TIJUANA, Mexico (Reuters) - Police running scared from drug gangs in one of Mexico's deadliest cities are using bizarre rituals involving animal sacrifice and spirit tattoos to seek protection from raging violence on the U.S. border.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A Chicago man pleaded guilty in court on Thursday to scouting targets for the 2008 assault on Mumbai that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Labor market and consumer prices data on Thursday showed the U.S. economy is on a moderate growth path and inflation pressures are contained, backing up the Federal Reserve's vow to keep benchmark interest rates ultra-low for some time.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Barack Obama on Wednesday after a disagreement over Jewish settlements, to distance himself from his brother-in-law calling the U.S. president an anti-Semite.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani court formally charged Wednesday five young Americans of plotting terrorism in the country, their lawyer said, in a case that has raised alarm over the danger posed by militants using the Internet.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in Jerusalem on Tuesday as the United States, which has slammed Israeli settlement plans as undermining peace efforts, played down strains in its alliance with the Jewish state.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday hailed the "unshakeable bond" between the United States and Israel in an effort to quell the diplomatic spat that has rocked ties between Washington and its closest Middle East ally.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States may leave a stronger-than-expected force structure in northern Iraq if the situation requires, even as it reduces troops to targeted levels, a top U.S. general said on Tuesday.

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's government denied a report on Tuesday that it had been holding secret peace talks with the Taliban's number two leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, when he was arrested in Pakistan.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck near Los Angeles on Tuesday, awakening residents but causing no apparent damage in the second largest U.S. city, the U.S. Geological Survey and witnesses said.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU finance ministers backed plans on Tuesday by countries in the euro area to help debt-stricken Greece financially if it becomes the first state in 11 years of monetary union to seek such aid.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters poured bottles of their own blood outside the Thai prime minister's office on Tuesday, a "sacrifice for democracy" after demands for elections were rejected.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. industrial production braked sharply in February, held back by severe winter storms that slammed parts of the country, while manufacturing activity in New York state stalled this month.

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon vowed on Sunday to work to keep donor funds flowing for Haiti's recovery and reconstruction following the devastating January earthquake in the poor Caribbean state.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish police have released a woman arrested along with six other people last week over an alleged plot to murder a Swedish cartoonist who drew the Prophet Mohammad with the body of a dog, officials said.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Finance ministers from countries using the euro hope to agree on Monday on a way of providing heavily indebted Greece with financial aid, despite French and German doubts that a deal will be reached.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani fighter planes bombed Taliban positions in the northwest on Sunday, killing 16 militants and destroying three hideouts, a government official said.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces arrested a senior Hamas figure on Sunday after a raid in the town of Ramallah, the seat of the West Bank-based Palestinian government, the Israeli military said.

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Police in Mumbai said on Sunday they have arrested two men they say were preparing to attack several targets in the Indian financial hub, including the offices of energy firm Oil and Natural Gas Corp.

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela on Saturday tested six training and light attack jets bought from China for defense and anti-drugs flights in a deal that dodges an embargo banning sales of U.S. weapons parts to oil exporter Venezuela.

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan rowed back on Saturday from a total ban on media broadcasts of "disturbing" images from insurgent attacks or live pictures of security operations.

BOSSASO, Somalia (Reuters) - French navy officers handed over 22 suspected Somali pirates to semi-autonomous Puntland's authorities and they will be arraigned in local courts, officials said on Saturday.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will visit Haiti on Sunday to meet the country's leaders and people left homeless by a January earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands, Ban's spokesman said.

SANAA/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yemen said on Friday it was holding a U.S. citizen suspected of being an al Qaeda militant who killed a hospital guard last week, and a U.S. firm said the suspect had worked at nuclear reactors in New Jersey.

SANTA ANA, California (Reuters) - Southern California prosecutors filed the first U.S. consumer protection lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corp on Friday, claiming it had engaged in "fraud" by hiding evidence of dangerous vehicle defects.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The head of Germany's Catholic Church apologized to victims of child abuse by priests on Friday and met Pope Benedict who encouraged him to press ahead with tough new measures.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China accused Washington of hypocrisy on Friday for its criticism of Beijing's restrictions on the Internet and dissent, blaming the United States for the financial crisis and saying its own rights record was terrible.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday delayed an overseas trip to focus on the final drive for healthcare reform as the House of Representatives prepared to vote on the sweeping overhaul next week.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The wife and daughter of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were seriously injured on Thursday when their vehicle was rear-ended by a truck on a highway, the senator's office said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chances of a broad overhaul of U.S. financial regulation dimmed on Thursday after bipartisan Senate talks collapsed, jeopardizing a top Obama administration priority and boosting bank share prices.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats drew closer on Thursday to agreement on a broad healthcare overhaul that could lead to a final vote in the next few weeks, but vowed not to be bound by White House deadlines.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The leader of the House of Representatives -- a persuasive arm twister and deal maker -- faces her toughest challenge yet: getting 216 votes to pass final legislation revamping the U.S. healthcare system.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ratcheted up the pressure on health insurance companies on Wednesday, urging them to forgo short-term profits to make coverage more affordable and to stop fighting the Obama administration's reform effort.

JERUSALEM/PARIS (Reuters) - Israel will this week unveil plans to produce nuclear-generated electricity, officials said on Monday, a move that could draw fresh international attention toward its assumed atomic arsenal.

KABUL (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates, on a visit to Afghanistan on Monday, cautioned against over-optimism, warning of "dark days" ahead despite grounds for hope on the battlefield.

KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistani security agents denied on Monday that an American al Qaeda spokesman wanted in the United States for treason had been arrested, saying there had been confusion over the identity of a detained suspect.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A U.S. resolution that branded as genocide the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One will seriously damage U.S.-Turkish relations, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A Western proposal for fresh U.N. sanctions on Iran includes a call for restricting new Iranian banks abroad and urges "vigilance" against the Islamic Republic's central bank, diplomats said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers cut fewer jobs than expected during snow-battered February and the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent, bolstering views the economy was on the brink of creating jobs.

TOYOTA CITY, Japan (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp said a partial review of complaints of unintended acceleration after vehicles were repaired had found no evidence of failure in the electronic throttle system or the fixes.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House ratcheted up its push for a quick healthcare vote in the U.S. Congress on Thursday, criticizing rising health insurance premiums at a meeting with top industry executives and wooing key lawmakers.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats made headway on Thursday on their top legislative priority -- job creation -- when the House of Representatives approved a $15 billion package of tax credits and highway construction.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Already caught up in a scandal involving a close aide, embattled New York Governor David Paterson was charged on Wednesday by the state's ethics watchdog for unlawfully taking free baseball tickets to the 2009 World Series.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration reasserted its commitment to banning proprietary trading by banks with draft legislative language on Wednesday, despite signs that Congress is unlikely to adopt such a rule.

LUXEMBOURG/ZURICH (Reuters) -A court ruling on Thursday is likely to mean UBS avoids direct compensation claims from investors who lost money to fraudster Bernard Madoff in a fund the Swiss bank had set up, and may save HSBC from similar suits.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Debt-stricken Greece drew strong demand for a crucial bond issue on Thursday but paid a steep risk premium that underscored its plea to Germany and other EU partners for support to help lower its borrowing costs.

OTSU, Japan (Reuters) - Bank of Japan board member Tadao Noda rebuffed on Thursday government overtures for looser monetary policy to support the fragile economy, saying he saw no need for further easing now.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The president of the U.N. Security Council said on Tuesday it was ready to tackle proposals for new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, while U.S. diplomats worked to persuade China that action is needed.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Already caught up in a scandal involving a close aide, embattled New York Governor David Paterson was charged on Wednesday by the state's ethics watchdog for unlawfully taking free baseball tickets to the 2009 World Series.

DALLAS (Reuters) - Conservative incumbent Rick Perry rode strong anti-Washington rhetoric to a victory over a sitting U.S. senator for the Texas Republican gubernatorial nomination in a race that could be a model in this year's crucial U.S. mid-term congressional elections.