Myanmar's junta prepares ground for elections (AFP)

Myanmar's junta prepares ground for elections (AFP)


Myanmar's junta prepares ground for elections (AFP)

Posted: 01 May 2010 10:31 PM PDT

Myanmar leader senior general Than Shwe salutes from a podium as he reviews troops during a military parade in Naypyidaw, on March 27. he military government, which faces strict Western sanctions because of its human rights record, has billed this year's polls -- expected in late October or November -- as a shift of power outside its entrenched military structure.(AFP/File/Christophe Archambault)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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu votes at the Likud Party headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, April 29, 2010. Members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party were voting on a proposal by the Israeli leader to delay internal party elections by up to two years. The election was widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)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

An ancient gold dagger handle with an arabic inscription is displayed together with other gold jewelry and coins, garnet stones at a showroom in Jakarta on April 30, 2010. The items are part of ancient treasure trove salvaged from a 1,000-year-old shipwreck found by Indonesian fishermen in the northern waters of Cirebon, West Java.(AFP/Romeo Gacad)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

In this Wednesday, April 28, 2010 photo, U.S. Army Capt. Casey Thoreen, second from left, of Seattle, Wash., Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, talks with village leaders before the start of a shura , in the Maiwand district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province. To the locals, he is the 'King of Maiwand' district testimony to the fact that without the resources the young captain and others like him provide, local government in much of insurgency-ravaged southern Afghanistan could not function at all. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)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

mayday_indonATHENS – 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

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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.

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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

A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer welcomes visitors at Canada Pavilion on the opening day of the Shanghai World Expo Saturday, May 1, 2010 in Shanghai, China. Shanghai's Expo is likely to be the largest World's Fair ever, with some 70 million visitors expected to attend in the six months before it closes on Oct. 31. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)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

A policeman stands guard outside Greece's Finance Ministry during a rally in Athens April 29, 2010. REUTERS/Yiorgos KarahalisReuters - 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

Pansy Ho, Managing Director of MGM Grand and J. Terrence Lanni Chairman of Board and CEO MGM attend the opening of the MGM Grand in Macau in December 2007. 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.(AFP/File/Mike Clarke)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.


Immigration law sparks US protests

Immigration law sparks US protests


Immigration law sparks US protests

Posted: 01 May 2010 12:22 PM PDT

Demonstrations against Arizona state law planned in more than 70 cities.


Arab League backs indirect talks

Posted: 01 May 2010 12:46 PM PDT

Cairo meeting endorses resumption of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.


Soldiers kidnapped in south Yemen, U.S. embassy warns staff

Posted: 01 May 2010 12:38 PM PDT

SANAA (Reuters) - Armed secessionists have captured two soldiers in south Yemen and demanded the release of two southern leaders imprisoned by the government, state and opposition media reported on Saturday.


English Sats boycott 'widespread'

Posted: 01 May 2010 12:38 PM PDT

Half of England's primary schools will boycott national tests due to be taken by 11-year-olds in just over a week, unions claim.


Nepal’s Maoists Demand Ouster of Government

Posted: 01 May 2010 11:11 AM PDT

Tens of thousands of former Communist rebels and their supporters rallied in the capital on Saturday.


China’s Economic Influence Entices Indonesians to Study Mandarin

Posted: 01 May 2010 11:56 AM PDT

The rise of Chinese-language classes in Indonesia may be one of the most telling examples of how China's influence is overcoming steep barriers.


Brazilian Rancher Convicted in Death of U.S.-Born Nun

Posted: 01 May 2010 11:48 AM PDT

The nun, Dorothy Stang, had been fighting to preserve a piece of the Amazon rainforest that ranchers wanted to clear for logging and cattle ranching.


Syria warns U.S. on accepting Israel scud claims

Posted: 01 May 2010 11:42 AM PDT

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria on Saturday warned Washington not to accept Israeli allegations it had sent long-range Scud missiles to Hezbollah, saying an Israel armed with the latest U.S. arsenal was itself a threat to stability.


Snooker: Australian Robertson reaches final

Posted: 01 May 2010 09:22 AM PDT

Neil Robertson overcomes a mini revival from Ali Carter to reach his first World Championship final with a 17-12 victory at the Crucible.


Weather hampers US oil clean-up

Posted: 01 May 2010 11:28 AM PDT

Bad weather hampers efforts to clean up a huge oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico, amid reports that it is growing rapidly.


A Young Disabled Teacher Navigates a Vertical City

Posted: 01 May 2010 11:03 AM PDT

For a young teacher out to conquer a vertical maze of a city in a wheelchair, fierce independence and inescapable vulnerability sometimes clash.


Myanmar Junta Members Go Civilian

Posted: 01 May 2010 10:30 AM PDT

Members of Myanmar's ruling military class are shedding their uniforms to get around rules meant to ensure that a civilian legislature is elected.


'Bigot' row woman will not vote

Posted: 01 May 2010 11:45 AM PDT

The woman at the centre of a media storm after being called "bigoted" by Gordon Brown says she will not be voting for for Labour or any party.


Albanians demand vote recount

Posted: 01 May 2010 10:40 AM PDT

Opposition socialists plan hunger strike as stalemate over June elections drags on.


Myanmar Junta Members Go Civilian

Posted: 01 May 2010 10:30 AM PDT

Members of Myanmar's ruling military class are shedding their uniforms to get around rules meant to ensure that a civilian legislature is elected.


Mandelson Sees Greek Woes Affecting U.K.

Posted: 01 May 2010 10:39 AM PDT

The economic troubles of southern European countries such as Greece are a worry to the U.K., said business minister Peter Mandelson.


Abroad: Hopper and Zille: Stars of Their Own World

Posted: 30 Apr 2010 10:09 PM PDT

Edward Hopper's work, like all good art, remains local on some crucial level, and that's just as true for those Italian and German old master paintings that fill museums.


Obama Speech Defends Government

Posted: 01 May 2010 11:20 AM PDT

In a speech at the University of Michigan, President Obama said that those who denigrate government as "inherently bad" ignore the nature of democracy.


Bolivia nationalises energy firms

Posted: 01 May 2010 11:18 AM PDT

Four electricity companies taken over as state expands control of key industries.


Pedrosa seals pole for Spanish GP

Posted: 01 May 2010 06:22 AM PDT

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa claims pole position for Sunday's Spanish MotoGP in Jerez ahead of compatriot Jorge Lorenzo.