WORLD at 0400 GMT

2009-06-19 06:16:02 -

NEW THIS DIGEST
IRAN-ELECTION. Hundreds of thousands stage somber rally in Iran.
KOREAS-NUCLEAR. US boosts Hawaii defense to counter NKorea threat.
PERU-AMAZON PROTESTS. Amazon leader says group will end protests after Peru's Congress revokes disputed decrees.
HAITI-PRIEST FUNERAL. Marchers accuse UN of shooting at Haiti funeral.
COLOMBIA-UN RIGHTS. UN envoy: Colombia army kills many innocents.
MYANMAR-SUU KYI AT 64. Global campaign to mark Suu Kyi's 64th birthday.
PALAU-MUSLIMS. Palau's few dozen Muslims to greet 13 more _ former detainees from Guantanamo Bay.
UN-WASTED BILLIONS. $196 billion; little proof UN health programs work.
SPAIN-SWINE FLU-CRUISE SHIP. Spanish cruise ship hit by small swine flu outbreak heads home early to base in Aruba.
STANFORD SURRENDERS. Attorney says Stanford surrenders to FBI.
VENEZUELA-CURRENCY CRUNCH. Venezuela rations dollars, loses billions as Chavez's currency controls backfire in oil slump.
TOP STORIES
IRAN-ELECTION
TEHRAN, Iran _ Hundreds of thousands of protesters, many dressed head-to-toe in black and carrying candles and flowers, flood the streets of Tehran in a somber show of defiance against the country's supreme leader. The massive march _ the fourth this week _ sends a powerful message that opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has the popular backing to sustain his unprecedented challenge to Iran's ruling clerics. By Ali Akbar Dareini and Nasser Karimi.
WITH: IRAN-ELECTION-MOUSAVI, IRAN-ELECTION-TIMELINE.
IRAN-ELECTION-WORLD VIEW
ISTANBUL _ World reaction to the upheaval in Iran is cautious and divided, reflecting uncertainty over fast-moving events within the country after its disputed election. International opinion is roughly divided between the Western line _ a pro-democratic stance that implies or levels criticism at Iran's leadership _ and economic allies, mostly among developing nations, that accept the election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. By Christopher Torchia.
KOREAS-NUCLEAR
SEOUL, South Korea _ The United States has deployed anti-missile defenses around Hawaii amid reports that North Korea may fire its most advanced ballistic missile toward the U.S. islands early next month, adding to already high tensions in the region. By Jae-soon Chang. AP Photos.
WITH: KOREAS-TENSION.
SOMALIA
NAIROBI, Kenya _ Somalia's national security minister and at least 24 other people have been killed in a suicide attack in western Somalia, and an extremist Islamic group with alleged links to al-Qaida claimed responsibility. By Tom Maliti. AP Photos.
PERU-AMAZON PROTESTS
LIMA, Peru _ A top Indian leader calls for an end to protests that left dozens dead in Peru's Amazon after Congress revokes two decrees that indigenous groups said would spur oil and gas exploitation and other development on their lands. By Franklin Briceno.
HAITI-PRIEST FUNERAL
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti _ Gunfire breaks out during a funeral procession for a popular Haitian priest, killing a man and prompting angry protests that could inflame government opponents with only days to go before elections in the troubled nation. By Jonathan M. Katz.
COLOMBIA-UN RIGHTS
BOGOTA _ Hundreds of innocent civilians have been slain by soldiers and falsely identified as guerrillas killed in combat as part of a «more or less» systematic practice by significant elements of Colombia's military, a U.N. human rights investigator says. By Frank Bajak.
MYANMAR-SUU KYI AT 64
YANGON, Myanmar _ Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi spends her 64th birthday locked in prison as global campaigns demanding her freedom erupt across Twitter, Facebook and other Web sites and at rallies worldwide. AP Photos.
WITH: US-MYANMAR-OPPOSITION LEADER
PALAU-MUSLIMS
KOROR, Palau _ The few dozen Muslims who gather for prayers each week at a small mosque in Palau's jungle are mostly Bangladeshi workers. After this week's sermon, they discussed the possible arrival of 13 more Muslims _ former detainees from Guantanamo Bay. By 0700 GMT. By Tomoko A. Hosaka.
BRITAIN-LAWMAKERS EXPENSES
LONDON _ Britons have won the chance to see the lawmaker expenses claims that sparked a political scandal _ but found the most outrageous details hidden by the thick black strokes of a censor's pen. By David Stringer. AP Photos.
UN-WASTED BILLIONS
LONDON _ In the last two decades, the world has spent more than $196 billion trying to save people from death and disease in poor countries. Millions of people are now protected against diseases like yellow fever, sleeping under anti-malaria bed nets and taking AIDS drugs. But two new studies say there isn't much proof that pricey programs led by the United Nations and its partners are responsible. By Maria Cheng.
SPAIN-SWINE FLU-CRUISE SHIP
ORANJESTAD, Aruba _ A cruise ship that found itself shunned by two Caribbean ports this week because of a swine flu outbreak heads back to its home base of Aruba after dropping off some of its passengers in Venezuela. By Margaret Wever.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
STANFORD SURRENDERS
DALLAS _ The attorney for R. Allen Stanford, chairman of troubled Stanford Financial Group, says the Texas billionaire has surrendered to FBI agents in Virginia.
VENEZUELA-CURRENCY CRUNCH
VALENCIA, Venezuela _ General Motors Corp. is halting production in Venezuela for three months starting Friday. Ford Motor Co.'s subsidiary announced 10 percent cutbacks last week. Other automakers also are shrinking their business _ but not because Venezuelans don't want to buy cars. They're closing down because the government won't give them enough dollars to import parts. By Rachel Jones.
QUERIES: Contact the Europe & Africa Desk in London at +44 207 427 4300, the Asia-Pacific Desk in Bangkok at +66 2632 6911, the Latin America Desk in Mexico City at +52 55 3300 7603 or the North America Desk in New York at +1 212 621 1650.