AP - Israel was set to pause its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to accept an international cease-fire plan or to expand the assault against Hamas.

AP - To a public wary of government spending, President-elect Barack Obama is offering a salve with his massive economic stimulus package: the promise of long-term fiscal discipline.

AP - Senate Democrats are looking for ways to defuse the standoff that has denied Roland Burris the vacated Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama of Illinois, but maybe not much longer.

AP - Russia has shut off all its gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine — the latest move in a pricing dispute that has reduced or halted fuel deliveries to a dozen countries during a winter cold snap.

AP - "We have three foreigners, including women," the gunman said into the phone. The response was brutally simple: "Kill them." Gunshots then rang out inside the Mumbai hotel, followed by cheering that could be heard over the phone.

AP - President-elect Barack Obama's reported choice for surgeon general, CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, could bring a dose of star power to a job that hasn't had that much clout in decades.

AP - The world economy is in dire straits, but you sure wouldn't know it from the red carpet at the 20th-annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala. The actresses were dripping with jewels, actors donned high fashion, and logos of jeweler Cartier and automaker Mercedes-Benz loomed large behind all as they posed for photographers.

AP - Aluminum producer Alcoa Inc. is cutting roughly 13 percent of its global work force by the end of the year as it slashes costs in the face of a deteriorating world economy.

AP - Tulsa and No. 23 Ball State both had the best seasons in their respective programs' history. Only the Golden Hurricane felt particularly good about it Tuesday night, when they appeared faster and stronger on both sides of the ball and rolled to a 45-13 win in the GMAC Bowl.

AP - Israel was set to pause its Gaza offensive for three hours Wednesday to allow food and fuel to reach besieged Palestinians, and the country's leaders debated whether to accept an international cease-fire plan or to expand the assault against Hamas.

AP - Russia has shut off all its gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine — the latest move in a pricing dispute that has reduced or halted fuel deliveries to a dozen countries during a winter cold snap.

AP - "We have three foreigners, including women," the gunman said into the phone. The response was brutally simple: "Kill them." Gunshots then rang out inside the Mumbai hotel, followed by cheering that could be heard over the phone.

AP - The rising civilian death toll in Israel's campaign in Gaza highlights the pitfalls of Israel's powerful army using lethal force against often invisible Hamas guerrillas taking cover among civilians.

AP - A cease-fire initiative Tuesday to halt the increasingly bloody Israeli offensive in Hamas-rule Gaza won support from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on rival sides to follow up on the proposal.

AFP - Carlos Tevez will be given another chance to prove he deserves a long-term deal at Manchester United as Sir Alex Ferguson prepares to throw him back into action in a League Cup semi-final.

AP - A female suicide bomber allegedly planning to blow herself up among Shiite pilgrims was arrested Wednesday in northern Iraq, as millions joined processions across the country to honor the martyrdom of one of their most revered saints, Iraqi police said.

AFP - For Yves, a 30-something Central African, there is no contest, be they grilled, dried, served in sauce or baked in aluminium foil. "Caterpillar is better than meat," he said.

AFP - Suspected militants fighting for the enforcement of Islamic law in northwest Pakistan have killed seven more people, including three soldiers who were beheaded, local officials said Wednesday.