NPR: Korva Coleman

Several reports say Shukri Ghanem, head of Libya's National Oil Ministry, has defected from Moammar Gadhafi's government and left his country for Tunisia. Bloomberg gets the tip from Libyan rebel leaders, while Reuters hears it from a Tunisian security source.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has convicted former Rwandan General Augustin Bizimungu on charges of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to 30 years in prison for his role in the 1994 genocide that killed as many as 800,000 Rwandans, according to the BBC.

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund is staying in a jail cell in New York's Rikers Island compound. Dominique Strauss-Kahn is accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid and according to USA Today, will stay there until his next court date Friday.

The Vatican published a letter today telling every Catholic conference in the world to draft guidelines to prevent sexual abuse. The Catholic News Service says Catholic bishops should have "clear and coordinated procedures for protecting children, assisting victims of abuse, dealing with accused priests, training clergy and cooperating with civil authorities."

The head of the International Criminal Court wants Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi arrested and charged with crimes against humanity. Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told reporters he would also seek arrest warrants for the leader's son, Saif al-Islam Gadhafi and Abdullah al-Sanussi, the country's intelligence chief.

British police have received a warning of a possible bomb in central London from an Irish Republican dissident group, according to AP. There's no indication of when any possible device might explode, or where. In a statement, New Scotland Yard asked Londoners to go about their business while remaining vigilant, but added several police agencies were cooperating on the investigation.

Dominque Strauss-Kahn, the Chief of the International Monetary Fund, is jailed in New York City today on charges he sexually assaulted a hotel maid over the weekend. Strauss-Kahn, of France, was removed from an Air France plane on Saturday afternoon just as it was preparing to leave Kennedy International Airport for Paris, according to the New York Times. He'll appear in court today.

Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) declared his candidacy for the Republican Presidential nomination today on ABC's Good Morning America, telling host George Stephanopoulos his views are increasingly popular.

The Washington Post puts it starkly: 'Flood the farms to save the cities'. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must decide the best way to release water from the surging Mississippi River, destroying some croplands to protect Louisiana's two biggest cities, including New Orleans. If there's no action:

A German court has convicted 91-year-old John Demjanjuk as an accessory to the murders of Jews at a concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. The trial has lasted for 18 months; the elderly Demjanjuk attended court in a wheelchair or in a hospital bed. The AP says he refused the court's offer to make a final statement.

The flooding from the Mississippi River that's overlapped parts of Memphis is surging south toward three states. CNN says Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana are already inundated. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is the latest state chief to warn residents to evacuate before matters become dangerous.

Workers massed in downtown Athens and other cities in Greece as outraged citizens expressed fury at their government's proposed spending cuts. The Wall Street Journal says dockworkers, health care staffers, transport officials and bank workers are off the job. Dozens of airline flights are cancelled. Workers are upset over the Greek government's new plan to increase taxes and cut spending, worth more than $41 billion.

Floodwaters from the oversized Mississippi River are surging south into the Mississippi delta after cresting this week in Memphis, Tenn. CBS reports hundreds of Mississippi homes are already damaged and crews are rushing to shore up earthen levees. The river is projected to crest in Vicksburg on Saturday.

Nepal's former Foreign Minister, Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay, fell ill and died while returning to Base Camp in Nepal. The Himalayan Times says Upadhyay was 82 and was trying to become the oldest person to summit the peak.

The Bushehr Nuclear Power station is running at a low level, according to the Iranian state Fars News agency. It's not yet generating power, but it's supposed to connect to Iran's national electricity grid within two months.

Iran developed the plant with Russia's help. Last year, NPR's Michele Kelemen reported the U.S. doesn't see the Bushehr plant as a risk. She cited remarks from then-State Dept. spokesman P.J. Crowley:

The Mississippi River is cresting in Memphis, Tenn at 48 feet, a near record. Memphis A.C. Wharton instructed authorities to go door-to-door to warn residents in danger to evacuate, according to Time Magazine. The AP's Jason Bronis floats with the emergency response teams.

Chubu Electric Power will suspend nuclear production at its Hamaoka plant south of Tokyo to build a seawall. Last Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked the utility to stop nuclear production there, because the plant lies atop a fault line and just off the Pacific Ocean.

Even though it's a day late, it's never too late to send your mom good Mother's Day wishes. You can still drop a text message, or just call. The Christian Science Monitor says around the world, Ghanaians living in the U.S. seem to make the most phone calls home on Mother's Day.

Today co-host Meredith Vieira is stepping down from her position in June after five years on the job. NBC says news anchor Ann Curry will take over and co-host with Matt Lauer. There'll be other changes: third hour Today host Natalie Morales will shift to news anchor while White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie will succeed Morales, and take over hosting duties for the later show.

The Mississippi River is expected to crest in Memphis tomorrow at 48 feet, very close to its record. The Memphis Appeal says the river is three miles wide in the city where it's usually about half a mile. Reuters says hundreds of people in low-lying areas are being warned to evacuate while it's still dry.

The head of Ivory Coast's Constitutional Court, Paul Yao Ndre, has reversed his earlier decision, and decided to endorse the campaign victory of Ivory Coast President-elect, Alassane Ouattara. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton says Ndre's decision to back his ally, President Laurent Gbagbo, helped seal his country's bloody fate last December.

Both Al Jazeera and the Guardian are liveblogging Syria's Day of Defiance, as civilians gather in dozens of small towns and cities to demand the repressive government of Bashir al-Assad give up power. AJE says protesters in Tafas, a town south of Deraa held up placards near the main mosque with a single word: Leave.

The Labor Department releases its snapshot on April's unemployment rate at 8:30 a.m. ET. The Wall Street Journal says thousands of new jobs were probably created last month but it's unclear if the U.S. labor market will improve.

Officials at David Ben-Gurion International Airport have halted all outgoing flights, saying the jet fuel may be contaminated, according to Ha'aretz. Any flights needing to refuel before heading for their final destinations are being routed to Cyprus. There are no reports of injuries.

Nearly two years after Air France Flight 447 mysteriously crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil, crews are raising the first victim's body from the ocean floor. The debris is about two and a half miles below the water's surface and crews have located some wreckage, including the two critical flight data recorders that might indicate what caused the plane to go down in a violent thunderstorm.

Residents of eight states along the Mississippi River and its tributaries are nervously watching river levels - and the actions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As the AP notes, the Corps blasted two holes in a Missouri levee to drain backed up water, sparing the town of Cairo, Illinois. A third blast is planned. Water is surging downstream and more rain is on the way.

Rival Palestinian political factions have agreed to reconcile after four bitter years of infighting and turmoil. The Hamas and Fatah groups met in Cairo to formally approve the agreement that calls for unified Palestinian elections next year. Fatah has controlled the West Bank, while Hamas has ruled Gaza.

There's a fascinating story in Science Magazine about two UCLA geographers who tried to predict Osama bin Laden's location in 2009. Professors Thomas Gillespie and John Agnew, with the help of undergraduates, published a paper in February, 2009 saying they believed there was an 88.9% chance bin Laden was hiding in a city less than 200 miles from his last known location.

President Obama will visit New York City tomorrow to honor those killed at Ground Zero on September 11, 2011, following the slaying of Osama bin Laden. Politico reports he invited former President George W. Bush and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani to join him. Mr. Bush has declined the invitation; Politico says there's no word on Mr.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a blunt warning to followers of Osama bin Laden, especially Taliban members in Pakistan and Afghanistan: You cannot wait us out. You cannot defeat us. You can make the choice to abandon al Qaida and participate in a peaceful, political process.

Clinton is the latest U.S. official to make a formal statement following the slaying of Osama bin Laden today in Pakistan. She began her remarks by remembering bin Laden's victims, nearly three thousand of whom died on September 11, 2001.