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Well, Since It's Open: President Obama paid a surprise visit to the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, after a last-gasp deal prevented a government shutdown. But Democrats and Republicans will have to resolve even larger budget issues in the coming months.

US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, send her deepest congratulations to jailed Iranian journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi for being named the 2011 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom prize winner. Mr. Zeidabadi, along with his fellow activists, have been banned for life from political or civic activities. This award is a recognition of his legitimate work and the work of the numerous other Iranian journalists who are currently jailed for their courageous efforts to forge a new path for Iran – one where every citizen has the right to express themselves free from persecution or violence.

“The department remains hopeful that a government shutdown will be averted. The President has made it clear that he does not want a government shutdown, and the administration is working to find a solution with which all sides can agree. However, prudent management requires that we plan for an orderly shutdown should Congress be unable to pass a funding bill before our current funding expires on April 8.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the Department earlier today. The Secretary expressed great appreciation for the dedication and sacrifice of the brave men and women of the UN who have, in recent days, endured several tragedies — the attack and ruthless murder at a UNAMA compound in Afghanistan, a UN staff member killed while trying to save civilians in Cote d’Ivoire, and the tragic crash of a UN plane in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The United States honors the sacrifices they made, and Secretary Clinton expressed condolences to the UN and to the loved ones of those lost.

The United States Agency for International Development’s Office of Food for Peace has approved a food aid contribution to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in the Central African Republic (CAR) in the amount of $6.5 million. The official handover ceremony of the donation took place in Bangui, CAR on April 5, 2011. The WFP’s protracted relief and recovery operation will provide food assistance to people impacted by ongoing armed conflicts.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been sharply criticized for his handling of a migrant wave on Lampedusa — an island in the Mediterranean Sea that is the southern most point of Italy, about 70 miles from Tunisia. Last week, Tunisians who had fled the unrest in North Africa outnumbered the 5,000 islanders.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signalled that his country is ready to become a mediator to help attain an early ceasefire in Libya over fears that the country could turn into a "second Iraq" or "another Afghanistan".

Kanybek Imanaliev MP at an OSCE-supported event on a national strategy for Kyrgyzstan’s inter-ethnic relations, Bishkek, 28 March 2011.

Libyan women hold pictures of leader Moammar Gadhafi in Tripoli earlier this month during a protest against the U.N. resolution authorizing a no-fly zone. The government wants Tripoli to seem like a place full of people who revere Gadhafi. There are signs, however, that Gadhafi's grip on the capital could be loosening.