Myanmar's junta prepares ground for elections (AFP)

---

• Myanmar's junta prepares ground for elections (AFP)
• BP defends oil clean-up effort
• NY's Times Square evacuated over apparent car bomb
• Postcard: Halden. (Time.com)
• Netanyahu welcomes progress toward peace talks (AP)
• Ancient treasures set for auction in Indonesia (AFP)
• Fear and Nostalgia for Noriega in Panama (Time.com)
• US Army captain becomes 'king' in Afghanistan (AP)
• Myanmar 'still needs cyclone help'
• Thai PM talks tough, police told to clear protesters
• U.N. says Congo pull-out would undermine aid work
• Clashes at May Day rallies around the world
• Catholic Church to overhaul disgraced Legionaries order
• Somali militants increasing use of child soldiers (AP)
• Crowds endure waits as Shanghai's Expo opens (AP)
• Postcard: Halden. (Time.com)
• Greece poised to sign rescue deal with EU and IMF (Reuters)
• US sounds alarm bells over Macau triads (AFP)
• "Inevitable" oil slick will hit U.S.; Obama to visit
• Times Sq evacuation was for failed explosive device

Myanmar's junta prepares ground for elections (AFP) Posted: 01 May 2010 10:31 PM PDT AFP - Myanmar's generals have shed their uniforms and are establishing a new political party ahead of the country's first election in two decades, but doubts remain over whether any real change is likely.

BP defends oil clean-up effort Posted: 01 May 2010 07:03 PM PDT UK energy giant under pressure as oil spill threatens disaster along US coast.

NY's Times Square evacuated over apparent car bomb Posted: 01 May 2010 10:25 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - An apparent failed car bomb in a vehicle that was smoking and emitted a small "flash" caused police to evacuate New York's Times Square as bomb specialists worked to dismantle the device on Saturday night, Broadway's busiest night.

Postcard: Halden. (Time.com) Posted: 01 May 2010 09:05 PM PDT Time.com - Postcard from Halden: The World's Most Humane Prison

Netanyahu welcomes progress toward peace talks (AP) Posted: 01 May 2010 10:31 PM PDT AP - Israel's prime minister says he welcomes the progress made toward the resumption of peace talks with Palestinians.

Ancient treasures set for auction in Indonesia (AFP) Posted: 01 May 2010 09:49 PM PDT AFP - An ancient treasure trove salvaged from a 1,000-year-old shipwreck found by Indonesian fishermen is set to go under the hammer in Jakarta Wednesday with a minimum price of 80 million dollars.

Fear and Nostalgia for Noriega in Panama (Time.com) Posted: 01 May 2010 09:05 PM PDT Time.com - While the country wants him back to face murder charges, some are afraid he could return to power

US Army captain becomes 'king' in Afghanistan (AP) Posted: 01 May 2010 10:32 PM PDT AP - In the U.S. Army, Casey Thoreen is just a 30-year-old captain. Around here, he's known as the "King of Maiwand" district — testimony to the fact that without the young captain and a fat international wallet, local government here as in much of the insurgency-ravaged south could not function at all.

Myanmar 'still needs cyclone help' Posted: 01 May 2010 09:06 PM PDT UN urges more help for thousands still struggling two years after deadly storm hit.

Thai PM talks tough, police told to clear protesters Posted: 01 May 2010 09:20 PM PDT BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva warned anti-government protesters on Sunday there was a risk of "losses" if they did not end a rally that has closed down a shopping district in Bangkok for a month. "From now on, what the government will do may risk clashes and losses, but the government knows what it's doing. What needs to be done must be done," he said, speaking on his normal Sunday television slot. It was not clear what he meant by "losses".

U.N. says Congo pull-out would undermine aid work Posted: 01 May 2010 09:20 PM PDT BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - A hasty withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers from Democratic Republic of Congo will undermine humanitarian work in the restive central African state, the top U.N. aid official said.

Clashes at May Day rallies around the world Posted: 01 May 2010 07:56 PM PDT ATHENS – Hundreds of thousands of people joined May Day marches across the world Saturday, as police and protestors clashed in debt-riven Greece and a bomb killed a World War II veteran in Russia. In Athens several dozen youths, some Read more...

Catholic Church to overhaul disgraced Legionaries order Posted: 01 May 2010 05:32 AM PDT VATICAN CITY - The Roman Catholic Church will overhaul the ultra-conservative Legion of Christ whose late founder Marcial Maciel was disgraced after abuse scandals, the Vatican said. Read more...

Somali militants increasing use of child soldiers (AP) Posted: 01 May 2010 09:00 PM PDT AP - Sharif says he was 10 when his religious teacher led his class into a poor neighborhood of Somalia's capital to pray for a sick relative. Suddenly Islamist fighters jumped from the shadows and ordered the children onto buses, the beginning of a terrifying two years as a child soldier.

Crowds endure waits as Shanghai's Expo opens (AP) Posted: 01 May 2010 08:47 PM PDT AP - A steady flow of visitors joined long lines in sweltering heat at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 on Sunday, a day after organizers said visitor numbers were just more than half of what was expected.

Postcard: Halden. (Time.com) Posted: 01 May 2010 05:20 AM PDT Time.com - Postcard from Halden: The World's Most Humane Prison

Greece poised to sign rescue deal with EU and IMF (Reuters) Posted: 01 May 2010 08:14 PM PDT Reuters - Greece appeared set to announce a deal with the European Union and the IMF for a multi-billion euro financial bailout on Sunday, a day after thousands protested in Athens against planned state cutbacks.

US sounds alarm bells over Macau triads (AFP) Posted: 01 May 2010 08:22 PM PDT AFP - US regulators are sounding alarm bells over Macau's triads but analysts say casinos around the world have always attracted organised crime, not just in the Asian gambling hub.

"Inevitable" oil slick will hit U.S.; Obama to visit Posted: 01 May 2010 08:47 PM PDT VENICE, La. (Reuters) - U.S. officials on Saturday conceded it is "inevitable" that oil from an uncontrolled leak in the Gulf of Mexico will hit the U.S. coast, threatening an environmental and economic catastrophe.

Times Sq evacuation was for failed explosive device Posted: 01 May 2010 08:47 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dark-coloured sports utility vehicle which triggered the evacuation of Times Square on Saturday night was found to contain explosives, gasoline, propane and burned wires, a New York Fire Department officer told Reuters.

You are subscribed to email updates from "World_Merged" via xBlog® in Google Reader To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610