diff -aur michel-orgmode.pristine/michel/diff3.py michel-orgmode.new/michel/diff3.py
--- michel-orgmode.pristine/michel/diff3.py	2016-09-01 16:24:44.290659982 +0200
+++ michel-orgmode.new/michel/diff3.py	2016-09-01 16:46:02.570976348 +0200
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@
     "Perform diff3 merge on the text-string arguments."
     
     # create temp files for operating on with diff3 tool
-    my_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile()
-    orig_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile()
-    other_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile()
+    my_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile("w")
+    orig_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile("w")
+    other_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile("w")
     
     # write text strings to files
     my_file.write(my_text)
@@ -25,17 +25,19 @@
 
     # call the diff3 executable, and collect results
     p = subprocess.Popen([
-                             'diff3', 
-                             '-m',
-                             '-L', 'MINE',
-                             '-L', 'ORIGINAL',
-                             '-L', 'OTHER',
-                             my_file.name,
-                             orig_file.name,
-                             other_file.name
-                         ],
-                        stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
-                        stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
+        'diff3', 
+        '-m',
+        '-L', 'MINE',
+        '-L', 'ORIGINAL',
+        '-L', 'OTHER',
+        my_file.name,
+        orig_file.name,
+        other_file.name
+    ],
+                         stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+                         stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+                         universal_newlines=True
+    )
     stdout_text, stderr_text = p.communicate()
     retcode = p.wait()
     
diff -aur michel-orgmode.pristine/michel/michel.py michel-orgmode.new/michel/michel.py
--- michel-orgmode.pristine/michel/michel.py	2016-09-01 16:24:44.290659982 +0200
+++ michel-orgmode.new/michel/michel.py	2016-09-01 16:54:41.478892705 +0200
@@ -19,12 +19,15 @@
 # Set default encoding to 'UTF-8' instead of 'ascii'
 # http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11741574/how-to-set-the-default-encoding-to-utf-8-in-python
 # Bad things might happen though
-reload(sys)
-sys.setdefaultencoding("UTF8")
+
+# Martin Kaffanke <m.kaffanke@gmail.com>: Removing this for arch linux.
+# You will have troubles if you don't set your default encoding to utf-8 on the console.
+# reload(sys)
+#sys.setdefaultencoding("UTF8")
 import re
-import cPickle as pickle
-import cStringIO
-import diff3
+import pickle
+from io import StringIO
+from . import diff3
 import datetime
 import dateutil.parser
 
@@ -86,7 +89,7 @@
                 TasksTree(title, task_id, task_notes, task_status, task_due))
         else:
             if self.get_task_with_id(parent_id) is None:
-                raise ValueError, "No element with suitable parent id"
+                raise ValueError ("No element with suitable parent id")
             self.get_task_with_id(parent_id).add_subtask(title, task_id, None,
                     task_notes, task_status, task_due)
 
@@ -312,7 +315,7 @@
                 break
         else:
             # no list with the given name was found
-            print '\nERROR: No google task-list named "%s"\n' % list_name
+            print ('\nERROR: No google task-list named "%s"\n' % list_name)
             sys.exit(2)
 
     return list_id
@@ -398,7 +401,7 @@
 def parse_text_to_tree(text):
     """Parses an org-mode formatted block of text and returns a tree"""
     # create a (read-only) file object containing *text*
-    f = cStringIO.StringIO(text)
+    f = StringIO(text)
     
     headline_regex = re.compile("^(\*+ )( *)(DONE )?")
     # DEADLINE timestmaps can have the formats described at
@@ -541,17 +544,17 @@
                "'%s' has been updated to contain the contents of the "
                "list, and a backup of this file has been created "
                "as '%s'.  Please update '%s' as desired, and re-run "
-               "the synchronization.\n") % (list_name, path, bkup_fname, path)
+               "the synchronization.\n" % (list_name, path, bkup_fname, path))
     
     merged_tree, conflict_occurred = treemerge(orgfile_tree, orig_tree, gtasks_tree)
     
     if conflict_occurred:
         conflicted_filename = path + ".conflicted"
-        open(conflicted_filename, "wb").write(str(merged_tree))
+        open(conflicted_filename, "w").write(str(merged_tree))
         print ("\nWARNING:  Org-file and task-list could not be cleanly merged:  "
               "the attempted merge can be found in '%s'.  Please "
               "modify this file, copy it to '%s', and push '%s' back "
-              "to the desired GTasks list.\n") % (conflicted_filename, path, path)
+              "to the desired GTasks list.\n" % (conflicted_filename, path, path))
         sys.exit(2)
     else:
         # store the successfully merged tree locally so we can use it as the
@@ -566,7 +569,7 @@
         merged_tree.push(service, list_id)
         
         # write merged tree to orgfile
-        open(path, 'wb').write(str(merged_tree))
+        open(path, 'w').write(str(merged_tree))
 
 
 def main():
Nur in michel-orgmode.new/michel: __pycache__.