ULYANOVSKAYA MINE, Russia (Reuters) - Rescuers raced on Tuesday to try and save 13 miners still trapped in a Siberian coal mine after Russia's deadliest mining accident for more than a decade killed 97 people.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - While Patrick Fitzgerald was prosecuting the CIA leak case, his name appeared on a Justice Department chart that was the first step in an effort to identify U.S. attorneys who should be removed, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

AP - A fire swept through a home for elderly and disabled people in southern Russia on Tuesday, killing at least 63 people, emergency officials said.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein's former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan was hanged for crimes against humanity on Tuesday, the third top aide of the ousted president to go to the gallows since he was executed in December.

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea is refusing to participate in six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear programs before all of its funds frozen at a Macau bank have been released, a diplomatic source said on Tuesday.

AP - Rescuers on Tuesday searched for 13 miners missing nearly a day after a methane gas explosion in a Siberian coal mine killed at least 97 people in Russia's deadliest mining disaster in a decade.

AP - Dog teams and a plane with heat-sensing equipment searched overnight for a missing 12-year-old Boy Scout spending his third night in the rugged North Carolina mountains.

AP - Congress wants to know how the FBI illegally or improperly gathered telephone, e-mail and financial records of Americans and foreigners while chasing terrorists.

AP - More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, a 10 percent increase since the last Alzheimer's Association estimate five years ago — and a count that supports the long-forecast dementia epidemic as the population grays.

Reuters - Saddam Hussein's former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan was hanged for crimes against humanity on Tuesday, the third top aide of the ousted president to go to the gallows since he was executed in December.

Reuters - Rescuers raced on Tuesday to try and save 13 miners still trapped in a Siberian coal mine after Russia's deadliest mining accident for more than a decade killed 97 people.

Reuters - North Korea is refusing to participate in six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear programs before all of its funds frozen at a Macau bank have been released, a diplomatic source said on Tuesday.

Reuters - While Patrick Fitzgerald was prosecuting the CIA leak case, his name appeared on a Justice Department chart that was the first step in an effort to identify U.S. attorneys who should be removed, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

AFP - North Korea accused Japan on Tuesday of trying to sabotage six-nation nuclear talks, although the United States held firm in support of its ally as envoys sought to flesh out a disarmament plan.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein's former vice president was hanged for crimes against humanity early on Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein from power.

ULYANOVSKAYA MINE, Russia (Reuters) - Rescuers on Tuesday found one survivor and hunted for four others still missing in a Siberian coal mine, after a gas explosion killed at least 106 in Russia's worst mining disaster for over a decade.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear threat stalled unexpectedly on Tuesday, hampered by a lingering row over frozen funds and denting hopes of turning the focus to disabling Pyongyang's main reactor.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Cuba is leading a bid by a number of countries to strip the Human Rights Council of its power to investigate and condemn violations, a move some activists warn could jeopardize the whole U.N.'s credibility.

LONDON (Reuters) - Students in England could be banned from wearing full-face Muslim veils for security or educational reasons under government guidelines to be published on Tuesday, officials said.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Many major rivers in the world are at risk of drying out because of climate change and dam construction, which could affect fresh water supplies and marine life, the global nature protection body WWF said on Tuesday.

AP - Rescuers searching a coal mine rocked by a methane gas blast found the bodies of several more victims Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 106 a day after Russia's deadliest mining disaster in a decade.

AP - International talks on North Korea's nuclear program stalled again Tuesday, with Pyongyang refusing to take part until it receives $25 million from a bank blacklisted by the United States, Japan's chief envoy said.

Reuters - Saddam Hussein's former vice president was hanged for crimes against humanity early on Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein from power.

Reuters - Rescuers on Tuesday found one survivor and hunted for four others still missing in a Siberian coal mine, after a gas explosion killed at least 106 in Russia's worst mining disaster for over a decade.

Reuters - Six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear threat stalled unexpectedly on Tuesday, hampered by a lingering row over frozen funds and denting hopes of turning the focus to disabling Pyongyang's main reactor.

Reuters - Cuba is leading a bid by a number of countries to strip the Human Rights Council of its power to investigate and condemn violations, a move some activists warn could jeopardize the whole U.N.'s credibility.

Reuters - Students in England could be banned from wearing full-face Muslim veils for security or educational reasons under government guidelines to be published on Tuesday, officials said.

AFP - Iraq sent another of Saddam Hussein's former henchmen to the gallows on Tuesday as the nation marked the fourth anniversary of the US-led war still battling a raging insurgency and sectarian conflict.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has canceled a high-level meeting with a visiting Norwegian dignitary after he held talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, Israeli officials said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A fire in a Russian old people's home on Tuesday killed 62 patients and staff, emergency services said, prompting new concerns about safety in run-down state institutions.

AP - Fire swept through a nursing home in southern Russia after the night watchman ignored two alarms Tuesday, killing 62 people in a town where the closest fire station was nearly an hour away, officials said.

AP - U.S. stocks headed for a moderately lower opening Tuesday as investors paused ahead of the latest reading on the housing sector, which is due before the opening bell.

AP - A wide array of broadcasters and online companies on Monday challenged a ruling from a panel of copyright judges that they say could cripple the emerging business of offering music broadcasts over the Internet.

AP - Visitors who have marveled at the Grand Canyon's vistas will now have a dizzying new option: a glass-bottom observation deck allowing them to gaze into the chasm beneath their feet.

AP - Tyson Chandler scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Charlotte Hornets bounced back after Boston's quick start to overwhelm the Celtics 106-88 on Monday night.

Reuters - Israel has canceled a high-level meeting with a visiting Norwegian dignitary after he held talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, Israeli officials said on Tuesday.

Reuters - A fire in a Russian old people's home on Tuesday killed 62 patients and staff, emergency services said, prompting new concerns about safety in run-down state institutions.

AFP - US researchers have created genetically-modified mosquitoes resistant to a malaria parasite, raising the possibility of one day stopping the spread of the disease, a new study says.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday reaffirmed his 'strong backing' to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is facing calls to resign in a political firestorm over the firings of some U.S. prosecutors.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. Consul-General Jacob Walles met Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday in the first U.S. talks with a member of the new Palestinian unity government.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany and China urged rapid approval of a U.N. draft resolution that would impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program after South Africa surprised major powers by proposing a softening of the document's wording.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease and an aging population is likely to fuel a steady rise in new cases, a report released by the Alzheimer's Association said on Tuesday.

AP - President Bush sent a powerful message of support Tuesday for embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, calling his longtime friend to express unwavering support in the face of calls for his resignation.

AP - Saddam Hussein's former deputy was hanged before dawn Tuesday, the fourth man to be executed in the killings of 148 Shiites following a 1982 assassination attempt against the former leader in the town of Dujail.

AP - Congress wants to know how the FBI illegally or improperly gathered telephone, e-mail and financial records of Americans and foreigners while chasing terrorists.

AP - Construction of new homes rebounded in February after a big decline in the previous month, but building permits slid further, indicating more problems down the road for the troubled housing industry.

Reuters - President George W. Bush on Tuesday reaffirmed his "strong backing" to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is facing calls to resign in a political firestorm over the firings of some U.S. prosecutors.

Reuters - U.S. Consul-General Jacob Walles met Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday in the first U.S. talks with a member of the new Palestinian unity government.

Reuters - Germany and China urged rapid approval of a U.N. draft resolution that would impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program after South Africa surprised major powers by proposing a softening of the document's wording.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat met Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday, denting Israel's drive to keep an international boycott of the new Palestinian unity government in place.

OSLO (Reuters) - Early flowers, migrating swallows and sleepless bears are among signs that spring has arrived long ago in the northern hemisphere even as a record mild winter formally ends on Tuesday with a rare chill.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease and an aging population is likely to fuel a steady rise in new cases, a report released by the Alzheimer's Association said on Tuesday.

AP - The FBI engaged in widespread and serious misuse of its authority in illegally gathering telephone, e-mail and financial records of Americans and foreigners while hunting terrorists, the Justice Department's chief inspector said Tuesday.

AP - Park rangers were escorting a weak and dehydrated boy out of the rugged North Carolina mountains on Tuesday, four days after a 12-year-old Boy Scout wandered away from his troop's camp site, officials said.

AP - Russia is pulling out its experts from the Iranian nuclear reactor site they were helping build, U.S. and European officials said Tuesday. The move reflected a growing rift between Iran and Russia that could lead to harsher U.N. sanctions on the Islamic republic for its refusal to stop uranium enrichment.

AP - A body found slumped over machinery in a dormitory's high-voltage utility room was identified Tuesday as a 19-year-old Purdue University student who vanished in January, school officials said.

AP - The NBA fined Charlotte Bobcats part-owner Michael Jordan $15,000 for discussing Texas freshman Kevin Durant during an interview last week.

Reuters - A senior U.S. diplomat met Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday, denting Israel's drive to keep an international boycott of the new Palestinian unity government in place.

Reuters - Early flowers, migrating swallows and sleepless bears are among signs that spring has arrived long ago in the northern hemisphere even as a record mild winter formally ends on Tuesday with a rare chill.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A senior U.S. diplomat met Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday, denting Israel's drive to maintain an international boycott of the new Palestinian unity government.

ULYANOVSKAYA MINE, Russia (Reuters) - Rescuers raced to save four people still missing in a Siberian coal mine, more than a day after Russia's worst mining disaster in living memory claimed 106 lives.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney returned to the White House on Tuesday after a check-up on a blood clot in his leg that showed no complication and found his medication was working, a spokeswoman said.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Six-party talks to end North Korea's nuclear threat turned into a tug-of-war on Tuesday, with Pyongyang focused on receiving unfrozen bank funds while other powers made frustrated efforts to advance disarmament plans.

AP - The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to end the Bush administration's ability to unilaterally fill U.S. attorney vacancies as a backlash to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' firing of eight federal prosecutors.

AP - Republicans and Democrats sternly warned the FBI on Tuesday that it could lose its broad power to collect telephone, e-mail and financial records to hunt terrorists after revelations of widespread abuses of the authority detailed in a recent internal investigation.

AP - Thirteen-year-old Katharine Tuck's sneakers smell as bad as they look.

Reuters - A senior U.S. diplomat met Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad on Tuesday, denting Israel's drive to maintain an international boycott of the new Palestinian unity government.

Reuters - Rescuers raced to save four people still missing in a Siberian coal mine, more than a day after Russia's worst mining disaster in living memory claimed 106 lives.

Reuters - Vice President Dick Cheney returned to the White House on Tuesday after a check-up on a blood clot in his leg that showed no complication and found his medication was working, a spokeswoman said.

Reuters - Six-party talks to end North Korea's nuclear threat turned into a tug-of-war on Tuesday, with Pyongyang focused on receiving unfrozen bank funds while other powers made frustrated efforts to advance disarmament plans.

AFP - Iraq hanged former Saddam Hussein deputy Taha Yassin Ramadan on Tuesday as the nation entered the fifth year of the US-led war still battling a raging insurgency and sectarian conflict that left another 49 people dead.

AFP - Rescuers wearing oxygen tanks pulled more bodies to the surface here Tuesday after a gas explosion in a remote Siberian coal mine killed 106 people, Russia's worst mine disaster since the Soviet collapse.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House offered on Tuesday to make President George W. Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, available to congressional investigators but rejected Democratic demands he testify under oath regarding the firings of U.S. attorneys.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House offered on Tuesday to make President George W. Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, and other officials available to congressional investigators to give unsworn testimony in the firings of U.S. attorneys.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany and China urged rapid approval of a U.N. draft resolution that would impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program after South Africa surprised major powers by proposing a softening of the document's wording.

AP - The White House offered Tuesday to make political strategist Karl Rove and former counsel Harriet Miers available for congressional interviews — but not testimony under oath — in the investigation of the firing of eight federal prosecutors.

AP - MTV's 'Total Request Live' is no longer totally live. It's another sign of how both the audience and cultural juice have faded for 'TRL,' once the most influential program on television for music superstars from the Backstreet Boys to Beyonce — even if they just dropped by to push an ice cream cart.

AP - Wall Street advanced for a second straight session Tuesday as investors placed bets that the Federal Reserve won't indicate that it's leaning toward an interest rate hike.

Reuters - The White House offered on Tuesday to make President George W. Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, available to congressional investigators but rejected Democratic demands he testify under oath regarding the firings of U.S. attorneys.

Reuters - The White House offered on Tuesday to make President George W. Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, and other officials available to congressional investigators to give unsworn testimony in the firings of U.S. attorneys.

AFP - The casualty toll of a gas explosion in a Siberian coal mine rose to 106 people on Tuesday, as hopes waned of finding survivors in Russia's worst mining disaster since the Soviet era.

ULYANOVSKAYA MINE, Russia (Reuters) - Rescuers said on Tuesday hope was fading of finding anybody alive in a Siberian coal mine where 107 people died in Russia's worst mining disaster in living memory.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Environmentalists rallied on Capitol Hill, President George W. Bush pushed fuel economy and White House hopeful John Edwards unveiled a new energy plan

AP - President Bush warned Democrats Tuesday to accept his offer to have top aides testify about the firings of federal prosecutors only privately and not under oath, or risk a constitutional showdown from which he would not back down.

AP - Republicans and Democrats alike sternly warned the FBI on Tuesday that it risks losing its broad power to collect telephone, e-mail and financial records to hunt terrorists because of rampant abuses of the authority.

AP - Russia is bringing home its technicians and engineers from Iran's unfinished nuclear reactor site at a time of growing international pressure on Tehran to curb its atomic ambitions, U.S. and European representatives said Tuesday.

AP - A 12-year-old Boy Scout whose favorite book was about a youngster lost in the wilderness now has his own harrowing survival tale to tell after rescuers found him Tuesday, dehydrated and disoriented from four days in the wooded mountains of North Carolina.

AP - Colombia's chief prosecutor said Tuesday he will demand the extradition of eight people allegedly involved with Chiquita's payments to right-wing paramilitaries and leftist rebels in a region where it had profitable banana-growing operations.

AP - Indian leaders and a former astronaut stepped gingerly beyond the Grand Canyon's rim Tuesday, staring through the glass floor and into the 4,000-foot chasm below during the opening ceremony for a new observation deck.

AP - Millions of doses of flu vaccine will expire at midnight June 30, unsold during this year's mild flu season and written off as trash.

AP - Chris Sligh, the 'American Idol' contestant who has won fans thanks to his curly mop of hair and soulful voice, has a few people concerned with his departure from strictly Christian music. But for most others in this city of 56,000 about 100 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C., Sligh has become a hometown hero.

AP - Wall Street advanced for a second straight session Tuesday as investors placed bets that the Federal Reserve won't indicate that it's leaning toward an interest rate hike.

AP - North Carolina football coach Butch Davis is undergoing chemotherapy after a dentist removed a cancerous growth from his mouth.

Reuters - Rescuers said on Tuesday hope was fading of finding anybody alive in a Siberian coal mine where 107 people died in Russia's worst mining disaster in living memory.

Reuters - Environmentalists rallied on Capitol Hill, President George W. Bush pushed fuel economy and White House hopeful John Edwards unveiled a new energy plan

Reuters - Germany and China urged rapid approval of a U.N. draft resolution that would impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program after South Africa surprised major powers by proposing a softening of the document's wording.

AFP - The casualty toll of a gas explosion in a Siberian coal mine rose to 107 people on Tuesday, as hopes waned of finding survivors in Russia's worst mining disaster since the Soviet era.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The tempo of talks on ending North Korea's nuclear threat will rest on bank transfers on Wednesday as Pyongyang waits to receive freed funds before it lets six-party disarmament talks shift into high gear.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia on Tuesday disputed a report that it gave Iran an ultimatum to halt uranium enrichment but diplomats say Moscow has linked sending Tehran nuclear fuel to proliferation concerns.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A massive pet food recall has touched a nerve with pet-loving Americans, many of whom see their pets as family members.

AP - Gov. Kathleen Blanco, whose popularity plummeted after two hurricanes devastated Louisiana during her term, announced Tuesday that she will not seek re-election.

AP - Oracle Corp.'s fiscal third-quarter profit climbed 35 percent amid surprisingly strong sales growth that provided the business software maker with an additional boost as it heads into its busiest time of the year.

Reuters - The tempo of talks on ending North Korea's nuclear threat will rest on bank transfers on Wednesday as Pyongyang waits to receive freed funds before it lets six-party disarmament talks shift into high gear.

Reuters - Russia on Tuesday disputed a report that it gave Iran an ultimatum to halt uranium enrichment but diplomats say Moscow has linked sending Tehran nuclear fuel to proliferation concerns.

AFP - President George W. Bush Tuesday vowed to resist any attempt by Congress to force top aides to testify under oath about a row over fired prosecutors, warning against a "partisan fishing expedition."

BEIJING (Reuters) - The tempo of talks on ending North Korea's nuclear threat will rest on bank transfers, as Pyongyang waited on Wednesday to receive freed funds before allowing six-party disarmament talks to shift into high gear.

AP - Defense Department investigators said Tuesday they are going to be more aggressive suspending or barring companies from doing U.S. contract work in Iraq if they are involved in war profiteering there.

AP - A 12-year-old Boy Scout whose favorite book was about a youngster lost in the wilderness now has his own harrowing survival tale to tell after rescuers found him Tuesday, dehydrated and disoriented from four days in the wooded mountains of North Carolina.

AP - Boxing great, ordained minister and grilling guru George Foreman just added another job to his resume: reality-TV judge. Foreman will be one of four judges on 'American Inventor,' when it begins its second season, FremantleMedia North America announced Tuesday.

AP - Maryland fell into Mississippi's trap and the defending NCAA champion never got out. Mississippi (23-10) used its stifling defense to steal the ball 15 times and force 29 Maryland turnovers and the Rebels upset the No. 2 seed Terrapins 89-78 in the Dayton Regional on Tuesday night.

Reuters - The tempo of talks on ending North Korea's nuclear threat will rest on bank transfers, as Pyongyang waited on Wednesday to receive freed funds before allowing six-party disarmament talks to shift into high gear.

Reuters - A massive pet food recall has touched a nerve with pet-loving Americans, many of whom see their pets as family members.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A budget rocket developed by the founder of Internet financial services firm PayPal blasted off on Tuesday from a remote island in the South Pacific, bolstering hopes of cheaper fares to fly cargo, and eventually people, into space.

AP - The crime-fighting duo of TV bounty hunter Duane 'Dog' Chapman and his wife, Beth, were honored by Hawaii lawmakers for getting crooks off the street. 'I hate to say this, but for felons and ex-cons, I'm their president. What I do, they shall follow,' Chapman said after the ceremony. 'I'm the poster child for rehabilitation in America.'

AP - Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates met his technological match Tuesday, losing a video game simulation of a penalty shootout to star Mexican soccer player Rafael Marquez 2-1 as hundreds of Microsoft Mexico employees and other invited guests cheered on the two.

AP - Maryland fell into Mississippi's trap and the defending NCAA champion never got out. Ole Miss (23-10) used its stifling defense to steal the ball 15 times and scored 42 points off 29 Maryland turnovers and the Rebels upset the No. 2 seed Terrapins 89-78 in the Dayton Regional on Tuesday night.

AFP - The death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer at the World Cup is being treated as murder, a Pakistan team spokesman said Wednesday.