WORLD at 1000 GMT

2009-07-05 12:14:04 -

NEW THIS DIGEST
HONDURAS-COUP. Exiled Honduran president vows return on Sunday.
IRAN-ELECTION. Conservatives urge that Ahmadinejad be dismissed.
NKOREA-MISSILE. North Korea fires 7 ballistic missiles off eastern coast
MEXICO-ELECTIONS. Drug violence, economic woes weigh on congressional vote
US-OBAMA-PIVOTAL WEEK. Obama to Russia, meets the Pope, visits Africa.
US PALIN RESIGNING. Alaskan governor wants to unite conservatives
CHINA-G8. China won't press for new global currency at G8.
TOP STORIES
HONDURAS-COUP
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras _ Honduras braces for a possible confrontation as ousted President Manuel Zelaya insists he will come home to reclaim his post, urging supporters to mass at the airport for a showdown with the interim government that has been in power since the army sent him into exile a week ago. By Will Weissert and Nestor Ikeda. AP Photos.
WITH: HONDURAS-ANATOMY OF A COUP.
IRAN-ELECTION
TEHRAN, Iran _ The son of an Iranian revolutionary icon called on parliament to dismiss president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from his post, as the country's conservative political establishment upped pressure on the reformists. By Nasser Karimi.
NKOREA-MISSILE
SEOUL, South Korea_ The ballistic missiles that North Korea test-fired this weekend were likely capable of striking key government and military facilities in South Korea, a defense official says, amid growing concerns over Pyongyang's firepower. By HYUNG-JIN KIM.
IRAQ
BAGHDAD _ Vice President Joe Biden spends U.S. Independence Day with his son and other American troops in Iraq, while the Iraqi government spokesman publicly rejects the American's offer to help with national reconciliation, saying it's an internal affair. By Kim Gamel. AP Photos.
AFGHANISTAN
KABUL _ A roadside bomb and a rocket-propelled grenade in southern Afghanistan killed two British soldiers, while gunmen in the east abducted 16 mine-clearing personnel working for the United Nations, officials said Sunday. By Amir Shah.
AP Photos HMD102, HMD103, HMD101.
MEXICO-ELECTIONS
MEXICO CITY _ Drug violence, an economic downturn and recent cases of political malfeasance weigh heavily on Mexico's midterm congressional elections, a vote that could decide the future of President Felipe Calderon's anti-crime and economic policies. By Mark Stevenson. AP Photos. Polls close at 2200 GMT; first partial results early Monday GMT.
OBAMA-PIVOTAL WEEK
WASHINGTON _ Determined to change the way the world views the United States, Barack Obama is onto his next foreign mission: rebuilding relations with Russia, proving to global leaders that America is serious about climate change, and outlining his vision for Africa, his father's birthplace. By Ben Feller. AP Photos WHMC104, WHMC103, WHMC101, MOSB218, MOSB103, MOSB123.
RUSSIA-US-FIRST LADIES
MOSCOW _ Michelle Obama brings her superstar glamor to Moscow this weekend as she accompanies her husband on his summit with the Russian president. But the American first lady, who has wowed publics in the U.S. and Europe with her easy elegance and charm, will perhaps face a bigger challenge in winning over a Russian public that has scant respect for women who grab the limelight from their powerful husbands. By Catrina Stewart. Photos.
MYANMAR
YANGON, Myanmar _ U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ends a mission to Myanmar saying he is «deeply disappointed» that the isolated nation's top military ruler denied him a visit to jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. By John Heilprin. AP Photos.
BULGARIA-ELECTIONS
SOFIA, Bulgaria _ Bulgarians went to the polls Sunday in a parliamentary election expected to oust Bulgaria's Socialist-led coalition and elevate the center-right party of Sofia's popular mayor to power. By Veselin Toshkov. AP Photo XPP109.
MICHAEL JACKSON
LOS ANGELES _ More than 1.2 million people have now registered to get tickets for Michael Jackson's memorial service next week. AP Photo CACK104.
BRITAIN MADONNA
LONDON _ Madonna has paid tribute to Michael Jackson in the same arena where he was to stage his comeback, dancing along with an impersonator doing Jackson's distinctive moves. By Nardine Saad. Photos.
PALIN RESIGNING
JUNEAU, ALASKA _ Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin didn't wait long to give some hint of what her political life might look like after she leaves office this month. Palin indicated on a social networking site that she would take on a larger, national role, citing a «higher calling» to unite the country along conservative lines. By Mark Thiessen.
AP Photos NY115, NY130, AKWTF101, AKWTF104, AKWTF103.
CHINA-FLOODING
BEIJING _ At least 16 people have died and more than 320,000 have evacuated homes in southern and central China after heavy rains toppled houses, flooded roads and damaged a dam, news reports say.
AP Photos XIN804, XIN803, XIN801, XIN802.
AUSTRALIA-BABY ELEPHANT
SYDNEY _ A 265-pound (120-kilogram), big-eared and long-nosed bundle of joy was welcomed in Australia as an important step in helping to save the endangered Asian elephant.
AP Photo SYD101.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
CHINA-G8
BEIJING _ China has no plans to raise its proposal for a new global currency to replace the dollar at the G8 meeting this week but is willing to discuss it, a top Chinese diplomat says, as President Hu Jintao leaves for Italy. By Joe McDonald.
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