Marshall Islands President Survives Vote of No Confidence

Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI): President Litokwa Tomeing survived a vote of no confidence on 18 April 2008 that took a court order to happen and has given control of the government to the opposition party, the United Democratic Party (UDP). The President sacked five of his former cabinet members and replaced them with UDP senators. The President was himself a former UDP member until he deserted just two weeks before the previous election (November 2007), joining the then-opposition Aelon Kein Ad party and independents to establish a new government. It was the fourth motion of no confidence in the 30-year history of the RMI, and the second unsuccessful motion against President Tomeing since taking office last January 2008.

UN Truce Appeal Between Tamil Tigers and Sri Lanka Rejected

18 April: Between 50,000 to 100,000 civilians are thought to be in the 8 sq mile (20 sq km) coastal area of the Mulaitivu district of Sri Lanka. If the UN-suggested truce was approved by Sri Lanka, the civilians may have had a chance to escape the conflict.

The Sri Lankan authorities thought otherwise. In the last two-day truce sponsored by the UN, it is estimated that only a few hundred civilians used the opportunity to get out of the conflict zone. Read more...

U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS:

On April 13th 2009 the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC held a panel discussion on the future of U.S. - Turkish relations. One of the panelists, Pr. Soli Ozel, presented findings from a report entitled "Rebuilding a Partnership: Turkish-American Relations for a New Era - A Turkish Perspective." Co-authored by Pr. Ozel, the report offered several concrete recommendations for the improving of Turkish-American Relations. Read More...

5TH SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago: On 19 April, U.S. President Barack Obama said Sunday that the United States wants to be an "effective partner" of Central America. He pledged to 33 other regional leaders attending the three-day summit that his administration intends to seek a "new beginning" with Cuba and to build a "new partnership" with Latin America. At the conclusion of the summit, agreements on major issues proved elusive.

ZUMA: SOUTH AFRICA'S NEXT PRESIDENT

SOUTH AFRICA: Jacob Zuma is expected to be the next President of South Africa as the dominate African National Congress (ANC) is sure to win in the upcoming election on 22 April 2009. South Africa is the only State in Africa that is a member of the G-20 group of influential countries. It also plays an important role in global diplomacy, and it provides more than a third of the total GDP of the 48 sub-Saharan economies.

FIJI: The High Court's ruling of the illegality of the December 2006 coup led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama prompted President Ratu Josefa Iloilo to suspend the consAutitution and restored Commodore Bainimarama's post as interim Prime Minister. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd that the political upheaval in Fiji was grave and unwelcome. The United States also expressed deep disappointment while United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed dismay.