Reuters

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday ruled out sending more troops to Afghanistan, saying Britain's forces should not stay on "for a day longer" than necessary.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 400 people accused of having ties to trafficking for Mexican drug cartels were arrested in 16 U.S. states on Wednesday, U.S. authorities said on Thursday.

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles Thursday into Pakistan's North Waziristan, a sanctuary for al Qaeda and its allies, killing three suspected militants, security officials in the area said.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Liberals began informal coalition talks on Thursday but their austere policies will mean hard bargaining with other parties before a government can be formed to bring worsening government finances under control.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean space rocket carrying a scientific satellite exploded two minutes into its flight in the second failure in two tries to put a payload in orbit, dealing a major setback to the country's space program.

FRANKFURT/BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Central Bank, Germany's constitutional court and China's pension fund gave a triple boost to efforts to stabilize the euro zone on Thursday, lifting the battered single currency and European stocks.

UNITED NATIONS/LONDON (Reuters) - Britain led calls on Thursday for harsher penalties to be imposed on Iran, as Tehran defied a compromise U.N. sanctions resolution to punish it for its suspected nuclear weapons programme.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Labor unrest that began among foreign firms in south China's Pearl Delta area is showing signs of spreading to poorer interior regions, as a new generation of workers seek a bigger portion of the nation's growing wealth.

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The Chicago Blackhawks ended 49 years of Stanley Cup frustration with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday that clinched the National Hockey League's best-of-seven championship series.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - At least 40 people were killed and 77 injured by a suicide bomb attack on a packed wedding party in insurgency-plagued southern Afghanistan, officials said on Thursday.

KABUL/HOUSTON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron offered on Thursday to help deal with BP Plc's Gulf of Mexico oil spill, saying he would take it up with U.S. President Barack Obama, as the beleaguered company's shares rebounded from 14-year lows.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Banks were under intense political pressure as a U.S. congressional panel negotiating a final Wall Street reform bill convened its first meeting on Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former New York resident was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday for helping a friend send waterproof socks, ponchos and sleeping bags to al Qaeda militants in Pakistan.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama urged Israel on Wednesday to help ease restrictions on humanitarian aid and civilian goods for Gaza after a deadly flotilla raid, saying the situation in the blockaded coastal strip was unsustainable.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state's long battle over a $135 billion budget took another turn on Wednesday when the Democratic governor implored the minority Republican Senate leader for help enacting the next emergency spending bill.

ANAHEIM, California (Reuters) - Hours after clinching Republican nominations for California governor and U.S. Senate, two Silicon Valley businesswomen on Wednesday zeroed in on jobs and the economy as they kicked off a costly and likely bruising general election campaign against seasoned Democrats.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Reuters) - South Florida Ponzi scheme mastermind Scott Rothstein was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Wednesday for an investment fraud that bilked clients out of more than $1 billion.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he was willing to testify in an inquiry Israel intends to hold into its deadly raid on a convoy of aid ships bound for the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council rejecting accusations from South Korea that it was behind the sinking of one of its neighbor's navy ships, saying it was the victim of a U.S.-led conspiracy.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel is easing its Gaza embargo to allow snack food and drinks into the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian officials said Wednesday, following an international outcry over Israel's raid on an aid flotilla.