April 3 – East Asia: AUSTRALIA/CHINA
China signs an agreement with Australia for imports of uranium to supply its growing power stations. In order to assure that the uranium will not be used for building nuclear weapons, Australia sells it only to members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It also demands that the buyer signs a separate agreement stating the uranium will not be used for a weapons program. Australia has 40 percent of the world’s uranium deposits.
April 3 – Middle East: IRAN
Iran conducts a test of the world’s fastest underwater missile, which is designed to avoid radar detection and destroy enemy submarines. Two days earlier, Iran also tested a conventional missile capable of carrying multiple warheads.
April 3 – Middle East: ISRAEL
Following a recount of ballots in some Arab towns, Israel’s election commission revises last week’s election results. It takes one vote from the Labour Party and assigns it to the United Arab List, which ends up with a total of 10 seats in the 120-seat parliament. The top winners are the centrist Kadima Party, which has won 29 seats, and the Labour Party with 19 seats. Ehud Olmert from the Kadima Party is expected to be the next prime minister.
April 4 – Middle East: KUWAIT
In Kuwait, for the first time, women go to polls in a council by-election. Also, two women are among eight candidates running for the east in the Salmiya district. Women vote in segregated polling booths, which was demanded by Islamist and tribal legislators. Women were granted voting rights last year, which Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Muhammad al Sabah says will boost Kuwait’s international status.
April 10 – South Asia: AFGHANISTAN/INDIA
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sign bilateral agreements on education and rural development in India’s capital, Delhi. Afghanistan is interested in close relations with India, which has provided funds for its reconstruction. India, on the other hand, wants a friendly Afghanistan, which is a gateway to significant energy resources in Central Asia. It also wants to counter Pakistan’s influence in Afghanistan.
April 10 – Europe: EUROPEAN UNION
European Union officials ban visas for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and thirty ministers following Belarus’ March presidential election, described by international observers as neither free nor fair. The fraudulent election sparked demonstrations in the country’s capital, Minsk. Hundreds of opposition supporters were arrested by the regime.
April 10 – Europe/Former Soviet Republics: BELARUS
European Union officials ban visas for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and thirty ministers following Belarus’ March presidential election, described by international observers as neither free nor fair. The fraudulent election sparked demonstrations in the country’s capital, Minsk. Hundreds of opposition supporters were arrested by the regime.
April 13 – Middle East: IRAQ
The Ministry for Displacement and Migration says that at least 65,000 Iraqis are displaced due to sectarian violence and intimidation. Also, the rate at which the Iraqis flee their homes is increasing. Most of the displacement takes place around the Baghdad area, where the violence has been worse.
April 17 – North America/Africa: UNITED STATES/SOMALIA
Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi granted the United States Navy permission to patrol Somali waters and help Somalia develop its coast guard service. Waters off the Somali coast are the world’s most dangerous, where hijackings and piracy have been on the rise. Somalia has been without a government since 1991, and Prime Minister Ghedi’s transitional administration controls only a part of the country.
April 17- Africa: SOMALIA
Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi granted the United States Navy permission to patrol Somali waters and help Somalia develop its coast guard service. Waters off the Somali coast are the world’s most dangerous, where hijackings and piracy have been on the rise. Somalia has been without a government since 1991, and Prime Minister Ghedi’s transitional administration controls only a part of the country.
April 18 – Europe/Former Soviet Republics/Europe: UKRAINE
An environmental charity group, Greenpeace, issues a report on health effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine in 1986, which says that the number of cancer deaths will be 93,000, the number much higher than previously predicted by the United Nations. It also says that other illnesses related to the radioactive fallout could reach 200,000.
April 19 – Europe: ITALY
Italy’s Supreme Court rules that center-left opposition leader Romano Prodi is the country’s winner of the contested parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi contested Prodi’s narrow win. Romano Prodi is a former prime minister and former president of the European Commission.
April 20 – Latin America: VENEZUELA
Venezuela withdraws from the South American trade organization, the Andean Community of Nations, made up of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accuses the members of being too aligned with the United States. He also announces that Venezuela will join another South American trade bloc, MERCOSUR.
April 21 – Africa: NIGERIA
Nigeria pays off its Paris Club debt, making it the first African country to clear its account with this Western creditor. The effort frees funds for investments in infrastructure, health care, and education. The country also hopes it will attract more foreign investment. However, Nigeria still owes $5 billion to other lenders, including the World Bank and private creditors. The debt repayment is a key part of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s economic reforms.
April 21 – International Organizations: PARIS CLUB
Nigeria pays off its Paris Club debt, making it the first African country to clear its account with this Western creditor. The effort frees funds for investments in infrastructure, health care, and education. The country also hopes it will attract more foreign investment. However, Nigeria still owes $5 billion to other lenders, including the World Bank and private creditors. The debt repayment is a key part of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s economic reforms.
April 22 – Middle East: IRAQ
After months of political impasse, the Iraqi-dominant Shia bloc picks Jawad al-Maliki to become the new prime minister. He is approved by President Jalal Talabani and brings hopes that he would be able to end sectarian violence. The previous prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, was too divisive, creating opposition between Iraq’s main ethnic and religious groups.
April 23 – Europe: HUNGARY
In Hungary’s parliamentary election, ruling Socialists win a second term by sweeping 210 out of 386 parliamentary seats. The main opposition party, Fidesz, won 164 seats and the smaller right-wing MDF party 11. During the campaign the government promised to continue its centrist policies.
April 24 – South Asia: NEPAL
Nepal’s King Gyanendra agrees to reinstate Parliament after weeks of protests organized by the opposition against his absolute rule. A couple of days earlier, the king asked the opposition parties to choose a candidate for a prime minister. King Gyanendra dismissed the government and assumed direct rule in February 2005, saying the move was necessary to fight the Maoist insurgency.
April 24 – Africa: ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe offers to lease land to white farmers who had their farms seized under President Robert Mugabe’s disastrous land reform policy. The program devastated the country’s agriculture, turning Zimbabwe from the breadbasket of southern Africa to a food importer.
April 26 – Africa: NIGERIA
China’s President Hu Jintao pays an official visit to Africa, during which he signs a deal for oil drilling in Nigeria. In exchange, China will invest $4 billion in oil refining and build a railroad system and power stations in Nigeria. For China, Africa is an important region that can secure its energy needs. It also has a vast market for Chinese products.
April 26 – East Asia: CHINA
China’s President Hu Jintao pays an official visit to Africa, during which he signs a deal for oil drilling in Nigeria. In exchange, China will invest $4 billion in oil refining and build a railroad system and power stations in Nigeria. For China, Africa is an important region that can secure its energy needs. It also has a vast market for Chinese products.
April 28 – Africa: ANGOLA
Aid agency Doctors Without Borders says that due to the epidemic of cholera in Angola, 20,000 people are infected and 900 people died in the last ten weeks. The agency also says that measures to contain the spread of disease are insufficient. Cholera is spread through contaminated water or food. Many homes in Angola lack running water and sewerage.