WORLD at 1000GMT

NEW THIS DIGEST:

AFGHANISTAN DONORS. Karzai, Ban, Laura Bush call for Afghanistan aid pledges.

NATO-DEFENSE. Afghanistan, Kosovo top agenda at NATO talks.

EUROPE-BUSH. Bush in Rome for talks with old friend Berlusconi.

ETHIOPIA-WAR CRIMES. Human Rights Watch accuses Ethiopia of war crimes.

IRAQ. US military blames Shiite militias for bomb.

ZIMBABWE. No. 2 Zimbabwean opposition leader prepares to return.

TOP STORIES:

AFGHANISTAN DONORS

PARIS _ Afghan President Hamid Karzai appeals to world donors for massive, long-term aid for police, road-building and agriculture to make his country a safer and less hungry place. Developing. By Angela Charlton. AP Photos planned.

ALSO: NATO-DEFENSE. By 1100GMT.

CHINA-TAIWAN TALKS

BEIJING _ Meeting for the first formal talks in nearly a decade, Taiwan and China agree to set up permanent offices in each other's territory to coordinate continuing contacts. Moved. By Debby Wu. AP Photos.

PAKISTAN-BORDER CLASH

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan _ The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan releases footage of a skirmish with militants that Pakistan claims resulted in a deadly airstrike on one of its border posts. Moved. By Stephen Graham.

WITH: US-PAKISTAN

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip _ Israeli troops kill two Palestinian militants in a clash in the northern Gaza Strip _ a new outbreak of violence that comes as a key Israeli envoy heads to Egypt in a bid to wrap up a cease-fire with the Hamas militant group. Developing. By Ibrahim Barzak. AP Photos.

ETHIOPIA-WAR CRIMES

NAIROBI, Kenya _ Ethiopia has committed war crimes in its military campaign against rebels in the Ogaden region, Human Rights Watch says, accusing the United States and other Western governments of complicity in the abuses. Moved. By Elizabeth A. Kennedy.

EUROPE-BUSH

ROME _ U.S. President George W. Bush can look forward to a hearty welcome from his old friend, the Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, and Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Rome. That's not what can be found on the streets, however, where anti-Bush sentiment over the war in Iraq still lingers. Developing. By Deb Riechmann. AP Photos. AP Graphic BUSH EURO TRAVEL.

SKOREA-US BEEF

SEOUL, South Korea _ South Korea's top trade official says he will travel to the U.S. to seek restrictions on American beef imports in a bid to soothe anti-government protesters. Moved. By Hyung-Jin Kim.

IRAQ

BAGHDAD _ The U.S. military blames Shiite militia fighters for a bombing the day before that killed six Iraqi civilians and wounded nine other people, including two American soldiers in Baghdad. Moved. By Hamid Ahmed.

ZIMBABWE

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa _ A top aide to Zimbabwe's opposition presidential candidate says he expects to be arrested upon his return to his homeland. Developing. By Donna Bryson.

THAILAND-PROTESTS

BANGKOK, Thailand _ Tens of thousands of heavy trucks are threatening to cause havoc in the Thai capital while fishermen have begun burning their boats in nationwide protests against soaring prices of fuel and other essentials. Moved. By Sutin Wannabovorn. AP Photos.

US-SEVERE WEATHER

BLENCOE, Iowa _ A tornado slams a Boy Scout camp in the remote hills of western Iowa, killing at least four people, injuring 40 and setting off a frantic search for others who could be trapped in the piles of debris and downed trees. Moved. By Timberly Ross. AP Photo. AP Graphic.

CHILE-CRASH SURVIVORS

SANTIAGO, Chile _ Nine survivors of a plane crash in Chile's frigid southern forests say they survived for four days awaiting rescue by huddling close together for warmth, sheltering inside the wreckage and sharing what food they had. Moved. By Eduardo Gallardo. AP Photos.

US-ELECTIONS

WASHINGTON _ Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama leap at the chance to attack Republican rival John McCain's stance on the unpopular Iraq war, heaping criticism on him for saying it was "not too important" when American troops are withdrawn. Moved. By Steven R. Hurst. AP Photos.

WITH: US-OBAMA-VICE PRESIDENT

WITH: US-WOOING CLINTON BACKERS

WITH: US-UNDECIDED DEMOCRATS

CUBA-NOT ALL EQUAL

HAVANA _ The egalitarian wage system Fidel Castro spent decades building in Cuba is no longer viable, plagued by low pay, corruption and waste that can be eased by paying workers more for better work, a top labor official says in an interview. Moved. By Will Weissert.

BUSINESS & FINANCE:

CHINA-INFLATION

SHANGHAI, China _ China's inflation rate dipped to a still high 7.7 percent in May amid signs efforts to rein in food prices are finally taking hold, the National Bureau of Statistics says. Moved. By Elaine Kurtenbach. AP Photos.

JAPAN-G-8-ECONOMIC WOES

TOKYO _ Runaway oil prices are high on the minds of finance ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized nations meeting this week in Japan who are seeking to calm global jitters about a series of looming economic problems. Moved. By Yuri Kageyama. AP Photos.

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