Clashes in a northwestern region covered by an increasingly fragile peace pact killed seven militants and one soldier Monday, authorities said, adding to strains on an agreement seen in the West as a capitulation to extremists.

Taliban militants attacked an army convoy Monday in a northwestern region covered by an increasingly fragile peace pact, killing one soldier and dealing another blow to an agreement seen in the West as a capitulation to extremists.

Conservationists say livestock grazing poses a threat to a wide variety of fish and other wildlife across more than three-fourths of their dwindling habitats on federal land in the West.

The vast majority of Iraqis who fled their country have no plans to return even though violence is way down, many hoping instead to resettle in the West.

Federal biologists say three pesticides commonly used by farmers threaten the survival of many Pacific salmon and steelhead listed as threatened or endangered species in the West.

The Shanghai Auto Show, once a venue for the West to show off its cars to a country still relying on bicycles, is now a showcase for China’s own industry as it overtakes the U.S. in market size.

The Lakers won the West in a runaway and they stuck to a similar script in their playoff opener.

The Dutch foreign minister says he is boycotting a U.N. anti-racism conference because some nations are using it as a platform to attack the West.

West Africa is already living on the edge, and new research indicates that even worse droughts are possible than the one that devastated the region in the late 20th century.

Attorney General Eric Holder praised military lawyers for representing terror detainees at the risk of their own careers and warned that government officials must rely on the rule of law even when they act in secrecy for reasons of national security.