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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.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Thursday rejected legislation that would have required energy companies to develop oil and natural gas supplies on federal leases they have held for years or be denied future drilling access on government acres.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic bill requiring oil, natural gas and mining companies to report payments to foreign countries where they do business would give investors more information about corporate risk, lobbyists and industry experts told lawmakers on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation that directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to use all its authority, including the agency's emergency powers, to "curb immediately" the role of excessive speculation in energy futures markets.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican effort to force a vote on opening up more land to drilling on Thursday threatened to bring the annual appropriations process in the U.S. House of Representatives to a halt.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Members of the U.S. Senate sought on Thursday to pass bipartisan legislation to more than triple funds to fight AIDS in Africa and other countries, but some Republican foes vowed to block it because of its cost.

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Thursday pushed a plan for $60 billion fund for road construction, bridge repair, high-speed rail and other projects, saying such spending was crucial to the economy.

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.

MADRID (Reuters) - Prostitutes held colorful fashion parades in central Madrid on Thursday to demonstrate against plans by property developers to buy up premises in which they have long plied their trade.

CARACAS (Reuters) - The United States Embassy in Venezuela received a bomb threat on Thursday, an embassy spokeswoman said, though the embassy has only closed the parking lot and not the embassy itself.