AP - Australian authorities arrested 17 terror suspects on Tuesday — including a prominent radical Muslim cleric sympathetic to Osama bin Laden — and said they had foiled a major terror attack on the country by men committed to "violent jihad."

AP - Grokster Ltd., which came out on the losing end of a Supreme Court decision, has agreed to shut down its file-swapping service and pay $50 million to settle music and movie piracy claims.

AP - Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts finally scaled their personal Everest. Maybe now, after routing the New England Patriots 40-21 on Monday night, they'll admit this could be a super season.

Reuters - Ignoring the government's threat of a curfew, youths rioted for the 12th night in France, torching more than 800 vehicles around the country and injuring four police, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Australian police on Tuesday arrested 17 people, including an outspoken Muslim cleric who supports Osama bin Laden, on charges of planning a terrorist attack and committing to "violent jihad in Australia."

AP - President Bush will get back to business on the homefront after his trip to Latin America and will have a few days to tend to problems at home before taking off for distant lands again.

AP - One month after South Asia's massive Oct. 8 earthquake, the estimated regional death toll jumped to 87,350 Tuesday following a new count of Pakistan's casualties, an official said.

AP - Tom Cruise has replaced his sister with a Hollywood insider as chief handler of his publicity.

Reuters - Ignoring the government's threat of a curfew, youths rioted for a 12th successive night in France, torching more than 800 vehicles around the country and injuring four police, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

Reuters - An Australian Muslim cleric who said Osama bin Laden was a "great man" has been named by police as the spiritual leader of a group of 16 men charged on Tuesday with planning a terrorist attack in Australia.

Reuters - Delegates to six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for another round of negotiations that will build on a disarmament agreement signed in September.

AP - The French Cabinet on Tuesday authorized local officials to impose curfews under a state of emergency law to halt riots, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said.

AP - Four American soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber at a checkpoint south of Baghdad, and the U.S. command announced that five soldiers from an elite unit were charged with kicking and punching Iraqi detainees.

USATODAY.com - U.S.-led offensives in western Iraq have helped lead to a 50% drop in the number of foreign fighters slipping across the Syrian border, a U.S. general said. Cutting off the supply of foreign fighters is a priority for coalition forces.

AP - President Bush made a last-minute dash into Virginia's bruising governor's race, hoping to give a bounce to the Republican candidate in one of several contests being closely monitored for evidence of how the GOP's recent struggles are influencing voters.

AP - The U.S. and China signed a deal to resolve a trade dispute over imports of Chinese clothing and textile products into the United States, U.S. and Chinese officials said Tuesday.

Reuters - Voters in Virginia and New Jersey cast ballots on Tuesday in tight governors' races that could offer early hints about the impact of President George W. Bush's political struggles heading into next year's mid-term elections.

AP - France's Cabinet authorized curfews under a state-of-emergency law Tuesday in an extraordinary measure to halt the country's worst civil unrest in decades after violence raged for a 12th night.

AP - The Pentagon announced Monday that more than 92,000 troops will be in the next rotation of U.S. forces in Iraq, and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said its exact size will not be decided until after the Dec. 15 election of a new Iraqi government.

AP - CBS and NBC have announced deals to offer replays of prime-time programs for 99 cents per episode, shifting television toward a sales model that gained popularity with downloaded music.

AP - Kate Moss took her first modeling job since checking out of drug rehabilitation with a photo shoot for designer Roberto Cavalli on the Spanish island of Ibiza.

Reuters - Ignoring the government's threat of a curfew, youths rioted for the 12th night in France, torching more than 800 vehicles around the country and injuring four police, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

Reuters - North Korea's chief negotiator sounded a note of caution on Tuesday ahead of six-party talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, saying Washington's actions made progress difficult.

Reuters - The United States and China reached a three-year agreement on Tuesday to rein in China's booming clothing and textile shipments to the United States, solving an issue that had threatened to cool ties.

AP - President Bush made a last-minute dash into Virginia's bruising governor's race, hoping to give a bounce to the Republican candidate in one of several contests being closely monitored for evidence of how the GOP's recent struggles are influencing voters.

AP - President Jacques Chirac declared a state of emergency Tuesday, paving the way for curfews to be imposed on riot-hit cities and towns in an extraordinary measure to halt France's worst civil unrest in decades after 12 nights of violence.

AP - Three gunmen in a speeding car killed a lawyer for a co-defendant in Saddam Hussein's trial and wounded another Tuesday in Baghdad, a member of the defense team and police said. It was the second assassination of a Saddam defense team lawyer in less than a month.

AP - Police arrested 17 terror suspects in Australia's two biggest cities Tuesday in raids authorities said foiled a plot to carry out a catastrophic terror attack. A radical Muslim cleric known for praising Osama bin Laden was charged with masterminding the plot.

AP - Blockbuster Inc., the nation's biggest movie-rental chain, on Tuesday posted a hefty third-quarter loss as charges and tighter margins due to cutting late fees weighed on its bottom line.

AP - A man who assumed the name of a dead baby in order to live the life of a bogus aristocrat for more than 20 years was sentenced to 21 months in jail Tuesday. The man took the name of Christopher Edward Buckingham, a 9-month-old boy who died in 1963, and carried out what a judge described as "wholesale identity theft."

Reuters - Gunmen shot two lawyers defending Saddam Hussein's co-defendants in a trial for crimes against humanity on Tuesday, killing one and slightly wounding the other, police and defense team sources said.

Reuters - The French government approved emergency measures on Tuesday to allow curfews to be imposed in riot-hit areas after youths torched more than 1,000 vehicles in a 12th night of unrest across the country.

AP - U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine acknowledged a little nervousness as he voted Tuesday in his race for governor of New Jersey, one of several contests being closely monitored for evidence of how the GOP's recent struggles are influencing voters.

AP - President Jacques Chirac declared a state of emergency Tuesday, paving the way for curfews to be imposed on riot-hit cities and towns in an extraordinary measure to halt France's worst civil unrest in decades after 12 nights of violence.

AP - Three gunmen in a speeding car killed a lawyer for a co-defendant in Saddam Hussein's trial and wounded another Tuesday in Baghdad, a member of the defense team and police said.

AP - Two Islamic terror cells were rushing to become the first to stage a major "jihad" terror bombing in Australia, a prosecutor said Tuesday after armed police arrested 17 suspects in a string of coordinated pre-dawn raids in two cities.

USATODAY.com - As countries scramble to slaughter infected poultry in fear of a bird-flu pandemic, there is growing concern about the effect of the disease on Africa. The continent's population, already ravaged by AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, could be particularly vulnerable.

AP - The Federal Communications Commission won't require Internet phone service providers to cut off customers who don't have reliable 911 emergency call service.

AP - Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ugueth Urbina was arrested on a charge of attempted murder after he and a group of men allegedly attacked several employees at his family home using machetes and trying to set them on fire, police said Tuesday.

Reuters - Voters across the United States went to the polls on Tuesday in elections that could gauge the depth of President George W. Bush's political woes and affect next year's critical congressional elections.

Reuters - Al Qaeda in Iraq on Tuesday posted an Internet video apparently showing the bodies of two U.S. Marines killed in a military helicopter which the group said it had shot down.

AP - U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine acknowledged a little nervousness as he voted Tuesday in his race for governor of New Jersey, one of several contests being closely monitored for evidence of how the GOP's recent struggles are influencing voters.

AP - Gunmen in a speeding car killed a defense lawyer in the Saddam Hussein trial and wounded another Tuesday, raising doubts about whether the prosecution of the ousted leader can proceed amid the insurgency and domestic turmoil.

AP - Thrown on the defensive by prisoner abuse scandals in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon has issued a broad new directive mandating that detainees be treated humanely and has banned the use of dogs to intimidate or harass suspects.

AP - Northwest Airlines Corp. is asking a judge to temporarily authorize 19 percent pay cuts for its customer service agents and other ground workers.

AP - Alabama Gov. Bob Riley called for a travel boycott of Aruba on Tuesday until authorities on the Dutch Caribbean island cooperate more fully with the family of a Mountain Brook teenager who has been missing since a graduation trip in May.

AP - Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ugueth Urbina was arrested and held Tuesday pending a formal charge of attempted murder, police said Tuesday.

Reuters - Voters across the United States went to the polls on Tuesday in elections that could gauge the depth of President George W. Bush's political woes and affect next year's critical congressional elections.

Reuters - Top Republicans in Congress are considering a investigation into leaks of information used by The Washington Post in an article on a covert global CIA prison system, congressional sources said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Saudi Arabia on Tuesday rejected criticism it had not done enough to fight terrorism and said the United States must do more to end the Arab-Israeli conflict which gave "lifeblood to the evil cult of hate."

Reuters - France is wounded and faces a moment of truth, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said on Tuesday, after his government approved the use of curfews to quell 12 nights of rioting.

AP - President Jacques Chirac declared a 12-day state of emergency Tuesday, paving the way for curfews to be imposed on riot-hit cities and towns in an extraordinary measure to halt France's worst civil unrest in nearly four decades. Meanwhile, police said the nightly rioting that began Oct. 27 ago was showing signs of abating.

AP - Page Kennedy, who plays a fugitive from the law on 'Desperate Housewives,' was fired from the hit ABC drama for improper conduct, a series spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Reuters - U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito said on Tuesday that the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion 'deserved great respect' but did not say how he would rule on it, a Democratic senator said.

Reuters - The U.S. military in Iraq denied a report shown on Italian state television on Tuesday saying U.S. forces used incendiary white phosphorus against civilians in a November 2004 offensive on the Iraqi town of Falluja.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A high school principal and two assistants were wounded and a suspect was in custody in a shooting on Tuesday at a high school in eastern Tennessee, authorities said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon, scrutinized over treatment of detainees held by the U.S. military, explicitly bars torture and prohibits the use of dogs to intimidate prisoners in a new interrogation policy directive made public on Tuesday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen killed a second defense lawyer in the trial of Saddam Hussein and his aides on Tuesday and the former Iraqi president's own counsel demanded the court be moved abroad, out of reach of the U.S.-backed government.

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government imposed rarely used emergency laws on Tuesday to put riot-torn areas of the country under curfew and to try to quell the worst unrest in decades, but new clashes broke out within hours.

TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush will urge China to move toward a more market-based currency regime when he meets China's President Hu Jintao later in the month, Japan's Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday.

AP - A student shot and killed an assistant principal and seriously wounded two other administrators at a high school Tuesday, officials said. The student was arrested.

AP - Thrown on the defensive by abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon has issued a broad new directive mandating that detainees be treated humanely and has banned the use of dogs to intimidate or harass suspects.

AP - Page Kennedy, who plays a fugitive from the law on "Desperate Housewives," was fired from the hit ABC drama for improper conduct, a series spokeswoman said Tuesday.

AP - A contrite Terrell Owens, hoping to overturn his dismissal from the Philadelphia Eagles, on Tuesday apologized to coach Andy Reid, quarterback Donovan McNabb, the team's owner and president, and fans.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Polls closed on Tuesday in Virginia, where a tight governor's race highlighted U.S. elections that could gauge the depth of President George W. Bush's political woes and offer hints about the trends for next year's congressional elections.

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - A 14-year-old high school freshman shot and killed an assistant principal and wounded two colleagues on Tuesday when they confronted the boy about reports he had a gun, police said.

PARIS (Reuters) - Youths threw Molotov cocktails at police and torched cars in several French cities and towns in a 13th night of violence, ignoring the government's imposition of rarely used emergency laws.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush ratcheted up pressure on China on Tuesday to do more to allow the yuan to appreciate and said the trade imbalance between the two countries was 'bothersome.'

HAYWARD, Wisconsin (Reuters) - A Hmong immigrant convicted of killing six hunters was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

TOPEKA, Kansas (Reuters) - Kansas on Tuesday became the latest U.S. state to introduce criticism of evolution into teaching standards, a move that critics charge was driven by religious zealotry.

AP - France declared a state of emergency Tuesday to quell the country's worst unrest since the student uprisings of 1968 that toppled a government, and the prime minister said the nation faced a "moment of truth" over its failure to integrate Arab and African immigrants and their children.

AP - The CIA took the first step toward a full-scale criminal investigation of a leak of possibly classified information on secret prisons to The Washington Post, a U.S. official said Tuesday.

AP - The 1995 Honda Civic, 1989 Toyota Camry and 1991 Honda Accord were the vehicles most often reported stolen in the United States in 2004, according to a nonprofit group that tracks insurance crimes.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Tim Kaine on Tuesday won a tough and sometimes nasty battle for Virginia governor that was watched closely for hints about the depth of President George W. Bush's political woes and the public mood ahead of next year's congressional elections.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA has asked the Justice Department to review a possible leak of classified information to The Washington Post for an article on a secret CIA global prison system, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A bitter special election fight between California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his big labor foes over a slate of reforms went before the voters on Tuesday, closely watched across the country for its impact on the political landscape and the former film star's reputation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With Vice President Dick Cheney under mounting fire, his office together with the White House and the Republican Party responded with a coordinated counter-attack on Tuesday, accusing Sen. Harry Reid of malicious conduct 'unbecoming' his role as Democratic leader.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon's inspector general has been asked to investigate the prewar intelligence role of a planning office headed by former U.S. defense policy chief Douglas Feith, a main architect of the Iraq war, officials said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush ratcheted up pressure on China on Tuesday to do more to allow the yuan to appreciate and said the trade imbalance between the two countries was 'bothersome.'

AP - Democrats swept both governors' races Tuesday, with Sen. Jon Corzine easily winning New Jersey and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine taking Virginia despite a last-minute campaign push for his opponent from President Bush.

AFP - Nightly violence flared in riot-hit parts of France but the threat of emergency curfews appeared to have taken the edge off the urban unrest that has gripped the country for almost two weeks.

AFP - Australian police launched fresh raids after officials said they had foiled a "catastrophic act of terrorism" inspired by a radical Islamic cleric with the arrest of 17 suspects earlier in the day.

AFP - Iran's top nuclear official warned an offer to resume stalled atomic talks with Europe was his final attempt to salvage negotiations, insisting Tehran would never renounce its demand to enrich uranium.

AFP - Liberians cast ballots for peace in a run-off pitting football icon George Weah against banker Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the race to become the first post-war president of Africa's oldest independent republic.

AP - France declared a state of emergency Tuesday to quell the country's worst unrest since the student uprisings of 1968 that toppled a government, and the prime minister said the nation faced a "moment of truth" over its failure to integrate Arab and African immigrants and their children.

AP - Three masked gunmen in a speeding Opel assassinated a second lawyer in the Saddam Hussein trial Tuesday, casting doubt on Iraq's ability to try the case and leading a prominent war crimes prosecutor to urge moving the proceedings to another Arab country.

Reuters - Like many young girls her age, 11-year-old Fatu Kerkular likes to dance, enjoys basketball and wants to be a nurse when she grows up.

AP - Revisiting a topic that exposed Kansas to nationwide ridicule six years ago, the state Board of Education approved science standards for public schools Tuesday that cast doubt on the theory of evolution.

AP - Page Kennedy, who plays a fugitive from the law on "Desperate Housewives," was fired from the hit ABC drama for improper conduct, a series spokeswoman said Tuesday.

AP - Kobe Bryant scored 37 points, including two drives to spark a 14-2 second-half run, and the Los Angeles Lakers spoiled Atlanta's home opener, beating the Hawks 103-97 on Tuesday night.

Reuters - Democrats swept tough and sometimes nasty governors' races in Virginia and New Jersey on Tuesday, dealing a setback to Republicans and President George W. Bush ahead of critical congressional elections next year.

Reuters - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was re-elected to a second term on Tuesday in a widely predicted victory after the most costly race in city history, media outlets reported.

Reuters - Texans voted overwhelmingly to add a prohibition of same-sex marriage to their constitution on Tuesday, becoming the 19th U.S. state to do so.

AFP - The US government and textiles industry said a newly woven agreement with China would give much-needed stability to the two nations' multi-billion-dollar trade in clothes and fabric.