WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House suggested two years ago that the Justice Department fire all 93 U.S. attorneys, but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved the idea of dismissing a smaller group after taking office last year, two major newspapers reported on Tuesday.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The number of people 60 years of age and older may nearly triple to 2 billion by 2050, accounting for nearly a quarter of the expected 9.2 billion global population, a U.N. report warned on Tuesday.

AP - Mickael Pietrus scored 20 points and the Golden State Warriors emphatically snapped the Dallas Mavericks' 17-game winning streak, dominating the league leaders throughout a 117-100 victory Monday night.

Reuters - The White House suggested two years ago that the Justice Department fire all 93 U.S. attorneys, but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved the idea of dismissing a smaller group after taking office last year, two major newspapers reported on Tuesday.

AFP - Six major powers moved closer Monday toward a draft resolution tightening sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program, Britain's UN ambassador said.

AFP - The chief of the UN nuclear watchdog flew to Pyongyang on Tuesday hoping to strike a deal with North Korea on allowing his inspectors back into the country, four years after they were kicked out.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. military Joint Chiefs of Staff said he backs the Pentagon's 'don't ask, don't tell' limits on gays serving in the military because he believes homosexual acts are immoral, the Chicago Tribune reported in Tuesday's edition.

Reuters - The chairman of the U.S. military Joint Chiefs of Staff said he backs the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" limits on gays serving in the military because he believes homosexual acts are immoral, the Chicago Tribune reported in Tuesday's edition.

MERIDA (Reuters) - President Bush meets Mexico's President Felipe Calderon on Tuesday looking for a fresh start in relations as he reassures Mexicans he has not given up on overhauling U.S. immigration policy they deeply resent.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House suggested two years ago that the Justice Department fire all 93 U.S. attorneys, but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved the idea of dismissing a smaller group after taking office last year, two major newspapers reported on Tuesday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Tuesday became the first country to propose legislation setting binding limits on carbon dioxide emissions as it stepped up its campaign for a new global warming pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog arrived in North Korea on Tuesday on a landmark visit, hopeful of making progress on closing its atomic facilities, but U.S. officials sounded a more cautious note.

AP - Mexican President Felipe Calderon has a tough message for President Bush: The United States must do more — 'much more' — to solve thorny issues of drug-trafficking and immigration.

AP - Iraq's Shiite prime minister on Tuesday made a groundbreaking and unannounced visit to Ramadi, the Sunni insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad, a senior staff member told The Associated Press.

AP - The United States and three European nations moved closer to agreement with Russia and China on another package of sanctions against Iran that are not nearly as harsh as Washington and its allies would have liked.

AP - The venerable Stardust casino-hotel on the Las Vegas Strip was imploded early Tuesday morning in a hail of fireworks to make way for Boyd Gaming Corp.'s $4.4 billion megaresort Echelon.

Reuters - President Bush meets Mexico's President Felipe Calderon on Tuesday looking for a fresh start in relations as he reassures Mexicans he has not given up on overhauling U.S. immigration policy they deeply resent.

Reuters - The White House suggested two years ago that the Justice Department fire all 93 U.S. attorneys, but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved the idea of dismissing a smaller group after taking office last year, two major newspapers reported on Tuesday.

Reuters - Britain on Tuesday became the first country to propose legislation setting binding limits on carbon dioxide emissions as it stepped up its campaign for a new global warming pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House suggested two years ago that the Justice Department fire all 93 U.S. attorneys, but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved the idea of dismissing a smaller group after taking office last year, two major newspapers reported on Tuesday.

RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki flew to the violent city of Ramadi on Tuesday on his first visit to the heartland of Sunni Arab insurgents fighting his U.S.-backed government.

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Tuesday became the first country to propose legislation setting binding limits on greenhouse gases as it stepped up its campaign for a new global warming pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Church's opposition to gay marriage is 'non-negotiable' and Catholic politicians have a moral duty to oppose it, as well as laws on abortion and euthanasia, Pope Benedict said in a document issued on Tuesday.

AP - A gay advocacy group Tuesday demanded an apology from the Pentagon's top general for calling homosexuality immoral.

AP - From Stardust to just dust. The Las Vegas Strip's first mass-market casino-hotel was imploded early Tuesday in a hail of fireworks to make way for Boyd Gaming Corp.'s $4.4 billion megaresort Echelon.

AP - A sorority accused of kicking out nearly two dozen members who weren't pretty or popular enough was evicted from DePauw University, which said the values of Delta Zeta did not fit with the small private college.

AP - Business interests that have grumbled for years about government regulations are getting the ear of federal officials considering changes in those policies.

AP - Instead of guitars, there were turntables.

AP - It's a game no NCAA tournament team believes it should be in — the play-in game that fills out the field of 64. This year, Florida A&M and Niagara are feeling insulted they have to play Tuesday night for a chance to take on Kansas, the top seed in the West Regional, on Friday in Chicago.

Reuters - The White House suggested two years ago that the Justice Department fire all 93 U.S. attorneys, but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved the idea of dismissing a smaller group after taking office last year, two major newspapers reported on Tuesday.

Reuters - Iraq's Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki flew to the violent city of Ramadi on Tuesday on his first visit to the heartland of Sunni Arab insurgents fighting his U.S.-backed government.

Reuters - Britain on Tuesday became the first country to propose legislation setting binding limits on greenhouse gases as it stepped up its campaign for a new global warming pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

Reuters - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog arrived in North Korea on Tuesday on a landmark visit, hopeful of making progress on closing its atomic facilities, but U.S. officials sounded a more cautious note.

AFP - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was brought to court on Tuesday, nursing a swollen face and cuts to his head, two days after his arrest in a crackdown against an anti-government rally.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Church's opposition to gay marriage is 'non-negotiable' and Catholic politicians have a moral duty to oppose it, as well as laws on abortion and euthanasia, Pope Benedict said in a document issued on Tuesday.

AP - Somalia's president came under mortar attack in his palace Tuesday, hours after arriving for a rare visit to the increasingly violent capital, witnesses said. A 12-year-old boy was killed and three of his siblings were wounded in the shelling, but there was no immediate word on the fate of President Abdullahi Yusuf.

AP - MTV owner Viacom Inc. said Tuesday it has sued YouTube and its corporate parent Google Inc. in federal court for alleged copyright infringement and is seeking more than $1 billion in damages.

AP - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Tuesday a balance must be struck between ensuring the competitiveness of financial markets and protecting investors.

AP - The Penguins reached a deal with city, county and state officials on financing for a new arena that will keep them in Pittsburgh, Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday.

AFP - Pakistan's chief justice vowed Tuesday to fight his sacking by President Pervez Musharraf, as a judicial council heard his case amid fresh protests and warnings of a constitutional crisis.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top aide to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, the Justice Department said on Tuesday, the latest fallout from the firing of federal prosecutors that has embarrassed the Bush administration and prompted calls for Gonzales to step down.

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Militants may be planning to attack commercial aircraft carrying Western workers in Algeria, the U.S. and British governments told nationals living in the oil- and gas-exporting North African country.

AP - President Bush, working to rebuild strained U.S.-Mexico relations, promised Tuesday he would do his best to get a deeply divided U.S. Congress to change American immigration policies that are hated south of the border.

AP - • Iraq's Shiite prime minister, hoping to persuade Iraqis outside the capital that the government is working to tame rising violence everywhere, traveled to the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Ramadi on Tuesday and met with tribal leaders and the provincial governor.

AP - Senior aides to the chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday that Marine Gen. Peter Pace won't apologize for calling homosexuality immoral — an opinion that gay advocacy groups deplored.

AP - The chief White House lawyer floated the idea of firing all 93 U.S. attorneys at the start of President Bush's second term, but the Justice Department objected and eventually recommended the eight dismissals that have generated a political firestorm two years later.

AP - MTV owner Viacom Inc. sued the popular video-sharing site YouTube and its corporate parent, Google Inc., on Tuesday, seeking more than $1 billion in damages on claims of widespread copyright infringement.

AP - The University of Illinois swept aside the last vestiges of Chief Illiniwek Tuesday, voting to retire the mascot's name, regalia and image.

Reuters - A top aide to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has resigned, the Justice Department said on Tuesday, the latest fallout from the firing of federal prosecutors that has embarrassed the Bush administration and prompted calls for Gonzales to step down.

Reuters - Militants may be planning to attack commercial aircraft carrying Western workers in Algeria, the U.S. and British governments told nationals living in the oil- and gas-exporting North African country.

AFP - Five British embassy staff missing for two weeks in a remote part of Ethiopia have been released and are safe and well, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Tuesday.

MERIDA, Mexico (Reuters) - President Bush tried to reassure Mexicans on Tuesday that he has not given up on overhauling U.S. immigration policy but they are increasingly skeptical he can deliver.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and others will consider imposing a range of punitive measures against Sudan for its refusal to accept an international force into its Darfur region, the State Department said on Tuesday.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales abruptly canceled travel plans Tuesday amid growing calls for his ouster over the firings of eight federal prosecutors during a White House-directed housecleaning of U.S. attorneys.

AP - The Pentagon's top general expressed regret Tuesday that he called homosexuality immoral, a remark that drew a harsh condemnation from members of Congress and gay advocacy groups.

AP - Stocks plunged Tuesday as troubles for subprime lenders kept piling up and U.S. retail sales came in weaker than anticipated, leading investors to brace for a wilting economy. The Dow Jones industrials fell more than 150 points.

AP - Iran's foreign minister accused Israel and the United States of posing the main threats to the security of the Middle East. The U.S. and Israeli delegations walked out during the speech Tuesday.

Reuters - President Bush tried to reassure Mexicans on Tuesday that he has not given up on overhauling U.S. immigration policy but they are increasingly skeptical he can deliver.

Reuters - The United States and others will consider imposing a range of punitive measures against Sudan for its refusal to accept an international force into its Darfur region, the State Department said on Tuesday.

AFP - US President George W. Bush met his Mexican counterpart Tuesday to discuss the thorny issues of illegal immigrants and drugs that pour across the common border.

AFP - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai defiantly vowed Tuesday his push to topple President Robert Mugabe will go on as he headed to treatment for injuries received in police custody.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, tried on Tuesday to calm anger that erupted after he described homosexual acts as immoral, saying he was expressing only his personal views.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to address the U.N. Security Council to defend Tehran's nuclear plans, but he has yet to officially ask the 15-member body for a meeting, said the council president on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Talking to the Dalai Lama offers China's best chance for a peaceful solution in Tibet, U.S. lawmakers and activists said on Tuesday, arguing that Beijing's refusal to meet the exiled leader hurt China.

AP - President Bush sought to soothe strained ties with Mexico on Tuesday by promising to prod Congress to overhaul tough U.S. immigration policies. But Mexican President Felipe Calderon criticized the U.S's planned 700-mile border fence and said Bush must do more to curb American drug appetites.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales accepted responsibility Tuesday for mistakes in the way the Justice Department handled the dismissal of eight federal prosecutors but he rejected calls for his resignation.

AP - As little as five minutes of exercise could help smokers quit, says a new study. Research published in the international medical journal Addiction showed that moderate exercise, such as walking, significantly reduced the intensity of smokers' nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

AP - Stocks plunged Tuesday, driving the Dow Jones industrials down more than 240 points in their second-biggest drop of the year as troubles piled up for subprime lenders.

AP - Heather Mills says her decision to compete on ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars' is no publicity stunt. Mills, who is divorcing former Beatle Paul McCartney, says she is appearing on the show for charity, not to gain public sympathy.

AP - Bernie Bickerstaff will not return as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats next season, but will be invited to stay with the organization.

Reuters - The top U.S. military officer, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, tried on Tuesday to calm anger that erupted after he described homosexual acts as immoral, saying he was expressing only his personal views.

Reuters - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to address the U.N. Security Council to defend Tehran's nuclear plans, but he has yet to officially ask the 15-member body for a meeting, said the council president on Tuesday.

Reuters - Talking to the Dalai Lama offers China's best chance for a peaceful solution in Tibet, U.S. lawmakers and activists said on Tuesday, arguing that Beijing's refusal to meet the exiled leader hurt China.

AFP - US President George W. Bush on Tuesday told his Mexican counterpart he would to do his best to reform US immigration policies, which affect millions of Mexicans and have strained bilateral relations.

AFP - Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai defiantly vowed Tuesday his push to topple President Robert Mugabe would go on as he headed to treatment for a beating that he received in police custody.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. Senate planned to begin debating on Wednesday a resolution to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, but Republicans made clear they opposed the measure and would try to prevent its passage.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, tried on Tuesday to calm anger that erupted after he described homosexual acts as immoral, saying he was expressing only his personal views.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The battle for Anna Nicole Smith's baby resumed on Tuesday with a judge refusing to immediately order a paternity test for her former companion, Howard K. Stern, to help determine which of three men fathered the late Playboy model's 6-month-old daughter.

AP - Stocks plunged Tuesday, driving the Dow Jones industrials down more than 240 points to their second-biggest drop in almost four years, as troubles piled up for subprime lenders.

AP - Scientists for the first time have discovered what appear to be sea-size bodies of liquid on the surface of Saturn's largest moon, including one about as big as the Caspian Sea on Earth.

AP - Here's a tip for the guy who beat up a 101-year-old woman in a walker and took off with her purse: Get out of New York. The vicious mugging, caught on surveillance tape, has sparked outrage in a city where people are accustomed to hearing about strange and violent crimes. Police have launched an all-out manhunt, but it's not just the cops who want the villain's head.

AP - The Pittsburgh Penguins reached a financing deal for a new arena that will keep the NHL team in the city where it has played since 1967. Gov. Ed Rendell announced the agreement Tuesday at the Pennsylvania Gaming Congress. He said money from the state's new slot machine parlors would help fund the arena.

Reuters - Democrats in the U.S. Senate planned to begin debating on Wednesday a resolution to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, but Republicans made clear they opposed the measure and would try to prevent its passage.

Reuters - The top U.S. military officer, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, tried on Tuesday to calm anger that erupted after he described homosexual acts as immoral, saying he was expressing only his personal views.

MERIDA, Mexico (Reuters) - President George W. Bush tried to reassure increasingly skeptical Mexicans on Tuesday that he has not given up on overhauling U.S. immigration policy despite failing in Congress last year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President and environment crusader Al Gore still has some pull in Washington, D.C. -- getting a venue for a rock concert.

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - Real estate agent Dave Eschenbach is an active member of his church, but he feels uncomfortable around a sizable portion of U.S. Christians -- those who believe they could be transported to heaven at any moment.

AP - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales rejected growing calls for his resignation Tuesday as scores of newly released documents detailed a two-year campaign by the Justice Department and White House to purge federal prosecutors.

AP - The Pentagon's top general said Tuesday he should not have voiced his personal view that homosexuality is immoral and should have just stated his support for the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in an interview that has drawn criticism from lawmakers and gay-rights groups.

AP - Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards was skeptical about voting for the Iraq war resolution and was pushed into it by advisers looking out for his political future, according to an upcoming book by one of his former consultants.

AP - Heather Mills says her decision to compete on ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars' is no publicity stunt. Mills, who is divorcing former Beatle Paul McCartney, says she is appearing on the show for charity, not to gain public sympathy.

AP - Young stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal have the Penguins on the move in the NHL standings. A new multimillion dollar arena agreement has the team staying in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.

Reuters - President George W. Bush tried to reassure increasingly skeptical Mexicans on Tuesday that he has not given up on overhauling U.S. immigration policy despite failing in Congress last year.

Reuters - Former U.S. Vice President and environment crusader Al Gore still has some pull in Washington, D.C. -- getting a venue for a rock concert.

Reuters - Real estate agent Dave Eschenbach is an active member of his church, but he feels uncomfortable around a sizable portion of U.S. Christians -- those who believe they could be transported to heaven at any moment.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled plans for nearly balancing the U.S. budget by 2011 while funding domestic social programs at higher levels than President George W. Bush sought and leaving the fate of his tax cuts uncertain after 2010.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the Senate planned to begin debating on Wednesday a resolution to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, but Republicans made clear they opposed the measure and would try to prevent its passage.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California car salesman was convicted on Tuesday of murdering the 15-year-old great-great granddaughter of the Montessori schools founder, more than three years after the teenager ran away and became a prostitute.

AP - President Bush sought to soothe strained ties with Mexico on Tuesday by promising to prod Congress to overhaul tough U.S. immigration policies. But Mexican President Felipe Calderon criticized U.S. plans for a 700-mile border fence and said Bush must do more to curb American drug appetites.

AP - The world's population will likely reach 9.2 billion in 2050, with virtually all new growth occurring in the developing world, a U.N. report said Tuesday.

AP - The American Humanist Association applauded Rep. Pete Stark for publicly acknowledging he does not believe in a supreme being. The declaration, it said, makes him the highest-ranking elected official — and first congressman — to proclaim to be an atheist. The organization took out an ad in Tuesday's Washington Post, congratulating the California Democrat for his stance.

AP - Scientists have discovered what appear to be sea-size bodies of liquid, probably methane or ethane, on the surface of Saturn's largest moon, including one about as big as Montana.

AP - Tori Spelling gave birth to a boy Tuesday, her publicist said. The actress and her husband, actor Dean McDermott, welcomed 6-pound, 6-ounce Liam Aaron McDermott at a Los Angeles hospital, said spokeswoman Meghan Prophet.

AP - Stocks plunged Tuesday, driving the Dow Jones industrials down more than 240 points to their second-biggest drop in almost four years, as troubles piled up for subprime lenders.

Reuters - Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled plans for nearly balancing the U.S. budget by 2011 while funding domestic social programs at higher levels than President George W. Bush sought and leaving the fate of his tax cuts uncertain after 2010.

Reuters - A California car salesman was convicted on Tuesday of murdering the 15-year-old great-great granddaughter of the Montessori schools founder, more than three years after the teenager ran away and became a prostitute.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian shares slumped on Wednesday, tracking heavy losses on Wall Street on fears about an intensifying crisis in U.S. mortgage lending that spooked investors nursing losses from a sharp sell-off two weeks ago.

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has shown no signs of shutting down its main nuclear reactor and the source of its weapons-grade plutonium since last month's deal calling for it to be closed, South Korea's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

AP - Mary and Ray Smith can't make heads or tails of a new presidential dollar coin they found last week. It doesn't have either. A week after the revelation that some of the coins slipped out of the U.S. Mint without 'In God We Trust' stamped on the edge, the Smiths said Tuesday they found one with nothing stamped on either flat side.

AP - Clif Brown's career night made the NCAA play-in game feel less like a consolation prize. For Niagara, it felt like history. The senior forward with the gentle touch scored 32 points and made a career-high six 3-pointers Tuesday night, leading the Purple Eagles to a 77-69 victory over Florida A&M in the play-in game.

Reuters - Asian shares slumped on Wednesday, tracking heavy losses on Wall Street on fears about an intensifying crisis in U.S. mortgage lending that spooked investors nursing losses from a sharp sell-off two weeks ago.

Reuters - Democrats in the Senate planned to begin debating on Wednesday a resolution to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, but Republicans made clear they opposed the measure and would try to prevent its passage.

Reuters - North Korea has shown no signs of shutting down its main nuclear reactor and the source of its weapons-grade plutonium since last month's deal calling for it to be closed, South Korea's foreign minister said on Wednesday.