DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co is recalling 1.3 million compact cars in North America to address a power steering problem that has been linked to 14 crashes and one injury, the company said on Tuesday.

CONCEPCION, Chile (Reuters) - Chilean authorities extended a curfew in the country's second-biggest city on Tuesday as troops struggled to contain worsening looting and crime in the wake of a devastating earthquake.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Top U.S. and Chinese diplomats will grapple with how to deal with the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea in meetings that Washington hopes will help ease tensions with Beijing.

AP - Toyota Motor Corp. faces more questions from Congress over its troubled safety record when top company officials testify Tuesday at a Senate hearing on the automaker's huge worldwide recall of 8.5 million vehicles.

Reuters - General Motors Co is recalling 1.3 million compact cars in North America to address a power steering problem that has been linked to 14 crashes and one injury, the company said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Chilean authorities extended a curfew in the country's second-biggest city on Tuesday as troops struggled to contain worsening looting and crime in the wake of a devastating earthquake.

Reuters - Top U.S. and Chinese diplomats will grapple with how to deal with the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea in meetings that Washington hopes will help ease tensions with Beijing.

AFP - A senior US diplomat was due in China Tuesday for talks aimed at getting Sino-US relations back on track, with tensions high over US arms sales to Taiwan and a White House visit by the Dalai Lama.

AP - A small number of House Democrats who opposed health overhaul legislation on the first go-round may be President Barack Obama's most important constituency when he unveils a revised proposal on Wednesday.

AP - In the coming months and years, scientists will pore over reams of data from what turned out to be the minuscule tsunami that reached Hawaii on Saturday.

AFP - Mobs of angry, hungry survivors of the huge Chile earthquake set fire to shops in the devastated city of Concepcion where troops battled to keep order.

AFP - China on Tuesday called for more talks to resolve the Iranian nuclear standoff, after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow was ready to consider new sanctions against Tehran.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China stood its ground that diplomacy was the best way to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program, as U.S. diplomats arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks on Tehran and North Korea's atomic ambitions.

AP - Prosecutors seeking to indict five Americans on terror-related offenses presented their case to a Pakistani judge Tuesday, laying out charges including waging war against Pakistan and plotting to attack the country, a defense attorney said.

AP - Toyota Motor Corp. faces more questions from Congress over its troubled safety record when top company officials testify Tuesday at a Senate hearing on the automaker's huge worldwide recall of 8.5 million vehicles.

AP - Landslides in a mountainous region of Uganda killed more than 30 people overnight and left more than 100 others missing in the East African nation, a police commander said Tuesday.

AP - Afghanistan's intelligence service has announced a ban on live media coverage of insurgent attacks, saying that such broadcasts bolster the cause of militants.

AP - The right to bear arms is back before the Supreme Court. This time the focus is on handgun bans in Chicago and one of its suburbs.

AP - Now that his regular season is all but ended, Shaquille O'Neal promises he'll make it up to Cleveland in the playoffs.

Reuters - China stood its ground that diplomacy was the best way to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program, as U.S. diplomats arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks on Tehran and North Korea's atomic ambitions.

SEOUL/DETROIT (Reuters) - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co announced a sharp rise in February sales, benefiting from recall woes at rival Toyota Motor Co, which planned aggressive incentives to win back U.S. customers.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greece must take additional measures to reach its deficit-cut target of 4 percent of GDP in 2010 but it is not yet clear how far short Athens is with steps announced so far, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will announce details of an estimated $6 billion program on Tuesday to generate jobs by providing incentives for Americans to make their homes more energy efficient, the latest step in his bid to convince Americans he can ease their economic woes.

AP - The fossilized remains of a 67 million-year-old snake found coiled around a dinosaur egg offer rare insight into the ancient reptile's dining habits and evolution, scientists said Tuesday.

Reuters - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co announced a sharp rise in February sales, benefiting from recall woes at rival Toyota Motor Co, which planned aggressive incentives to win back U.S. customers.

Reuters - Greece must take additional measures to reach its deficit-cut target of 4 percent of GDP in 2010 but it is not yet clear how far short Athens is with steps announced so far, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday there was still room for diplomacy rather than sanctions to produce a solution to the dispute with Iran over its nuclear program.

Reuters - President Barack Obama will announce details of an estimated $6 billion program on Tuesday to generate jobs by providing incentives for Americans to make their homes more energy efficient, the latest step in his bid to convince Americans he can ease their economic woes.

AFP - At least 40 people were killed and several others reported missing after a landslide buried houses in eastern Uganda overnight, a minister said Tuesday.

GENEVA/SEOUL (Reuters) - Carmakers are bracing for lower sales in Europe this year as incentive programs end, while elsewhere companies are seeing opportunities in their competitors' product recalls.

Concepcion, Chile (Reuters) - Chilean troops patrolled the desolate streets of the country's second-biggest city on Tuesday after a curfew was extended to stem worsening looting and crime in the wake of a devastating earthquake.

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's ruling coalition collapsed on Tuesday as newly elected President Viktor Yanukovich moved to oust Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and consolidate power.

PARIS (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday there was still room for diplomacy rather than sanctions to produce a solution to the dispute with Iran over its nuclear program.

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic Tuesday described the two worst atrocities of the 1992-95 Bosnian war as myths perpetuated by Bosnian Muslims and categorically denied his involvement.

AP - The Afghan government denied Tuesday that it had banned live media coverage of insurgent attacks, saying it was developing guidelines, not restrictions, to prevent live footage from aiding fighters at the scene.

AP - An astounding run keeps getting better for Lady Antebellum. Already buoyed by the crossover success of its latest album, the country trio learned it's up for seven Academy of Country Music Awards when nominations were announced Tuesday.

Reuters - Carmakers are bracing for lower sales in Europe this year as incentive programs end, while elsewhere companies are seeing opportunities in their competitors' product recalls.

Reuters - Chilean troops patrolled the desolate streets of the country's second-biggest city on Tuesday after a curfew was extended to stem worsening looting and crime in the wake of a devastating earthquake.

Reuters - Ukraine's ruling coalition collapsed on Tuesday as newly elected President Viktor Yanukovich moved to oust Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and consolidate power.

Reuters - Wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic Tuesday described the two worst atrocities of the 1992-95 Bosnian war as myths perpetuated by Bosnian Muslims and categorically denied his involvement.

Reuters - President Barack Obama will announce details of an estimated $6 billion program on Tuesday to generate jobs by providing incentives for Americans to make their homes more energy efficient, the latest step in his bid to convince Americans he can ease their economic woes.

AFP - Armed civilian defence groups and soldiers patrolled the streets of the ruined Chilean city of Concepcion on Tuesday after mass looting diverted the desperate race to find survivors of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

AFP - Some 350 people were missing after a landslide buried homes following days of heavy rains in eastern Uganda, the country's head of Red Cross told AFP Tuesday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greece must tighten its belt further to reach this year's deficit-cutting target, but it is not yet clear by how much, the European Commission said.

CONCEPCION, Chile (Reuters) - Chile's government sent more troops to restore order and hand out aid in the country's second-largest city on Tuesday after a devastating earthquake unleashed a wave of looting.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States should impose sanctions unilaterally against Iran in the same way it acted alone by clamping an embargo on Cuba 50 years ago, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Tuesday.

AP - Sen. Jim Bunning has again blocked the Senate from extending unemployment benefits and health insurance subsidies for the jobless.

AP - An English dog-owner has been fined after taking his pet for a stroll while driving next to him in his car.

Reuters - Greece's borrowing costs fell to their lowest level in weeks on Tuesday amid growing expectations that the government will announce new austerity measures this week to secure European financial support.

Reuters - Chile's government sent more troops to restore order and hand out aid in the country's second-largest city on Tuesday after a devastating earthquake unleashed a wave of looting.

Reuters - The United States should impose sanctions unilaterally against Iran in the same way it acted alone by clamping an embargo on Cuba 50 years ago, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Tuesday.

AFP - Some 350 people were missing Tuesday after a landslide sparked by torrential rains devastated villages in eastern Uganda, the head of the country's Red Cross said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Safety regulators may require all new cars to have braking systems that force the engine to return to idle, part of a response to unintended acceleration problems reported in Toyota Motor Corp vehicles.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said on Tuesday his country was fighting for survival against bankruptcy and urged civil servants and pensioners to accept sacrifices to save the debt-burdened nation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House of Representatives Democratic leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday a broad healthcare overhaul could gain new support this month from Democrats who opposed it last year.

AP - President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was open to four new Republican proposals on health legislation in a gesture of bipartisanship meant to jump-start his stalled overhaul drive.

AP - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a small dent in Chile's growing needs following a massive earthquake, handing over 25 satellite phones while promising more Tuesday in the country's capital.

AP - Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Tuesday his agency may recommend that all new vehicles sold in the U.S. be equipped with brakes that can override the gas pedal. The idea seemed to be gaining support among lawmakers as Toyota officials returned for a third hearing on lethal safety defects.

AP - A jury found an Iowa man guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder in the shooting of a nationally known high school football coach.

AP - Earth's days may have gotten a little bit shorter since the massive earthquake in Chile, but don't feel bad if you haven't noticed.

AP - It's confirmed: Paris Hilton is too hot for Brazil.

AP - Tiger Woods is back at home after a week of family counseling in Arizona and is trying to get into a routine that includes golf and fitness, a person with knowledge of his schedule said Tuesday.

Reuters - Safety regulators may require all new cars to have braking systems that force the engine to return to idle, part of a response to unintended acceleration problems reported in Toyota Motor Corp vehicles.

Reuters - Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said on Tuesday his country was fighting for survival against bankruptcy and urged civil servants and pensioners to accept sacrifices to save the debt-burdened nation.

Reuters - House of Representatives Democratic leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday a broad healthcare overhaul could gain new support this month from Democrats who opposed it last year.

Reuters - Congressional Democrats prepared to launch a final push on Tuesday to pass healthcare reform without Republicans this month, and predicted it could gain new support from Democrats who opposed it last year.

AFP - Thousands more troops were deployed across quake-hit Chile Tuesday as residents took up arms to stop a wave of mass looting in the nation's second city, slapped with an 18-hour curfew.

AFP - Pakistan's army revealed on Tuesday a vast Taliban and Al-Qaeda hideout dug into mountains near the Afghan border and captured in an offensive that killed 75 local and foreign militants.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama made a last-ditch effort on Tuesday to seek a compromise with opposition Republicans on overhauling healthcare, one day before he was due to make an announcement on the way forward.

CONCEPCION, Chile (Reuters) - Chile's government used helicopters and boats to step up food aid to desperate survivors on Tuesday as the death toll rose to nearly 800 three days after a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional Democrats prepared for a final push to pass healthcare reform without Republican support, even as President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he would explore adding more Republican ideas to his proposal.

SAVANNAH, Georgia (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed rebates of up to $3,000 to help homeowners pay for the cost of making their homes more energy efficient as part of a $6 billion program to create jobs.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to extend the federal right to own guns to state and local governments, but some justices said firearms still could face regulations and restrictions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats prepared to launch a final push on Tuesday to pass healthcare reform without Republicans this month, and predicted it could gain new support from Democrats who opposed it last year.

AP - The top Republican in the Senate is predicting that a stopgap measure to extend help for the unemployed and keep federal highway dollars flowing will soon pass.

AP - President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was open to four new Republican proposals on health care legislation, in a gesture of bipartisanship meant to jump-start his stalled drive to overhaul the system.

AP - Toyota's pain is its rivals' gain.

AP - Authorities have smashed one of the world's biggest networks of virus-infected computers, a data vacuum that stole credit cards and online banking credentials from as many as 12.7 million poisoned PCs.

AP - The Smithsonian Institution has rejected a donation of the suit O.J. Simpson wore when he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.

Reuters - President Barack Obama made a last-ditch effort on Tuesday to seek a compromise with opposition Republicans on overhauling healthcare, one day before he was due to make an announcement on the way forward.

Reuters - Chile's government used helicopters and boats to step up food aid to desperate survivors on Tuesday as the death toll rose to nearly 800 three days after a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Reuters - U.S. congressional Democrats prepared for a final push to pass healthcare reform without Republican support, even as President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he would explore adding more Republican ideas to his proposal.

Reuters - President Barack Obama on Tuesday proposed rebates of up to $3,000 to help homeowners pay for the cost of making their homes more energy efficient as part of a $6 billion program to create jobs.

Reuters - The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to extend the federal right to own guns to state and local governments, but some justices said firearms still could face regulations and restrictions.

AFP - Thousands more troops deployed across Chile Tuesday as armed vigilantes patrolled neighborhoods to ward off looters and protect residents already traumatized by a devastating earthquake.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp's top U.S. executive warned back in 2006 that the quality of the company's vehicles was slipping, documents examined by congressional investigators show.

AP - Just 50 miles off the Pacific Northwest coast is an earthquake hotspot that threatens to unleash on Seattle, Portland and Vancouver the kind of damage that has shattered Chile.

AP - The Supreme Court suggested Tuesday it will strike down U.S. cities' outright bans on handguns, a ruling that could establish a nationwide ownership right fervently sought by gun advocates. But the justices indicated less severe limits could survive, continuing disputes over the 'right to keep and bear arms.'

AP - Democrat Jerry Brown officially entered the California governor's race Tuesday, giving the party an iconic candidate in a contest expected to be the most costly in state history.

AP - Police say they are considering whether to charge Naomi Campbell after her driver says she slapped and punched him while he was driving her around New York City.

AP - A Massachusetts newlywed couple didn't get to cuddle together during their first night as husband and wife. Instead, they spent the evening in separate jail cells after police said the bride tried to run over a former flame of the groom.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp's top U.S. executive warned back in 2006 that the quality of the company's vehicles was slipping, documents examined by congressional investigators show.

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.

AP - A senator who had been single-handedly holding up stopgap legislation to extend help for the jobless and keep federal highway dollars flowing has finally relented.

AP - President Barack Obama embraced a handful of Republican health care ideas Tuesday to lure Democratic votes as he prepared to spell out his final package for a sharply divided House and Senate, where its fate is unsure.

AP - New York State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt is abruptly retiring effective Wednesday amid a domestic violence scandal threatening Gov. David Paterson.

AP - Once and possibly future Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney says in a new book that President Barack Obama's international outreach efforts during his first year in office have been 'kindling' to the 'anti-American fires burning all across the globe.'

AP - A body found in a shallow grave Tuesday is believed to be that of 17-year-old Chelsea King, whose disappearance led to the arrest of a registered sex offender, authorities said.

AP - It won't be ladies night on 'American Idol.'

AP - A newlywed Massachusetts couple spent their wedding night in separate jail cells after police said the bride tried to run over an old flame of the groom.

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.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Support grew for changes to vehicle braking systems, as a congressional hearing into unintended acceleration confronted Toyota Motor Corp executives with a 2006 internal document warning of quality problems.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he would explore adding more Republican ideas to his healthcare plan, even as congressional Democrats prepared for a final push to pass the overhaul without Republican backing.

AP - The Senate has passed stopgap legislation to extend help for the jobless and keep federal highway dollars flowing. The 78-19 vote came after a GOP senator who was single-handedly holding up the legislation finally relented under withering assaults by Democrats and dwindling support within his own party.

AP - Former Houston Mayor Bill White defeated six other candidates Tuesday to become the Democratic nominee for Texas governor, giving the party its best hope in years at winning the chief executive post.

AP - An unfolding scandal threatening Gov. David Paterson and his administration claimed its second public safety official Tuesday when the head of the New York State Police casually told a television reporter that he was retiring, partly because of intense media scrutiny.

AP - Rep. Charles Rangel is denying that he's stepping down as chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

AP - Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran talked to federal investigators last week about a Canadian doctor accused of selling an unapproved drug and said he recommended the physician to teammate Jose Reyes.

Reuters - Support grew for changes to vehicle braking systems, as a congressional hearing into unintended acceleration confronted Toyota Motor Corp executives with a 2006 internal document warning of quality problems.

Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he would explore adding more Republican ideas to his healthcare plan, even as congressional Democrats prepared for a final push to pass the overhaul without Republican backing.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Highway money and jobless funds were set to flow again after the Senate ended a standoff on Tuesday that disrupted benefits for hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans.

DALLAS (Reuters) - Incumbent Rick Perry beat Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in a bruising primary election on Tuesday to decide the Republican candidate for Texas governor.

AP - The Senate on Tuesday passed a $10 billion measure to maintain unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless and provide stopgap funding for highway programs after a holdout Republican dropped stalling tactics that had generated a Washington firestorm.

AP - Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison conceded the Republican nomination for Texas governor to Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday night following a heated, multimillion-dollar fight between the party heavyweights.

AP - Thousands of people are at a vigil in a San Diego suburb for a 17-year-old girl whose body is believed to have been found five days after she went to a park for a jog.

AP - A man hired to drive Naomi Campbell told police she assaulted him from the back seat of a luxury SUV on Tuesday before hopping out and running away, but the supermodel likely won't face criminal charges.

Reuters - Highway money and jobless funds were set to flow again after the Senate ended a standoff on Tuesday that disrupted benefits for hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans.

Reuters - Incumbent Rick Perry beat Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in a bruising primary election on Tuesday to decide the Republican candidate for Texas governor.