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BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundavarej survived a no-confidence motion on Friday, as expected, after three days of fiery debate that questioned his handling of the economy at a time of stuttering growth.

KABUL (Reuters) - Four members of the U.S.-led coalition force have been killed in insurgent attacks in Afghanistan, the force said on Friday, making June the deadliest month for foreign soldiers since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The party of former Pakistani minister Nawaz Sharif won the most seats in by-elections this week though voting for a seat Sharif was expected to win was postponed pending a court decision on his eligibility.

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan quietly wrapped up a week of computer-simulated military exercises on Friday, keeping the annual island-wide training event low-key this year as relations improve with its old rival, China.

UNITY, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton joined forces at a carefully staged campaign rally on Friday, promising to bury the grudges from their bruising presidential nominating fight and work together to put Obama in the White House.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese high school teacher who controversially fled a classroom before his students during last month's devastating earthquake has compelled China to amend laws governing teacher-student ethics.

SEOUL (Reuters) - Militant protesters blocked trucks from leaving warehouses for a second day on Friday as South Korea resumed quarantine checks on U.S. beef imports, moving to bring the product to market for the first time in nine months.

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese mobile phone firm has halted an advertisement depicting a monkey as a political candidate after bloggers said the commercial was a racial slur against U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate confirmed a career community banker to the Federal Reserve Board on Friday, but left two other Bush nominees languishing in a compromise that brings the central bank only partway to full strength at a time of unusual economic stress.

SIBUYAN ISLAND, Philippines (Reuters) - The Philippines halted a search for hundreds of bodies feared trapped inside a capsized passenger ferry on Friday after authorities learnt that 10 metric tons of pesticide was on board.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea toppled the cooling tower at its plutonium-producing reactor on Friday in a symbolic move to show its commitment to an international nuclear deal, a day after submitting an inventory of its atomic program.

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Friday he was spending a lot of time working on his choice for a vice presidential running mate but was not close to making a decision.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved $465 million to help Mexico and Central American countries battle drug cartels, clearing the measure for President George W. Bush to sign into law.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved $161.8 billion in new funds to continue fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the next year, without timetables for withdrawing combat troops.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Thursday approved legislation expanding benefits for the long-term unemployed who are struggling in an ailing economy, clearing the way for President George W. Bush to sign it into law.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States hopes a promise by Pakistan not to let militants use its territory to attack Afghanistan will lead to a crackdown on the fighters by Islamabad, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.

Finbarr O'Reilly, Reuters chief photographer for West and Central Africa, was born in Swansea, Wales in 1971 and started as an Arts correspondent. He joined Reuters in 2001, turning to photography in 2005 and winning the World Press Photo Award for picture of the year in 2006. In the following story, he describes a recent encounter with rebels in eastern Chad.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday rejected opposition and said liability protection for telecommunication companies that participated in its warrantless spying program was vital to guard against another September 11-like attack.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican police chief and his bodyguard were shot to death as they ate lunch in Mexico City on Thursday, the latest police slaying in a drug war that has killed more than 1,600 people this year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain will travel to Colombia and Mexico next week to highlight his support of free trade with both countries, his campaign confirmed on Thursday.