2009-06-19 18:46:01 -

NEW THIS DIGEST
UN-WORLD HUNGER. UN: World hunger reaches the 1 billion people mark.
UN WASTED BILLIONS. $196 billion spent on health in poor countries but results unclear.
RUSSIA-NEWSPAPER THREATENED. Independent newspaper faces closure in Russia.
BRITAIN-WILDCAT STRIKES. Oil company fires UK workers over jobs dispute.
ARUBA-SWINE FLU-CRUISE SHIP. Cruise hit by swine flu returns to swarm of medical workers.
DRUG WAR-MEXICO-ELECTIONS. Drug war on display in Mexico elections as never before.
EU-SUMMIT-ECONOMY. EU: Central banks to pick new regulator chief.
GERMANY-EARNS-PORSCHE. Porsche's 9-month profit drops 15 percent.
TOP STORIES
IRAN-ELECTION
TEHRAN, Iran _ Iran's supreme leader sternly warns of a crackdown if protesters continue days of massive street rallies, escalating the government's showdown with demonstrators demanding a new presidential election. By Ali Akbar Dareini and Nasser Karimi. AP Photos.
WITH: IRAN-ELECTION-WORLD VIEW; IRAN-ELECTION-MOUSAVI, DECODING IRAN
UN-WORLD HUNGER
ROME _ A U.N. food agency says a record 1.02 billion people are hungry across the world, or one-sixth of humanity. The Food and Agriculture Organization says the historic high is the result of the financial downturn combined with persistently high food prices.
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. But just what the world's gotten for its money isn't clear, according to two studies published in the medical journal Lancet. By Maria Cheng.
KOREAS-NUCLEAR
SEOUL, South Korea _ The United States says it has deployed anti-missile defenses around Hawaii, following reports that North Korea is preparing to fire its most advanced ballistic missile in that direction to coincide with the U.S. Independence Day holiday next month. By Vijay Joshi. AP Photos.
BRAZIL-PLANE
PARIS _ Air France says it would give about ¤17,500 ($24,000) as an advance to the families of the victims of the crash of Air France Flight 447 from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
Remains of some of the 228 dead, and hundreds of pieces of wreckage reclaimed from the sea off Brazil are helping experts build a picture of what happened to the Airbus A330. By Deborah Seward. AP Photo.
ARUBA-SWINE FLU-CRUISE SHIP
ORANJESTAD, Aruba _ A cruise ship hit by a swine flu outbreak arrives back at home port to the buzz of helicopters and a swarm of masked medical workers as health authorities tried to prevent the illness from spreading.
DRUG WAR-MEXICO-ELECTIONS
MEXICO CITY _ When Mario Anguiano ran for mayor of Colima, no one much cared that his brother and cousin were in prison on drug charges. But now that he's a candidate for governor of Colima state, a banner mocks his family's reputed links to a drug gang. Ahead of Mexico's July 5 elections, the drug war is on display as never before. By Alexandra Olson. AP Photos.
PAKISTAN.
ISLAMABAD _ Two senior intelligence officials say Pakistani jet fighters flattened at least three suspected Taliban training facilities in the volatile South Waziristan tribal region Friday, killing or wounding several insurgents. By Munir Ahmad. AP Photos. Moved.
ITALY-STUDENT SLAIN
PERUGIA, Italy _ The mother of an American student accused of killing her British roommate in Italy says her daughter and the victim «got along great» and that her daughter never considered leaving Italy after the slaying. By Marta Falconi. AP Photos.
RUSSIA-NEWSPAPER THREATENED

MAKHACHKALA, Russia _ An independent newspaper in a Russian province near Chechnya is facing closure on charges of carrying extremist statements _ an accusation its editor denounces as an attempt to stifle criticism of police brutality. By Arsen Mollayev.
BRITAIN-WILDCAT STRIKES
LONDON _ French oil and gas company Total says it is firing 900 workers at a British oil refinery after they staged a series of unofficial strikes. The move infuriates union leaders and could lead to further protests outside the factory in Lindsey, northeastern England.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
EU-SUMMIT-ECONOMY
BRUSSELS _ The European Union's 27 central banks will choose the head of the region's new economy watchdog, member states say _ avoiding a row with Britain, which had opposed letting the European Central Bank chief take the key role in monitoring threats to EU economies. By Aoife White.
WITH: EU-SUMMIT-LATVIA BAILOUT
GERMANY-EARNS-PORSCHE
BERLIN _ Automaker Porsche SE says its nine-month profit dropped 15 percent to ¤4.6 billion ($6.4 billion), excluding its holdings of Volkswagen AG, as the global economic crisis drove down demand for new cars. By Patrick McGroarty.
FRANCE-AIR SHOW
LE BOURGET, France _ Asian and budget airlines help Airbus outshine archrival Boeing Co. in the hunt for orders at the Paris Air show, which nears a close amid the gloom of recession and questions surrounding the crash of Air France Flight 447. Developing. By Emma Vandore.
WORLD MARKETS
LONDON _ World stock markets are heading for a strong finish to the week as hopes of a recovery in the U.S. economy were buoyed by a run of upbeat economic data, though volatility was expected to complicate trading as a number of financial contracts expire. By Pan Pylas.
WITH: OIL PRICES
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.