AMERICAS NEWS AT 0500 GMT

2009-06-17 07:24:04 -

TOP STORIES
US-IRAN
WASHINGTON _ President Barack Obama expresses «deep concerns» about the legitimacy of Iran's presidential elections and post-voting crackdowns but declined to term hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election a fraud. His spokesman says the U.S. offers to talk with Iran's government over its suspected nuclear weapons program would not change regardless the victor. By Jennifer Loven. AP Photo.
US-SKOREA
WASHINGTON _ In a show of unity, President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak have issued a stern warning to North Korea, vowing to stop Pyongyang from having atomic weapons and from using nuclear brinkmanship to squeeze concessions from a frightened world. By Foster Klug. AP Photos.
US-FINANCIAL OVERHAUL
WASHINGTON _ Setting up a certain fight with big business, President Barack Obama is about to recommend creation of a regulatory agency to protect consumers in their credit, savings and other banking transactions. By Anne Flaherty and Jim Kuhnhenn. AP Photos.
US-CLIMATE REPORT
WASHINGTON _ Harmful effects from global warming are already here and worsening, warns the first climate report from Barack Obama's presidency in the strongest language on climate change ever to come out of the White House. Global warming has already caused more heavy downpours, the rise of temperatures and sea levels, rapidly retreating glaciers and altered river flows. By Seth Borenstein.
US-HATE CRIMES
WASHINGTON _ Attorney General Eric Holder says that recent killings show the need for a tougher U.S. hate crimes law to stop «violence masquerading as political activism.» By Devlin Barrett. AP Photos.
WITH: US-ABORTION SHOOTING; US-ANTI-GAY VIOLENCE.
US-NUCLEAR FUNDS SHORTFALL
VERNON, Vermont _ The companies that own almost half of American nuclear reactors are not setting aside enough money to dismantle them, and many may sit idle for decades and pose safety and security risks as a result, an Associated Press investigation has found. By Dave Gram and Frank Bass. AP Photos.
BRAZIL-PLANE
LE BOURGET, France _ The arduous mid-Atlantic search for the remains of Air France Flight 447 will go on as long as there is hope of finding the plane's black boxes, the French defense minister says. By Angela Charlton.
US-HUMAN TRAFFICKING
WASHINGTON _ The Obama administration expands the U.S. watchlist of countries suspected of not doing enough to combat human trafficking, putting more than four dozen nations on notice that they might face sanctions unless their records improve. By Matthew Lee.
US-OBAMA-GAY BENEFITS
WASHINGTON _ President Barack Obama, under growing criticism for not seeking to end the ban on openly gay men and women in the military, is extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. By Philip Elliott.
WITH: US-GAY MARRIAGE.
US-SPACE SHUTTLE
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida _ Hydrogen gas is leaking again from a vent line on space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank. Launch officials have yet to call off Wednesday morning's launch attempt. But it appears unlikely the shuttle will be able to take off. That means the space station construction mission will be delayed until July. By Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn. AP Photos.
US-CONGRESS-WAR FUNDS
WASHINGTON _ War-funding legislation survived a fierce partisan battle in the House of Representatives, but its passage is a major step toward providing commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan the money they need for military operations in coming months. By Jim Abrams.
US-MIDEAST PEACE
WASHINGTON _ President Barack Obama is sending his special Middle East peace envoy to Europe next week for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at quickly restarting negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. By Matthew Lee.
VENEZUELA-ANTI-CHAVEZ TV
CARACAS, Venezuela _ Venezuela's telecommunications regulator asks prosecutors to determine if an opposition-aligned television network is responsible for a talk show guest's suggestion that foes might kill President Hugo Chavez. By Fabiola Sanchez.
US-WATERGATE FILE
MIAMI _ The man who planned the Watergate break-in that eventually brought down President Richard Nixon sought a presidential pardon by saying he thought the infamous burglary had «executive authorization,» according to FBI documents released two years after his death. He died without getting a pardon. By Jessica Gresko. AP Photos.
ARGENTINA-SWINE FLU
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina _ Argentine health authorities confirms three more swine flu deaths, bringing the nation's total to four as it enters the South American winter flu season.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
US-FINANCIAL-OVERHAUL
WASHINGTON _ Setting up a certain fight with big business, President Barack Obama is proposing a new regulatory agency to police lenders and protect consumers in credit, savings and other banking transactions. Moved. By Anne Flaherty and Jim Kuhnhenn. AP Photos.
US-GM-SAAB SALE
DETROIT _ For the new owners of Saab Automobile to make money selling small numbers of cars across the globe, they have to return to the Swedish automaker's roots, industry analysts say. By Tom Krisher and Louise Nordstrom. AP Photos.
US-MYSPACE-LAYOFFS
LOS ANGELES _ MySpace says it is cutting nearly 30 percent of its work force in a bid to become more efficient, bringing its staffing level more in line with its more popular rival, Facebook. By Business Writer Ryan Nakashima.
US-CMT AWARDS
NASHVILLE, Tennessee _ Taylor Swift opens the Country Music Television awards with a skit about living out her dreams. The 19-year-old country and pop sensation went a long way toward doing just that by winning video of the year and female video of the year for «Love Story» and by performing with one of her favorite rock bands. By John Gerome. AP Photos.
US-OCTUPLETS
LOS ANGELES _ A Web site's exclusive deal to document the lives of Nadya Suleman and her fragile octuplets came with a hidden risk: state regulators charge that two of the newborns were endangered by long hours of filming and inadequate supervision while under the relentless eye of a video camera. By Michael R. Blood. AP Photo.
FEATURES
US-TV-QUEEN AND I
MIAMI _ For Farah Pahlavi, the exiled former empress of Iran, there was no choice but to survive. By Lisa Orkin Emmanuel. AP Photos.
US-IRANIAN EXPATS
LOS ANGELES _ While thousands protest in Iran over the disputed presidential election, a small minority of Iranian expatriates believes it has a solution for what troubles their homeland _ a democratically elected government and a return of a Shah. By Shaya Tayefe Mohajer. AP Photos.
US-FEA-COOK'S GERMAN ROOTS
NEW ORLEANS _ With their colorful signs hawking pork rinds and homemade sausages like and andouille, the mom and pop stores that dot Louisiana's Cajun country left a lifelong mark on celebrated chef Donald Link. By Mary Foster. AP Photos.
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