LOUISVILLE, Ky. A Louisville spokesman says a charter plane carrying the basketball team to a game in Florida had to return to the airport after an engine fire was reported. (More)

NEW YORK Mark Teixeira sat down with his wife on Dec. 12 to have dinner, his regular Friday "date night" with Leigh at the Vaquero Club in Westlake, Texas. (More)

UNITED NATIONS The presidents of Egypt and France have proposed a plan to end the escalating Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday. (More)

DENVER Steve Roush resigned from the U.S. Olympic Committee on Tuesday, leaving a post in which he played a key role in organizing logistics for American athletes at the last three games. (More)

CANTON, Ohio Career sacks leader Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson, Shannon Sharpe and John Randle are among the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the only first-year eligible players to make the final round this year. (More)

JERUSALEM Israel says it has agreed to set up a "humanitarian corridor" to ship vital supplies to the people of the Gaza Strip. (More)

The first race card of the Obama era is now in play. In an apparent bid to save his political life - or perhaps just irritate and confound his enemies - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is trying to wedge a black man into the all-white Senate. On Tuesday, Blagojevich's choice, Roland Burris, was turned away on Capitol Hill when he tried to take his seat. (More)

NEW YORK The U.S. arm of chemical giant LyondellBasell Industries has filed for bankruptcy as the recession continues to weaken demand for products made from chemicals. (More)

WASHINGTON A prominent businessman caught up in a grand jury probe whose political donations ended any role for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson in the Obama administration also was a generous contributor in support of the president-elect. (More)

DENVER The Colorado Rockies have bolstered their starting rotation, acquiring right-hander Jason Marquis from the Chicago Cubs for reliever Luis Vizcaino. (More)

PITTSBURGH Alcoa Inc., the world's third-largest aluminum maker, said Tuesday it will cut 13,500 jobs, or 13 percent of its work force, and slash spending and output to cope with the global economic slowdown. (More)

SALT LAKE CITY Utah's attorney general is investigating the Bowl Championship Series for a possible violation of federal antitrust laws after an undefeated Utes team was left out of the national title game for the second time in five years. (More)

RALEIGH, N.C. North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow will not return to the team this season due to health issues related to her long fight against cancer. In a statement released by the school Tuesday afternoon, the Hall of Fame coach said she just doesn't have the energy to coach the way she always has before. She has missed the past four games. (More)

CARACAS, Venezuela Venezuela ordered the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and some embassy staff on Tuesday to protest Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip. (More)

WASHINGTON President-elect Barack Obama has approached CNN's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, to be the country's next surgeon general, the cable network said Tuesday. CNN said it has kept Gupta from reporting on health care policy and other matters involving the incoming Obama administration since learning he was under consideration for the post. (More)

SAN DIEGO San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of drunken driving. (More)

WASHINGTON President-elect Barack Obama had to do a little fence-mending Tuesday with the new Congress controlled by his own party - apologizing to a key Senate Democrat for failing to consult on his decision to name veteran Washington hand Leon Panetta CIA director. (More)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Former Gov. Jeb Bush announced Tuesday that he won't run for the U.S. Senate in 2010 to replace the retiring Mel Martinez, saying that it was not the right time to return to elected office. (More)

DENVER Denver Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony will miss at least three weeks with a broken bone in his shooting hand, but he won't need surgery. (More)

CLEVELAND The Cleveland Indians have signed free agent pitcher Carl Pavano, who was a four-year bust with the New York Yankees because of injuries. (More)

WASHINGTON In the largest marine conservation effort in history, President George W. Bush on Tuesday designated what he called "three beautiful and biologically diverse areas of the Pacific Ocean" as national marine monuments. (More)

OAKLAND, Calif. Jason Giambi might just finish his career where it began more than a decade ago. The free-agent first baseman was close to completing a deal Tuesday to return to the Oakland Athletics nearly 14 years after making his debut with the club, according to two people familiar with the negotiations. The sides had reached a preliminary agreement, pending a physical, on what is expected to be a one-year contract with an option. (More)

WASHINGTON Even as Federal Reserve officials slashed their key interest rate to a record low and pledged to use other unconventional tools to fight the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, they still feared the economy would be stuck in a painful rut for some time. (More)

ZAGREB, Croatia Maybe Bode Miller would have been all right if he just scuffed the bottom of his ski boots before going to work. That was not the case, however, and the shoe police hauled him in. (More)

WASHINGTON The woman who made history two years ago by becoming the first female speaker of the House has been re-elected to that post. House colleagues today chose Nancy Pelosi to continue as speaker. (More)