CHICAGO, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Illinois lawmakers and the lieutenant governor are calling on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to leave office in the wake of political corruption charges.

The governor's lawyer said his client doesn't plan to resign after being arrested Tuesday on charges he, among other things, tried to sell or barter President-elect Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat for personal or financial gain.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said she was prepared to force Blagojevich out under a state Supreme Court rule if need be, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday.

"The attorney general is prepared to take action but believes the Legislature should have a reasonable time to act," Madigan spokeswoman Natalie Bauer said, without specifying a timeline for Blagojevich to resign or for lawmakers to act on impeachment before the attorney general becomes involved.

Madigan, House Minority Leader Tom Cross and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., all called for impeachment. In a statement, House Speaker Michael Madigan, the attorney general's father, said he was "prepared to discuss the suggestions of the House Republican leader," but didn't commit to an impeachment resolution.

If Blagojevich steps down, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn would take over. On Tuesday, Quinn urged the governor to "do the right thing and step aside."

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the charges a breach of public trust.

"It is clear that anyone Gov. Blagojevich appoints to the Senate will fairly or unfairly be tainted by questions of impropriety," he said in a statement. "A different process to select a new senator must be put in place -- and that process should not involve Governor Blagojevich."

The Governor's Press Office issued a statement saying state-run services would not be affected by the allegations or arrest.

"Our state will continue to ensure health, safety and economic stability for the citizens of Illinois," the statement, in part, said.

House sets vote on automaker loans

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- An emergency loan to help U.S. automakers would come with strict guidelines to ensure they make progress towards profitability, a Washington official said.

The White House and congressional Democrats Tuesday agreed "in concept" to provide $15 billion to automakers as early as next week. The measure is scheduled for a vote in the House today, The Washington Post reported.

The bill requires President George Bush to name a "car czar" to ensure Detroit's Big Three take steps to restructure debt, trim operating costs and obtain concessions from the United Auto Workers labor union by March 31. By then, the companies are to report a "positive net present value" or they would be cut off from further federal assistance, the Post said.

The car czar would be mandated to revoke the loan and help the car companies find other options, including bankruptcy, if they do not report progress toward long-term survival.

A positive vote is not guaranteed. "There's a lot of skepticism," said Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md. "But people realize, for our auto industry to go into bankruptcy, I don't know if the markets could stand it."

Obama discusses history, inauguration

CHICAGO, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The United States must chart a course that retools global relations through inclusiveness and tolerance, President-elect Barack Obama observed.

His administration would "create a relationship of mutual respect and partnership in countries and with peoples of good will who want their citizens and ours to prosper together," Obama said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune published Wednesday.

But his diplomacy would include a strong stand against terrorism.

"The message I want to send is that we will be unyielding in stamping out the terrorist extremism we saw in Mumbai," Obama said.

While discussing his agenda, issues and Cabinet in broad terms, he kept specifics on matters such as free trade and immigration close to his vest, saying his nominees and advisers are studying the matters and would bring him recommendations.

He also defended his Cabinet choices, which some critics say reflect politics as usual in Washington, saying his nominees are "extraordinarily qualified, competent people who would not have accepted my offer for them to join my administration unless they believed in my vision.''

Commenting on being the first African-American president, Obama said, "The biggest challenges we face right now in improving race relations have to do with the universal concerns of Americans across color lines," which is employment and the economy, he said. An improved employment front "more than anything is going to improve race relations," he said.

When he is sworn in on Jan. 20, he said he would keep with tradition and use his full name: Barack Hussein Obama.

And, despite moving to the White House, Obama says he's a South Side guy at heart and plans to return to his Chicago home every several months for some down time.

U.S. troops wrongly kill 6 Afghan police

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. troops erroneously killed six Afghan police officers and one civilian Wednesday in an attack on a suspected Taliban leader's hideout, officials said.

U.S. and Afghan military commanders said in a joint statement a group of police officers fired on U.S. forces after the troops successfully took the hideout, killing the suspect and detaining another man, The New York Times reported Wednesday on its Web site.

The statement said the troops had entered the hideout in Zabul province when they were subjected to small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades from nearby.

"Multiple attempts to deter the engagement were unsuccessful," the statement said. It was only after the fighting that U.S. troops learned they had been shooting at Afghan police, the statement said.

Jailoni Kahn Farahi, deputy police chief of Qalat District, said police officers were in a police station when they came under fire, the Times reported. He said the attack against U.S. troops did not originate from the police station, but from a nearby building.

"Coalition forces deeply regret the incident of mistaken fire," said U.S. military spokesman Col. Jerry O'Hara. "Initial reports indicate this was a tragic case of mistaken identity on both parts."

Zabul Gov. Delbar Jan Arman, said a joint Afghan-U.S. delegation of military and civilian officials would investigate the incident.

Strikes, demonstrations plague Greece

ATHENS, Greece, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Greek police prepared for another day of unrest Wednesday as thousands of people planned to participate in a labor strike in Athens.

Greek Prime Minister Konstandinos Karamanlis had asked the labor unions to call off the strike, given the riots that occurred throughout the country during the weekend after the fatal shooting of a teen by police, but the unions refused, CNN reported.

Banks, schools and hospitals were closed, and transportation and transit systems ground to a halt in Athens. Many local and international flights were canceled.

Dozens of people have been arrested in the last four days as rioters fought with police in Athens and other cities, The New York Times reported.

The general union strike was originally called to press economic demands for higher pay and to protest budget-tightening measures proffered by the government, the Times reported. While pressing ahead with the strike, union leaders said they called off demonstrations in an effort to prevent more violent protests that erupted in the aftermath of the fatal police shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos Saturday.

Two officers arrested in the shooting were expected to be in court Wednesday to challenge the charges against them, CNN reported.

Transit strike hits snowbound Ottawa

OTTAWA, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Commuters in Canada's capital city were grappling not only with more than 12 inches of fresh snow Wednesday morning, but an Ottawa transit strike.

As heavy snow fell Tuesday night, city spokesman Michael FitzPatrick broke the news talks between OC Transpo and the Amalgamated Transit Union local 279 had come to a stalemate, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

Bus service stopped at midnight as snowplows tried keeping arterial streets cleared, the Ottawa Sun said.

The 2,300 transit workers have been without a contract since March. The main issues are wages for the next three years, scheduling, sick leave and contracting out work to non-union workers, the Citizen said.

City officials said the strike will mean about 20 percent more vehicles will be on the snowy roads, the Sun said.

Nearly all school boards in and around the capital region canceled school bus service for Wednesday, the newspapers said.

Forecasters said the heavy snow would give way to later flurries Wednesday afternoon.