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LONG BEACH, New York (Reuters) - With his wetsuit around his waist, Peter Flintoft walks wearily along the Long Beach boardwalk. While worn out by the surf, he is not yet tired of the lengthy U.S. presidential campaign.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday called for an end to street protests against his U.S. beef import deal, saying they no longer have public support and it was time to get to work on the economy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials condoned Hunt Oil Co efforts to obtain an exploration deal with Iraq's Kurdish regional government, contrary to public statements discouraging it, according to documents cited by a congressional committee.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China must make a stand against the opponents of reform and allow market forces to play a greater role in setting prices, including the yuan's exchange rate, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Asia's arms race may be overstated, with defense spending on the decline as a proportion of economic growth, pointing to an increasing sense of regional security, an Australian defense conference heard on Thursday.

MANILA (Reuters) - At least four men were killed and 11 others wounded when a grenade exploded on Thursday at a bakery in the southern Philippines, a military spokesman said, blaming Maoist-led rebels for the attack.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A regional party that could hold the balance of power in India said on Thursday it had to clear up doubts before supporting a nuclear deal with the United States, but hinted it may give crucial backing to the embattled government.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A regional party that could hold the balance of power in India said on Thursday it had to clear up doubts before supporting a nuclear deal with the United States, but hinted it may give crucial backing to the embattled government.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Hundreds of prisoners in China's quake-hit southwestern province of Sichuan have had their jail terms reduced for courage shown in relief and rescue work when the disaster struck, state media said on Thursday.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan and China, political rivals for six decades, will launch direct weekend charter flights on Friday, potentially letting millions of tourists visit the island in a historic move heralding a further warming of relations.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The severed heads of four men were found dumped on a Mexican street on Wednesday with a message accusing a drug gang kingpin of treachery, police said.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain arrived in Mexico on Wednesday to promote free trade after his visit to Colombia coincided with the daring rescue of 15 hostages from leftist rebels.

ULAN BATOR (Reuters) - Mongolian officials cleared away debris left by a night of deadly riots as parliament convened an extraordinary session on Thursday to decide how to move forward after violence over alleged election fraud.

PALM HILLS, Egypt (Reuters) - The four-wheel-drives outside the terracotta villas include a Lexus and a Porsche, and under the shade of the palms and the bright red poinciana trees men in liveried overalls are buffing them to a shine.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - One minute, Omer Almagboul says, he and his fellow Sudanese flatmate were lazing at their student flat in England, recovering from a big night out. The next, their lives changed for ever.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will pledge $400 million in aid to Kosovo next week at a donors conference expected to raise more than $1 billion for the newly independent state, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Henry Morgentaler, the doctor who led the fight to legalize abortion in Canada two decades ago, said on Wednesday he was proud to be receiving his country's highest civilian award, an honor condemned by anti-abortion advocates and hailed by his supporters.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday his presidency would have a different tone from his predecessor and mentor Vladimir Putin's and hinted the Kremlin might consider easing its complete dominance over domestic politics.

CARTAGENA, Colombia (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain promoted free trade on Wednesday on a visit to Colombia he was using to subtly score political points against Democrat Barack Obama.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday rejected talks on a unity government, saying President Robert Mugabe must first stop violence and accept him as the rightful election winner.