pyongyang had earlier promised to test their missile between 4 and 8 April. The move has prompted condemnation from the US, South Korea and Japan because of fears that the purpose of the launch could have been to test the Taepodong-2 missile, which could strike targets as far away as Alaska.
The toD verdict: It's unclear how successful the North Korean test was; Kim Jong-il's government claims that the launch was what they had hoped for, and that the satellite now circling the earth was even able to emit patriotic songs. Leonid Petrov of the School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University confirmed that the test was broadly successful from Pyongyang's perspective, pointing to the possibilities North Korea now has to improve and work upon their missile programme now that its capabilities were clear. However, this has been refuted by others who said that no part of the three-stage missile actually reached the earth's orbit.
In the wake of North Korea's possible flouting of international law, US president Barack Obama called for decisive action to be taken and warned against empty threats. An emergency UN Security Council meeting was called on Sunday, but made little concrete progress due to the favourable Russian and Chinese attitudes towards North Korea. It is also unclear if any UN resolutions were actually broken. The last test made by the North Korean government of their Taepodong-2 missile was in the summer of 2006. The launch was a complete failure, and subsequent action taken in the UN was short-lived.
Three suicide attacks hit Pakistan in just one day
The weekend was a bloody one in Pakistan, with three suicide attacks in the space of just a day in the towns of Chakwal, Miram Shah and the capital Islamabad which killed over 40 people in total. The bombing in Chakwal occurred at a Shiite mosque and injured around 100 people. A senior representative of the Taliban claims responsibility for the attack and claimed that they were in retaliation for US drone attacks. The Pakistani public is deeply upset at these routine breaches of the country's sovereignty by US forces; Obama has pledged to continue striking targets in Pakistan from across the border in Afghanistan. At the same time, Pakistanis - particularly those in the country's heartland of Punjab - are shocked that their own cities and public spaces are under siege from Islamist militants. Pakistani Taliban leaders have vowed to continue the attacks at a rate two per week if these American drone strikes continue.
Sri Lankan government claim to have the upper hand on Tigers
Government officials in Sri Lanka claim that their struggle with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is in its last throes. The conflict has lasted over 25 years and has intensified during recent months, with a reported 400 rebels killed in the last few days. The army is nearing its goal of uprooting all LTTE strongholds in the island's northeast. Its claims could not be verified independently as journalists are not allowed inside the conflict zone.
German ship hijacked off Somali coast
A German container vessel was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Saturday, in a continuation of the hijacking that has plagued trade and shipping in the region in past years and has intensified in recent months. The ship, originally from Germany, had 24 people on board and is currently being identified by the country's government. A multi-national fleet of ships continue to patrol the area in a bid to safeguard what remains one of the most important shipping lanes in the world.
Video shows "the American" in al-Shabab
A video has been posted on an extremist Islamist website which seems to show a north American man in a high position of power within al-Shabab, the Somali group often associated with al-Qaeda. The video was purportedly filmed last summer, and in it "Abu Mansour al-Amriki," ("the American") appeals to parents to involve their children in "jihad". The man's origins are not clear from his appearance.
EU leaders' mixed responses to US request for troops
Depending on where you read of it, the response of European leaders within NATO to Obama's request for more troops for Afganistan was either "strong and unanimous" in its support or "tepid" in its lack of commitment. During the NATO summit in Strasbourg on Saturday, the decision was taken to send an extra 5,000 European troops to Afghanistan along with the 30,000 American troops that Obama has already devoted. Around 900 of these will come from the United Kingdom, 600 each from Germany and Spain, and others will be sourced from Italy and France. The latter will be committing troops to Nato operations for the first time in 43 years. However, of the 5,000 troops committed only 3,000 will be in combat and this in turn will be on only a temporary basis, primarily to oversee the Afghan elections due to take place in August.
The NATO summit saw violent riots break out nearby, with thousands of demonstrators confronted by riot police.
The week starts with explosions in Iraq
Four car bombs exploded around Baghdad on Monday morning, with the majority targeting crowded areas full of civilians in the Iraqi capital. A final one was aimed at vehicles escorting a representative of the Interior Ministry. Ten people were killed. Despite a general reduction in violence in the past year, suicide bombings continue to plague the country.
