World News: General

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A member of an Afghan Taliban cell was convicted by a federal jury on Thursday on charges of narco-terrorism and narcotics distribution, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

(corrects quote in 4th paragraph to read more closely)
By Randall Mikkelsen

By Jeremy Lovell
LONDON (Reuters) - World biodiversity has declined by almost one third in the past 35 years due mainly to habitat loss and the wildlife trade, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said on Friday

By John Ruwitch
MIANZHU, China (Reuters) - China struggled on Friday to bury the dead and offer relief to those left injured, homeless and without food and water by the earthquake that may have killed more than 50,000 people.

By Kristin Roberts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday he wants to see major changes in three areas before he leaves the Pentagon -- unmanned aircraft, protective gear for troops and medical care for the wounded.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An impending message from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was announced on Islamist Web sites and discusses the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel, U.S.-based terrorism monitors said on Thursday.

By Dominic Evans
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Arab League mediators announced a deal on Thursday to end Lebanon's worst internal fighting since the civil war, after the U.S.-supported government backed down in its conflict with Hezbollah.

By Emma Graham-Harrison and Aly Song
YINGXIU, China (Reuters) - The death toll from China's earthquake could soar to more than 50,000, state media reported on Thursday, as rescuers struggled to help survivors and hope faded for thousands buried under rubble.

By John Acher
OSLO (Reuters) - The Philippine government and the rebel National Democratic Front met in Norway for informal peace talks on May 13-15, the first such meeting in almost three years, Norwegian diplomats said on Thursday.

(Corrects name of American Academy of Diplomacy in sixth paragraph)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called on Wednesday for more unofficial contacts with Iran, saying this might eventually open a pathway to more substantive dialogue between the governments.

By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush stirred up the campaign to replace him, suggesting on Thursday that Democratic front-runner Barack Obama's pledge to talk to Iran's leader amounted to "the false comfort of appeasement."

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The California Supreme Court ruled on Thursday the state cannot bar same-sex marriages, marking a major victory for gay rights advocates that may have national implications.

By Dominic Evans
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Arab League mediators announced a deal on Thursday to end Lebanon's worst internal fighting since the civil war after the U.S.-supported government backed down in its conflict with Hezbollah.

The Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Thursday (May 15) that terrorism is a common threat to India, Russia and China.

Two missiles, suspected to have been fired by a U.S. drone, hit a house in the village of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal region on May 14.

According to the United Nations up to 2.5 million people might have been affected by the cyclone in Myanmar and urgently needed aid.

By Caren Bohan
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Thursday he believes the Iraq war can be won within four years, leaving a functioning democracy there and allowing most U.S. troops to come home.

By Khalid al-Ansary
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed on Thursday to impose law and order in northern Iraq and said an offensive against al Qaeda militants would end the "dark days" of shootings and bomb attacks.

By Chris Buckley
BEIJING (Reuters) - The earthquake that devastated southwest China has left many dams badly damaged, posing an unknown threat of collapse and flooding made worse by poor management and information, the country's water minister said.

By Oleg Shchedrov
TEIKOVO, Russia (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev pledged on Thursday to ensure that Russia's nuclear deterrent remained properly funded to ward off threats to national security.