BEIJING (Reuters) - More than one in two Chinese savers regard the current inflation rate as unacceptable, according to a central bank survey on Tuesday that is likely to fan official concern about deteriorating inflation expectations.

AP - New HIV infections are increasing among homosexuals, drug users and prostitutes who don't seek help because of laws that criminalize these practices, the head of the U.N. AIDS agency said Monday.

AP - Aaron Brooks swished a jumper with 2.9 seconds left and scored 31 points to help the Houston Rockets rally for a 125-123 victory over Denver on Monday night, snapping the Nuggets' six-game winning streak.

Reuters - More than one in two Chinese savers regard the current inflation rate as unacceptable, according to a central bank survey on Tuesday that is likely to fan official concern about deteriorating inflation expectations.

AFP - Red-dressed Thai protesters Tuesday collected their own blood, planning to spill it at the government's gates in a symbolic gesture as they stepped up protests demanding snap elections.

AFP - Fiji's government Tuesday declared a state of disaster in the cyclone-ravaged nation, amid reports of deaths after 17,000 people fled to evacuation centres.

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai discussed prospects of peace with the Taliban in a video phone conversation with President Barack Obama, Karzai's office said on Tuesday.

AP - Days away from a make-or-break vote on his health care overhaul, President Barack Obama is turning up the pressure as only presidents can, as Democratic leaders make a desperate scramble for votes.

Reuters - Afghan President Hamid Karzai discussed prospects of peace with the Taliban in a video phone conversation with President Barack Obama, Karzai's office said on Tuesday.

AFP - Red-dressed Thai demonstrators Tuesday collected their own blood, planning to spill it at the government's gates in a symbolic sacrifice as they stepped up protests demanding snap elections.

AFP - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bloc looked likely to form parliament's single largest grouping Tuesday, after results showed the incumbent had strengthened his hold on key Baghdad province.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU finance ministers on Tuesday discussed standby plans drawn up by countries using the euro to provide Greece with financial help if it becomes the first state in 11 years of monetary union to seek such aid.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters in Thailand donated blood to be poured outside the premier's office on Tuesday, a 'sacrifice for democracy' aimed at energizing their movement after the government refused to step down.

(Reuters) - Andrew and Mark Madoff, sons of fraudster Bernard Madoff, have submitted a request with a U.S. court to dismiss all the complaints against them, with prejudice, court documents showed.

AP - Anti-government protesters who donated their own blood Tuesday prepared to splatter gallons of it at the Thai government headquarters in a symbolic sacrifice to press their demands for new elections.

AP - A U.S. envoy's postponement of his Mideast trip appeared Tuesday to deepen one of the worst U.S.-Israeli feuds in memory — even as Israel's foreign minister signaled his government had no intention of curtailing the contentious construction at the heart of the row.

AP - Kobe Bryant scored 29 points and Pau Gasol added 26 to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their ninth straight victory over the Golden State Warriors, 124-121 on Monday night.

Reuters - EU finance ministers on Tuesday discussed standby plans drawn up by countries using the euro to provide Greece with financial help if it becomes the first state in 11 years of monetary union to seek such aid.

Reuters - Thousands of protesters in Thailand donated blood to be poured outside the premier's office on Tuesday, a 'sacrifice for democracy' aimed at energizing their movement after the government refused to step down.

Reuters - Andrew and Mark Madoff, sons of fraudster Bernard Madoff, have submitted a request with a U.S. court to dismiss all the complaints against them, with prejudice, court documents showed.

AFP - Red-dressed Thai demonstrators Tuesday collected their own blood, planning to spill it at the government's gates in a symbolic sacrifice as they stepped up protests demanding snap elections.

AFP - Sri Lanka's former army chief, now a sworn political enemy of President Mahinda Rajapakse, faced a military court Tuesday on controversial charges that could see him jailed for up to five years.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said on Tuesday that Congress should not adjourn on March 26 for its two-week Easter recess without addressing financial reform.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Google should obey Chinese government rules even if it decides to retreat from the country over hacking and censorship complaints, a Chinese government spokesman said on Tuesday.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinians mounted violent protests in a 'day of rage' in Jerusalem on Tuesday and a U.S.-Israeli crisis over a Jewish settlement project deepened with the cancellation a U.S. peace envoy's visit.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck near Los Angeles on Tuesday, awakening residents but causing no apparent damage in the second largest U.S. city, the U.S. Geological Survey and witnesses said.

AP - A U.S. envoy's postponement of his Mideast trip appeared Tuesday to deepen one of the worst U.S.-Israeli feuds in memory — even as Israel's foreign minister signaled his government had no intention of curtailing the contentious construction at the heart of the row.

AP - An apparent U.S. missile attack destroyed a suspected militant compound in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least nine people, intelligence officials said.

AP - A pre-dawn earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, startling residents from their sleep.

AP - The world's shortest man has died in Italy, where he was to take part in a TV show, the program's production company said Tuesday.

AP - Kobe Bryant scored 29 points and Pau Gasol added 26 to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to their ninth straight victory over the Golden State Warriors, 124-121 on Monday night.

Reuters - U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said on Tuesday that Congress should not adjourn on March 26 for its two-week Easter recess without addressing financial reform.

Reuters - Google should obey Chinese government rules even if it decides to retreat from the country over hacking and censorship complaints, a Chinese government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Palestinians mounted violent protests in a 'day of rage' in Jerusalem on Tuesday and a U.S.-Israeli crisis over a Jewish settlement project deepened with the cancellation of a U.S. peace envoy's visit.

Reuters - A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck near Los Angeles on Tuesday, awakening residents but causing no apparent damage in the second largest U.S. city, the U.S. Geological Survey and witnesses said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Housing starts fell last month as winter storms in some parts of the country disrupted home building, while a drop in import prices pointed to muted inflation pressures.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU finance ministers backed plans on Tuesday by countries in the euro area to help debt-stricken Greece financially if it becomes the first state in 11 years of monetary union to seek such aid.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters poured bottles of their own blood outside the Thai prime minister's office on Tuesday, a 'sacrifice for democracy' after demands for elections were rejected.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iraq's progress remains fragile and could still be reversed, despite decreased violence, successful national elections in March and other advances, U.S. General David Petraeus said on Tuesday.

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan confirmed for the first time publicly on Tuesday that it had enacted into law a blanket pardon for war crimes and human rights abuse carried out before 2001.

AP - Housing construction fell in February as winter blizzards held down activity in the Northeast and South. The decline highlighted the challenges facing builders as they struggle to emerge from the worst housing slump in decades.

Reuters - Housing starts fell last month as winter storms in some parts of the country disrupted home building, while a drop in import prices pointed to muted inflation pressures.

Reuters - EU finance ministers backed plans on Tuesday by countries in the euro area to help debt-stricken Greece financially if it becomes the first state in 11 years of monetary union to seek such aid.

Reuters - Anti-government protesters poured bottles of their own blood outside the Thai prime minister's office on Tuesday, a 'sacrifice for democracy' after demands for elections were rejected.

Reuters - Iraq's progress remains fragile and could still be reversed, despite decreased violence, successful national elections in March and other advances, U.S. General David Petraeus said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Afghanistan confirmed for the first time publicly on Tuesday that it had enacted into law a blanket pardon for war crimes and human rights abuse carried out before 2001.

AFP - Sri Lanka's former army chief, now a sworn political enemy of President Mahinda Rajapakse, faced a military court Tuesday on controversial charges that could see him jailed for up to five years.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd on Tuesday said Congress needs to fast track financial reform despite Republican pleas to slow down the process to rewrite sweeping new rules.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The world's No. 1 golfer, Tiger Woods, who had withdrawn from the game after details of his adulterous affairs surfaced late last year, will return to professional golf at the U.S. Masters in Augusta, Georgia, in early April, he said in a statement.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters poured bottles of their own blood outside the Thai prime minister's office on Tuesday, a 'sacrifice for democracy' after demands for elections were rejected.

AP - Days away from critical decisions on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, Republicans assailed Democratic plans to push the massive legislation through the House without a direct vote.

AP - Tiger Woods said Tuesday he will return to golf next month at the Masters, ending a four-month hiatus brought on by a sex scandal that shattered his image as the gold standard in sports.

Reuters - Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd on Tuesday said Congress needs to fast track financial reform despite Republican pleas to slow down the process to rewrite sweeping new rules.

Reuters - World No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods, who withdrew from the game late last year after a damaging adultery scandal, announced on Tuesday he would make his comeback to professional golf at the U.S. Masters in early April.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve held benchmark rates near zero on Tuesday and renewed a promise to keep them exceptionally low for an extended period while pointing to increased momentum in the economy's recovery.

MIAMI (Reuters) - World No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods, who left the game last year in the midst of a damaging adultery scandal, announced on Tuesday he would make his comeback to professional golf at the U.S. Masters in early April.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinians mounted violent protests in Jerusalem on Tuesday and President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy canceled plans to return to the region as a U.S.-Israeli crisis over Jewish settlement plans simmered.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican criticized on Tuesday what it said was a bid to undermine the Church, which is facing a deepening scandal over child abuse by priests in Europe.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States may leave a stronger-than-expected force structure in northern Iraq if the situation requires, even as it reduces troops to targeted levels, a top U.S. general said on Tuesday.

AP - The Federal Reserve repeats its pledge to hold interest rates at record lows to foster the economic recovery and ease high unemployment.

AP - Thai protesters seeking a change of government turned to shock tactics Tuesday, pouring gallons of their own blood into a glistening puddle at the gate of the prime minister's office.

AP - A tour bus headed for Mexico carrying 40 people overturned along a southern Texas highway on Tuesday, killing at least two people and injuring an unknown number of others, officials said.

AP - PepsiCo plans to remove sugary drinks from schools worldwide, following the success of programs in the U.S. aimed at cutting down on childhood obesity.

AP - The world's shortest man has died in Italy, where he was to take part in a TV show, the program's production company said Tuesday.

AP - Charlie Sheen is back at work and shooting has resumed on 'Two and a Half Men.'

Reuters - The Federal Reserve held benchmark rates near zero on Tuesday and renewed a promise to keep them exceptionally low for an extended period while pointing to increased momentum in the economy's recovery.

Reuters - World No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods, who left the game last year in the midst of a damaging adultery scandal, announced on Tuesday he would make his comeback to professional golf at the U.S. Masters in early April.

Reuters - Palestinians mounted violent protests in Jerusalem on Tuesday and President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy canceled plans to return to the region as a U.S.-Israeli crisis over Jewish settlement plans simmered.

Reuters - The Vatican criticized on Tuesday what it said was a bid to undermine the Church, which is facing a deepening scandal over child abuse by priests in Europe.

Reuters - The United States may leave a stronger-than-expected force structure in northern Iraq if the situation requires, even as it reduces troops to targeted levels, a top U.S. general said on Tuesday.

AFP - Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces across east Jerusalem on Tuesday in the worst rioting in years, as a senior Hamas leader called for a new 'intifada,' or uprising.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new financial reform bill introduced in the Senate will likely be approved at the committee level next week, but its shape could change substantially once it comes before the full Senate and winning Republican support comes into play, analysts said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday hailed the 'unshakeable bond' between the United States and Israel in an effort to quell the diplomatic spat that has rocked ties between Washington and its closest Middle East ally.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve renewed its pledge on Tuesday to keep interest rates near zero for an 'extended period' even as it sounded more upbeat about jobs.

INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) - Tiger Woods will start trying to restore a reputation battered by marital infidelities at next month's U.S. Masters, the tournament which helped him become the world's most marketable sportsman.

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Crowds of protesters damned President Felipe Calderon's military crackdown on drug cartels as he flew to Mexico's most violent city on Tuesday, three days after gunmen killed two Americans and a Mexican linked to the local U.S. consulate.

AP - Democrats defended plans to push massive health care legislation through the House without a direct vote and Republicans assailed the strategy Tuesday, as both parties fenced ferociously over the health overhaul end game.

AP - The coalition led by Iraq's prime minister has accused an election official of manipulating vote counts from the country's parliamentary elections and called for a recount, a candidate from the bloc said Tuesday.

AP - A father of two in town on business was jogging on the beach and listening to his iPod when he was hit from behind and killed by a small plane making an emergency landing, officials said Tuesday.

AP - A former Massachusetts dentist is accused of putting paper clips in patients' mouths during root canals, then billing Medicaid for the stainless steel posts he should have used.

AP - Tiger Woods said Tuesday he will return to golf next month at the Masters, ending a four-month hiatus brought on by a sex scandal that shattered his image as the gold standard in sports.

Reuters - The new financial reform bill introduced in the Senate will likely be approved at the committee level next week, but its shape could change substantially once it comes before the full Senate and winning Republican support comes into play, analysts said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday hailed the 'unshakeable bond' between the United States and Israel in an effort to quell the diplomatic spat that has rocked ties between Washington and its closest Middle East ally.

Reuters - The Federal Reserve renewed its pledge on Tuesday to keep interest rates near zero for an 'extended period' even as it sounded more upbeat about jobs.

Reuters - Tiger Woods will start trying to restore a reputation battered by marital infidelities at next month's U.S. Masters, the tournament which helped him become the world's most marketable sportsman.

Reuters - Crowds of protesters damned President Felipe Calderon's military crackdown on drug cartels as he flew to Mexico's most violent city on Tuesday, three days after gunmen killed two Americans and a Mexican linked to the local U.S. consulate.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday defended their plans to pass a broad healthcare overhaul without a direct vote as President Barack Obama's top domestic priority neared a make-or-break showdown.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in Jerusalem on Tuesday as the United States, which has slammed Israeli settlement plans as undermining peace efforts, played down strains in its alliance with the Jewish state.

INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) - Tiger Woods will begin trying to restore a reputation battered by marital infidelities at next month's U.S. Masters, the tournament which helped him become the world's most marketable sportsman.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Communications regulators submitted to Congress a national broadband plan that aims to expand access, increase Internet speeds and shift airwaves to mobile services.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co will recall about 412,000 vehicles in the United States to address the risk that brake pedals may feel soft and slip closer to the floor over time, the company said on Tuesday.

AP - With time and tempers short, everyone's playing hardball in the drive to pass — or stop — President Barack Obama's massive health care legislation by the weekend. Business groups are spending $1 million a day to depict the bill as a job killer in television ads in the home districts of 26 wavering House Democrats.

AP - The United States and Israel stepped back Tuesday from their most public rift in a decade, a dispute over new Jewish homes in a traditionally Arab part of Jerusalem that quickly became a test of U.S. and Israeli commitment to peace talks and one another.

AP - A woman championed as the Obama administration's emblem for health care reform does not have to choose between her home and her health, according to officials at the Ohio hospital where she is being treated.

AP - A secular coalition challenging the Iraqi prime minister in the country's historic parliamentary elections has narrowly pulled ahead for the first time in the overall vote count, although it still trails in the crucial province-by-province count.

AP - In a Hollywood-style heist, thieves cut a hole in the roof of a warehouse, rappelled inside and scored one of the biggest hauls of its kind — not diamonds, gold bullion or Old World art, but about $75 million in antidepressants and other prescription drugs.

AP - When a Tennessee jailer ripped the gold grill from a new inmate's teeth two days before Thanksgiving last year, it left the 31-year-old man in excruciating pain and left taxpayers on the hook for nearly $100,000 in damages.

AP - Robert Gary Jones was a pharmaceutical salesman on a business trip, looking forward to getting home to celebrate his daughter's third birthday. He was enjoying a moment to himself on this resort island, jogging on the beach and listening to his iPod. Officials say the Woodstock, Ga., man neither saw nor heard what struck him from behind Monday evening: A single-engine plane making an emergency landing.

AP - A former Massachusetts dentist is accused of placing paper clips instead of stainless steel posts inside the teeth of root canal patients while billing Medicaid for the more expensive parts.

AP - For Tiger Woods, this figures to be a Masters like no other. Woods said Tuesday he will end more than four months of seclusion and play at Augusta National in three weeks, shielded by the most secure environment in golf as he competes for the first time since a sex scandal shattered his image.

Reuters - Democrats in the House of Representatives on Tuesday defended their plans to pass a broad healthcare overhaul without a direct vote as President Barack Obama's top domestic priority neared a make-or-break showdown.

Reuters - Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in Jerusalem on Tuesday as the United States, which has slammed Israeli settlement plans as undermining peace efforts, played down strains in its alliance with the Jewish state.

Reuters - Tiger Woods will begin trying to restore a reputation battered by marital infidelities at next month's U.S. Masters, the tournament which helped him become the world's most marketable sportsman.

Reuters - Honda Motor Co will recall about 412,000 vehicles in the United States to address the risk that brake pedals may feel soft and slip closer to the floor over time, the company said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve renewed its pledge on Tuesday to keep interest rates near zero for an 'extended period' even as it sounded more upbeat about jobs.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday defended plans to prosecute some terrorism suspects in traditional criminal courts, urging lawmakers to avoid politicizing the decision and inflaming public fears.

AP - Confused hit men may have gone to the wrong party, the FBI said Tuesday as it cast doubt on fears that the slaying of three people with ties to the U.S. consulate shows that Mexican drug cartels have launched an offensive against U.S. government employees.

Reuters - The Federal Reserve renewed its pledge on Tuesday to keep interest rates near zero for an 'extended period' even as it sounded more upbeat about jobs.

Reuters - Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday defended plans to prosecute some terrorism suspects in traditional criminal courts, urging lawmakers to avoid politicizing the decision and inflaming public fears.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Members of Congress on Tuesday threatened Beijing with duties on some of its exports if it fails to revalue its currency, pressuring the Obama administration to label China a currency manipulator.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi edged past Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Tuesday in results from Iraq's fragmented March 7 vote that may lead to months of political bargaining and create a risky power vacuum.

AP - With time and tempers short, everyone's playing hardball in the drive to pass — or stop — President Barack Obama's massive health care legislation by the weekend.

AP - A woman championed as the Obama administration's emblem for health care reform does not have to choose between her home and her health, according to officials at the Ohio hospital where she is being treated.

Reuters - Members of Congress on Tuesday threatened Beijing with duties on some of its exports if it fails to revalue its currency, pressuring the Obama administration to label China a currency manipulator.

Reuters - Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi edged past Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Tuesday in results from Iraq's fragmented March 7 vote that may lead to months of political bargaining and create a risky power vacuum.

AP - Pakistani officials say two suspected U.S. missile strikes have killed at least seven militants in northwestern Pakistan.

AFP - Israel counted the cost Wednesday after hundreds of Palestinians clashed with security forces across east Jerusalem, amid the worst diplomatic spat in decades between Israel and its key US ally.

AFP - Red-shirted protesters on Wednesday decamped to the residence of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva but their four-day rally in support of their deposed political hero appeared to be petering out.