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• Swing-state unemployment down, Obama's chances up
• Ho hum: Obama on brink of Democratic nomination
• Romney on spending: Guns triumph over butter
• Hollande edges Sarkozy in French vote, Le Pen surges
• Axelrod: Sen. Manchin Out for 'Own Political Well-Being'
• Former Iceland PM to learn if guilty in 2008 crisis
• Hatch withstands tea party opposition, for now
• Hungary sees EU aid talks approval for end-April
• Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix, protesters kept away
• UPDATE 7-Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix, protesters kept away
• Analysts' view: Hollande tops Sarkozy in French vote
• Global crisis not over, China reforms to go on: Wen
• Israel intercepts ship for weapons search
• Peru's Humala gains in poll on kidnap, mine rescues
• Argentina's YPF cuts computer links with Repsol
• South Sudan accuses Sudan of bombings, Khartoum denies
• Coburn: Congress Great at Reacting to a Scandal, Bad at Preventing Them
• Sri Lanka orders mosque move after Buddhist protest
• Merkel's FDP ally eyes poll comeback, doubts persist
• ECB deaf to call for more action to help euro zone
• Congress presses investigation of Secret Service scandal
• Keith Olbermann: Tampa Bay Rays May Go All the Way This Year
• Matthew Dowd: Secret Service, GSA Scandals Undermine Faith in Institutions
• ANALYSIS-No winner in the real contest of Bahrain's Grand Prix
• As Myanmar awaits easing of sanctions, row brews over MP no-show
• Egypt's Moussa promises army voice in key policy body
• Orthodox Church under attack: Russian Patriarch
• Gay media group honors Chaz Bono, Betty White
• ECB deaf to call for more action to help euro zone
• George Will Writes Off Jeb Bush as VP Possibility
• Afghanistan and U.S. agree on strategic pact text
• Global debt crisis not yet over - China's Wen
• Lawmakers Weigh in on GSA, Secret Service Scandals

Swing-state unemployment down, Obama's chances up Posted: The improving economy is swinging the pendulum in President Barack Obama's favor in the 14 states where the presidential election will likely be decided.

Ho hum: Obama on brink of Democratic nomination Posted: It's official: President Barack Obama will clinch the Democratic nomination for president Tuesday, ending a low-key primary race that many Americans probably didn't realize was happening.

Romney on spending: Guns triumph over butter Posted: Reducing government deficits Mitt Romney's way would mean less money for health care for the poor and disabled and big cuts to nuts-and-bolts functions such as food inspection, border security and education.

Hollande edges Sarkozy in French vote, Le Pen surges Posted: PARIS (Reuters) - Far-rightist Marine Le Pen threw France's presidential race wide open on Sunday by polling nearly 19 percent in the first round - votes that may tip a runoff between Socialist favorite Francois Hollande and conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy. Hollande led Sarkozy by 28.2 percent to 27.0 percent with more than four fifths of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said, meaning the two will meet head-to-head in a decider on May 6 that may be closer than pundits had been expected. Le Pen's record score of 18. ...

Axelrod: Sen. Manchin Out for 'Own Political Well-Being' Posted: One of the Obama campaign's top men says Sen. Joe Manchin's recent statements of indecision over whether to support the president in November was for his own political gain. On CNN today, David Axelrod suggested the West Virginia Democrat made the statements as a security...

Former Iceland PM to learn if guilty in 2008 crisis Posted: REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - The only politician in the world to stand trial for their role in the 2008 financial crisis will learn their fate on Monday when a court in tiny Iceland rules on whether the island's former prime minister was grossly negligent or not. In a verdict that many fear will do little to heal the wounds of the meltdown, a court will decide whether former prime minister Geir Haarde, 61, was personally responsible for failing to rein in the country's banking sector before it imploded. Haarde, who faces four charges of gross negligence, has denied any guilt. ...

Hatch withstands tea party opposition, for now Posted: The tea party movement solidified its presence as a force within the Republican Party two years ago when it helped orchestrate the defeat of three-term Sen. Bob Bennett at Utah GOP's nominating convention. But it fell short this weekend of doing the same to Sen. Orrin Hatch.

Hungary sees EU aid talks approval for end-April Posted: BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary said on Sunday it expects the EU to give the green light to vital credit talks by the end of April after Prime Minister Viktor Orban meets with European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso this week. "There will be a very important meeting on Tuesday between the Commission President Barroso and the Hungarian Prime Minister," Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi said in a televised interview. "We expect ... ...

Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix, protesters kept away Posted: MANAMA (Reuters) - Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Grand Prix in Bahrain on Sunday while rage boiled beyond the circuit among protesters who say the island's rulers should not have hosted the race after crushing Arab Spring demonstrations last year. High security kept trouble well away from the track, where Red Bull's Vettel led an uneventful race before half-empty stands. Activists said police fired tear gas to prevent post-race demonstrations in Shi'ite villages around the capital. The villages have seen nightly clashes over the past week. ...

UPDATE 7-Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix, protesters kept away Posted: * Race passes without any incidents at circuit * Vettel wins, pro-democracy protests kept away * Police fire teargas in villages-activists (Adds arrest of British TV crew) MANAMA, April 22 (Reuters) - Formula One world championSebastian Vettel won the Grand Prix in Bahrain on Sunday whilerage boiled beyond the circuit among protesters who say theisland's rulers should not have hosted the race after crushingArab Spring demonstrations last year. High security kept trouble well away from the track, whereRed Bull's Vettel led an uneventful race before half-emptystands. ...

Analysts' view: Hollande tops Sarkozy in French vote Posted: PARIS (Reuters) - Far-rightist Marine Le Pen threw France's presidential race wide open on Sunday by scoring nearly 20 percent in the first round - votes that may determine the outcome of the May 6 runoff between Socialist favorite Francois Hollande and conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy. Following are comments from analysts on the results: DOMINIQUE BARBET, ECONOMIST, BNP PARIBAS "Overall we've got a vote that is much more uncertain than we thought it would be. The vote has really been marked by the crisis. ...

Global crisis not over, China reforms to go on: Wen Posted: HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - The global financial crisis is not over and technical innovation and investment will be key to sustaining what remains a "tortuous" recovery, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Sunday during a visit to Germany. Wen also said China, the world's biggest exporter and second largest economy, would press on with reforms aimed at creating better legal protection for foreign investors -- a major concern for the growing number of German firms active in the country. ...

Israel intercepts ship for weapons search Posted: JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli naval forces intercepted a cargo ship in the Mediterranean on Sunday then boarded the vessel to search for suspected weapons, military officials and media reports said. Israel routinely patrols the seas for ships suspected of carrying weapons destined for Palestinian militants. A year ago Israel seized a cargo ship it said held Iranian-supplied arms intended for the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. ...

Peru's Humala gains in poll on kidnap, mine rescues Posted: LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian President Ollanta Humala's approval rating climbed to 56 percent in April, boosted by the release of energy industry workers kidnapped by Shining Path rebels, an Ipsos Apoyo poll showed on Sunday. The president's approval rating rose 3 percentage points from the previous monthly opinion poll following last weekend's liberation of the 36 gas pipeline workers in a remote jungle region in southern Peru. ...

Argentina's YPF cuts computer links with Repsol Posted: LONDON (Reuters) - Argentine oil group YPF has cut computer links with parent Repsol, two sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday, following Buenos Aires' plans unveiled last week to seize control of the leading energy company. The move is the latest in a string of actions that have shut Spain's Repsol out of YPF, even before Argentina has implemented laws to provide the basis for the nationalization. ...

South Sudan accuses Sudan of bombings, Khartoum denies Posted: BENTIU, South Sudan (Reuters) - South Sudan on Sunday accused Sudan of launching fresh air strikes against the new nation, but Khartoum denied that, saying it had repulsed a "major" rebel attack on a town in its South Kordofan state. The war of words came after weeks of border fighting between the two neighbors that have brought the former civil war foes closer to a full-blown war. Mac Paul, deputy director of South Sudan's military intelligence, said Sudan had launched air strikes after Southern troops left the disputed oil field of Heglig. ...

Coburn: Congress Great at Reacting to a Scandal, Bad at Preventing Them Posted: Sen. Tom Coburn said today that he is satisfied with the Obama administration response to the Secret Service scandal but emphasizes that Congress should not overreact in a way that would harm the agency. "I'm not critical to what the administration has done thus far,"...

Sri Lanka orders mosque move after Buddhist protest Posted: COLOMBO (Reuters) - The Sri Lankan government ordered a mosque relocated on Sunday after Buddhist monks said the 50-year-old structure had been built illegally in an area sacred to Buddhists and threatened to demolish it. The monks in the island nation's central town of Dambulla protested against the mosque on Friday, stopping the Islamic prayers, and threatened violence if it was not removed. They also have asked that a Hindu temple in the area be removed. ...

Merkel's FDP ally eyes poll comeback, doubts persist Posted: KARLSRUHE, Germany (Reuters) - Poll figures may be low and forecasts gloomy, but Martina Reuter felt certain things were looking up for her party - Germany's Free Democrats (FDP), the junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right coalition. "At the moment there is a real mood of change ... There is a return to the old, fundamental values," the 50-year-old party member told Reuters at a weekend FDP congress in Karlsruhe, western Germany. Her comments were in tune with the atmosphere of determined bonhomie among the hundreds of delegates at the gathering. ...

ECB deaf to call for more action to help euro zone Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - European Central Bank officials showed no sign of bending to renewed international pressure to do more to boost the euro zone's struggling economy. Top ECB policymakers, attending the International Monetary Fund's spring meetings, politely but firmly rebuffed the IMF's call that the bank should cut its policy interest rate below 1 percent and be prepared to provide more public funding to banks to reduce the risk of a new flare-up of the crisis. ...

Congress presses investigation of Secret Service scandal Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two senior House of Representatives Republicans expressed confidence in the head of the U.S. Secret Service on Sunday despite the agency's Colombia prostitution scandal while a Senate committee chairman planned hearings into the matter. Senator Joseph Lieberman, an independent, said that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that he chairs will send specific questions to the Secret Service this week about the scandal before the panel holds public hearings. Other congressional committees also are investigating. ...

Keith Olbermann: Tampa Bay Rays May Go All the Way This Year Posted: We don't talk about just politics on the "This Week" roundtable. With the start of the professional baseball season, and Boston' Fenway Park reaching its centennial birthday, I asked Keith Olbermann and ABC's George Will for their thoughts and predictions on the season that is...

Matthew Dowd: Secret Service, GSA Scandals Undermine Faith in Institutions Posted: ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd said the recent scandals involving the Secret Service and GSA reflect a declining trust in American institutions at all levels. "The American public has lost faith in every single institution in this country," Dowd said this morning on the...

ANALYSIS-No winner in the real contest of Bahrain's Grand Prix Posted: * No winner in Grand Prix public relations battle * Event shone light on forgotten protests * Divisions have deepened DUBAI, April 22 (Reuters) - Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel mayhave won the Bahrain Grand Prix, but there was no winner in themain event: a public relations battle between the ruling AlKhalifa family and protesters in the streets over competingvisions of Bahrain. Masked youths with petrol bombs faced off nightly againstriot police in armoured vehicles, armed with batons, tear gas,sound bombs and guns firing birdshot. At least one protester wasfound dead on a rooftop after a clash. ...

As Myanmar awaits easing of sanctions, row brews over MP no-show Posted: NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - Myanmar's reformist rulers are looking forward to an eagerly awaited easing of European Union sanctions on Monday but celebrations will be muted over a political stalemate delaying Aung San Suu Kyi's historic parliamentary debut. A protest by Suu Kyi's party over a swearing-in vow for its would-be parliamentarians will dent an image of transformation the government wanted to show off on Monday, when the European Union is all but certain to become the first among Western powers to suspend in earnest sanctions that isolated Myanmar for two decades. ...

Egypt's Moussa promises army voice in key policy body Posted: CAIRO (Reuters) - Ex-foreign minister Amr Moussa, a leading contender for Egypt's presidency, said on Sunday he would give the military a voice in key policies via a national security council, a move to reassure ruling generals about their status after a power transfer. Moussa, a self-described liberal nationalist whose main election rivals are Islamists, also said Egypt needed a president with lobbying skills to work effectively with the Islamist-dominated parliament and other institutions after decades of autocratic government. ...

Orthodox Church under attack: Russian Patriarch Posted: MOSCOW (Reuters) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church warned tens of thousands of believers on Sunday they were "under attack by persecutors" on a nationwide day of prayer intended to heal divisions over a protest at the altar by a women's punk band. At least 40,000 people came to hear Patriarch Kirill lead them in prayer at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow, where Pussy Riot performed a "punk prayer" on February 21 deriding the Church's close relationship with President-elect Vladimir Putin. ...

Gay media group honors Chaz Bono, Betty White Posted: LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Media watchdog the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation brought out some big names in Hollywood over the weekend including American sweetheart Betty White to honor movies, TV shows and performers. At the annual GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday night, the group gave one honorary trophy to transgender activist and celebrity Chaz Bono, the child of superstar Cher and Sonny Bono, for promoting equal rights in the media. The makers of documentary "Becoming Chaz," Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, earned another trophy for their film about his transformation. ...

ECB deaf to call for more action to help euro zone Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - European Central Bank officials showed no sign of bending to renewed international pressure to do more to boost the euro zone's struggling economy. Top ECB policymakers, attending the International Monetary Fund's spring meetings, politely but firmly rebuffed the IMF's call that the bank should cut its policy interest rate below 1 percent and be prepared to provide more public funding to banks to reduce the risk of a new flare-up of the crisis. ...

George Will Writes Off Jeb Bush as VP Possibility Posted: As speculation over who Mitt Romney will choose as his running mate reaches a fever pitch, ABC's George Will struck one big name off the list of possibilities today: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "If Jeb Bush is to be Romney's running mate, it would...

Afghanistan and U.S. agree on strategic pact text Posted: KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan and the United States on Sunday agreed a draft of a long-awaited deal that will define the scope and nature of a U.S. presence in the country for up to a decade after the pullout of most NATO combat troops in 2014. The U.S. Ambassador to Kabul, Ryan Crocker, and Afghan national security adviser, Rangin Spanta, initialed copies of the agreement, paving the way for President Barack Obama and his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, to review it. ...

Global debt crisis not yet over - China's Wen Posted: HANOVER, Germany (Reuters) - The global debt crisis is not over and risks to the world economy persist, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Sunday during a visit to Germany. Wen also said in a speech at the opening of the Hanover trade fair that China would continue its reforms and the opening up of its economy. "Currently, the international financial crisis is not over and the global economic recovery is difficult and tortuous," Wen told the gathering that was also attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Reporting by Kevin Yao and Andreas Rinke, writing by Gareth Jones)

Lawmakers Weigh in on GSA, Secret Service Scandals Posted: The Secret Service and General Services Administration scandals are two very disparate situations -- one revolves around sex, the other around lavish spending. But it's no coincidence that both took center stage on Sunday's political talk shows, as both indicate a government lacking oversight, characterized by a culture of autonomy run amok.

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