RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Search planes scoured the dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean early on Tuesday, looking for the remains of an Air France jetliner that disappeared in a severe storm with 228 people on board.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese officials are giving U.S. efforts to prime its ailing economy a vote of confidence and understand why higher budget deficits are a temporary necessity, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

AP - A lawyer for the leader of an Islamic group suspected in the deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year says a court has ordered his release.

Reuters - Search planes scoured the dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean early on Tuesday, looking for the remains of an Air France jetliner that disappeared in a severe storm with 228 people on board.

Reuters - Chinese officials are giving U.S. efforts to prime its ailing economy a vote of confidence and understand why higher budget deficits are a temporary necessity, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

AFP - Pakistan's military Tuesday rescued 80 kidnapped students and school staff in a pre-dawn operation in the lawless tribal areas, one day after they were abducted by masked Taliban gunmen.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Search planes scoured the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, looking for the remains of an Air France jetliner that disappeared in a storm with 228 people on board.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Scores of kidnapped Pakistani students and staff from a military-run college who were abducted by Taliban militants in the northwest of the country were rescued on Tuesday, a military spokesman said.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese officials are giving U.S. efforts to pump up its ailing economy a vote of confidence and understand why higher budget deficits are a temporary necessity, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

AP - Was Air France Flight 447 downed by wind and hail from towering thunderheads? By lightning? Or by a catastrophic combination of factors?

AP - Appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor is getting her first chance to make an impression on senators who will vote on her nomination to the Supreme Court, with a marathon set of Capitol Hill meet-and-greets that kicks off what could be a long debate.

AP - North Korea is preparing to launch three or four medium-range missiles, along with an intercontinental ballistic missile, amid moves by Kim Jong Il to anoint his third son as heir to the world's first communist dynasty, reports and experts said Tuesday.

AP - Fixing the economy requires overhauling the U.S. health care system, a White House report concludes — just the message the administration needs to help implement a sweeping new social welfare program during a recession.

AP - A Pakistani court ordered the release Tuesday of a hard-line Islamist cleric allegedly linked to the attacks in Mumbai last year, his lawyer said, leading India to accuse Pakistan of not being serious about bringing militants to justice.

AP - Billy Buckner threw six scoreless innings and rookie Josh Whitesell hit a two-run double, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.

Reuters - Search planes scoured the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, looking for the remains of an Air France jetliner that disappeared in a storm with 228 people on board.

Reuters - Chinese officials are giving U.S. efforts to pump up its ailing economy a vote of confidence and understand why higher budget deficits are a temporary necessity, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

AFP - Search teams hunting an Air France plane that vanished with 228 people on board were scouring remote Atlantic waters with scant hope of finding survivors and few clues to explain the crash.

AFP - Pakistan said Tuesday the military rescued 80 students and staff snatched by Taliban gunmen, as fears grew of spiraling rebel attacks to avenge a military offensive in the northwest.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Search planes scoured the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, looking for the remains of an Air France jetliner that disappeared in a storm with 228 people on board.

AP - North Korea pushed forward with preparations to test-fire more missiles in the wake of last week's nuclear test as leader Kim Jong Il moved to anoint his third son as heir to the world's first communist dynasty, reports and experts said Tuesday.

Reuters - Search planes scoured the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, looking for the remains of an Air France jetliner that disappeared in a storm with 228 people on board.

AFP - North Korea's ailing leader Kim Jong-Il has named his youngest son Jong-Un, a 26-year-old Swiss-educated basketball fan, as heir to his communist dynasty, reports said Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global consumer confidence is stabilizing after falling for 18 months, providing a glimmer of hope for a shattered world economy in which three quarters of households cut spending, a survey showed on Tuesday.

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday to discuss Tehran's nuclear program, in rare talks between a leader of a major power and a senior Iranian politician.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese officials are giving U.S. efforts to pump up its ailing economy a vote of confidence and understand why higher budget deficits are a temporary necessity, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

LONDON (Reuters) - Support for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party has plunged 10 points and voters angry about an expenses scandal are rapidly losing faith in politicians, opinion polls showed on Tuesday.

KABUL (Reuters) - 'What are you doing?' For the U.S. military in Afghanistan, the answer to the latest social networking craze seems to be: 'Killing Taliban.'

AP - Stormy seas and heavy clouds hampered the search Tuesday for wreckage of Air France Flight 447, which disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean with 228 people aboard. French investigators said a series of extraordinary events likely brought the airliner down.

AP - General Motors Corp. said Tuesday that it has tentatively agreed to sell its Hummer brand, a day after the U.S. automaker filed for bankruptcy protection with hopes that it will transform its most profitable assets into a new company within just 30 days.

AP - Kim Jong Il's youngest son — a 26-year-old who reportedly enjoys skiing and studied English, German and French at a Swiss boarding school — was named North Korea's next leader in an announcement to top ruling party, government and military officials, a South Korean lawmaker and newspapers said Tuesday,

AP - Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit consecutive home runs in the fifth inning and Philadelphia beat Adrian Gonzalez and the San Diego Padres 5-3 on Monday night, the Phillies' fourth straight win.

Reuters - Global consumer confidence is stabilizing after falling for 18 months, providing a glimmer of hope for a shattered world economy in which three quarters of households cut spending, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Reuters - French President Nicolas Sarkozy will meet Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday to discuss Tehran's nuclear program, in rare talks between a leader of a major power and a senior Iranian politician.

Reuters - Chinese officials are giving U.S. efforts to pump up its ailing economy a vote of confidence and understand why higher budget deficits are a temporary necessity, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Pakistani soldiers Tuesday rescued scores of students and staff from a military-run college who were abducted by Taliban militants in the northwest of the country, a military spokesman said.

AFP - North Korea's ailing Kim Jong-Il has named his youngest son to eventually succeed him as leader of the communist state, which appears to be preparing another volley of missiles, reports said Tuesday.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian military search planes found debris in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday that could be wreckage of a missing Air France flight carrying 228 people that disappeared in a storm the previous day.

SAMARRA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. combat forces will vacate all Iraqi cities on schedule by the end of this month, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq told Reuters Tuesday, including the still violent insurgent holdout of Mosul.

LONDON (Reuters) - British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith plans to resign her government post, media reported on Tuesday, a new casualty of the expenses scandal sweeping through parliament.

AP - An airplane seat, a life jacket, metallic debris and signs of fuel were found in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday by Brazilian military pilots searching for a missing Air France airliner.

AP - General Motors Corp. took two key steps toward its downsizing on Tuesday, striking a tentative agreement to sell its Hummer brand and obtaining the first payout of federal loans for its European division.

AP - Pending U.S. home sales in April posted the biggest monthly jump in nearly eight years, a sign that home sales are finally coming to life after a long and painful slump.

AP - North Korea's Kim Jong Il has anointed his 26-year-old son — said to be competitive, proficient in English and a heavy drinker — as the next leader of the communist state, news reports said Tuesday.

Reuters - Brazilian military search planes found debris in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday that could be wreckage of a missing Air France flight carrying 228 people that disappeared in a storm the previous day.

Reuters - U.S. combat forces will vacate all Iraqi cities on schedule by the end of this month, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq told Reuters Tuesday, including the still violent insurgent holdout of Mosul.

AFP - Brazilian air force aircraft searching the Atlantic Ocean Tuesday for a missing Air France flight that had been carrying 228 people have found debris from a plane, an air force spokesman said.

AFP - North Korea's ailing leader Kim Jong-Il -- believed to be gearing up for another barrage of missile tests -- has named his youngest son as the eventual heir to the family dynasty, reports said on Tuesday.

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp said it had reached a preliminary deal to sell its Hummer brand, part of its effort to shed half of its eight U.S. lines and leave bankruptcy court protection as a leaner company.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea will probably ease tensions it triggered with nuclear and missile tests now that it has moved to anoint leader Kim Jong-il's third son as his successor, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Cooler sea temperatures and a possible El Nino prompted the Colorado State University forecast team to reduce its Atlantic storm season prediction on Tuesday to 11 tropical storms, including five hurricanes.

LONDON (Reuters) - British interior minister Jacqui Smith plans to resign, a source close to her said on Tuesday, the highest profile casualty of an expenses scandal that has swept through parliament and could yet claim more big names.

AP - The Senate's top Democrat praised federal judge Sonia Sotomayor Tuesday as an extraordinarily well-qualified Supreme Court nominee whose background as an 'underdog' appeals to Americans.

AP - President Barack Obama has chosen a Republican congressman to be the new secretary of the Army, adding to the ranks of opposition party figures in his administration.

AP - Conan O'Brien has reason to smile after his debut as 'Tonight' show host.

AP - Facing match point in the quarterfinals, Maria Sharapova was no longer focused on winning her first French Open title. She merely wanted to win a game.

Reuters - General Motors Corp said it had reached a preliminary deal to sell its Hummer brand, part of its effort to shed half of its eight U.S. lines and leave bankruptcy court protection as a leaner company.

Reuters - North Korea will probably ease tensions it triggered with nuclear and missile tests now that it has moved to anoint leader Kim Jong-il's third son as his successor, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

Reuters - Cooler sea temperatures and a possible El Nino prompted the Colorado State University forecast team to reduce its Atlantic storm season prediction on Tuesday to 11 tropical storms, including five hurricanes.

AFP - Brazilian air force planes scouring the Atlantic for a missing Air France jet that went down in a fierce storm with 228 people on board found floating aircraft debris, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

AFP - The world is 'getting closer' to a swine flu pandemic as some countries outside the Americas are showing early signs of flu spreading locally, a senior World Health Organisation official said Tuesday.

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp said it reached a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand, part of an effort to drop four unprofitable vehicle lines and leave bankruptcy as a leaner company.

LONDON (Reuters) - British interior minister Jacqui Smith plans to resign, a source close to her said on Tuesday, the highest profile casualty of an expenses scandal that has swept through parliament and could yet claim more big names.

AP - General Motors Corp. took a key step toward its downsizing on Tuesday, striking a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand to a Chinese manufacturer, while also revealing that it has potential buyers for its Saturn and Saab brands.

AP - The Senate's top Democrat praised federal judge Sonia Sotomayor Tuesday as an extraordinarily well-qualified Supreme Court nominee whose background as an 'underdog' appeals to Americans.

AP - North Korea's Kim Jong Il has anointed his 26-year-old son — said to be competitive, proficient in English and a heavy drinker — as the next leader of the communist state, news reports said Tuesday.

Reuters - General Motors Corp said it reached a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand, part of an effort to drop four unprofitable vehicle lines and leave bankruptcy as a leaner company.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian military planes spotted debris from a plane in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday in their search for the Air France jet that went missing during a storm with 228 people on board.

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp said it reached a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand, part of an effort to drop four unprofitable vehicle lines and leave bankruptcy as a leaner company.

CHICAGO/DETROIT (Reuters) - U.S. auto sales fell by about 30 percent in May from a year earlier, but aggressive discounts helped steady results for the battered industry, according to monthly results released on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House stepped up efforts to build public support for a far-reaching revamp of the U.S. healthcare system on Tuesday, arguing in a new report that it would greatly improve the U.S. economy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. embassies are allowed to invite Iranian officials to their July Fourth celebrations for the first time in 30 years in a sign of Washington's effort to reach out to Tehran, the State Department said on Tuesday.

AP - Brazilian military pilots hunting Tuesday for a missing Air France jet spotted an airplane seat, an orange buoy and signs of fuel in a part of the Atlantic Ocean with depths of up to three miles. Brazil's Navy said three commercial ships in the area were joining the search and France said it would send a ship capable of deep-water exploration. A U.S. spy plane was also diverted from drug interdiction efforts to help with the effort.

AP - Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor sought Tuesday to hit back against GOP charges that she would let her background dictate her rulings, telling senators in both parties that she would follow the law as a justice.

AP - The founder of the group India blames for last year's Mumbai siege was ordered freed in a court ruling Tuesday that raised new tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors and drew criticism of Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism.

AP - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Tuesday he won't seek a third term next year, but the Republican widely regarded as a 2012 presidential contender declined to talk about his political future.

AP - Scott Roeder has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller in church. The 51-year-old Roeder was charged Tuesday and appeared in a Wichita, Kan., court via video from jail.

AP - One photo shows a chubby-cheeked boy with an impish grin. Former classmates at a Swiss boarding school describe a shy student who loved basketball and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Recent reports describe him as overweight and a heavy drinker. Now 26, Kim Jong Un has reportedly been tapped to become the next leader of nuclear-armed North Korea.

AP - A door-to-door solicitor apparently rubbed a Michigan man the wrong way, prompting him to grab a rifle and fire two shots — one of which hit his own car. Police said the 20-year-old apparently was intoxicated when the solicitor paid a visit Monday afternoon. In irritation, they said he fired once inside and once outside the suburban Detroit house.

AP - Facing match point in the quarterfinals, Maria Sharapova was no longer focused on winning her first French Open title. She merely wanted to win a game.

Reuters - Brazilian military planes spotted debris from a plane in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday in their search for the Air France jet that went missing during a storm with 228 people on board.

Reuters - General Motors Corp said it reached a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand, part of an effort to drop four unprofitable vehicle lines and leave bankruptcy as a leaner company.

Reuters - U.S. auto sales fell by about 30 percent in May from a year earlier, but aggressive discounts helped steady results for the battered industry, according to monthly results released on Tuesday.

Reuters - U.S. embassies are allowed to invite Iranian officials to their July Fourth celebrations for the first time in 30 years in a sign of Washington's effort to reach out to Tehran, the State Department said on Tuesday.

AFP - Search aircraft found debris on Tuesday believed to be from an Air France flight that disappeared over the Atlantic with 228 people on board, but officials say what brought down the plane remains a mystery.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian military planes have found the wreckage of an Air France jet that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean with 228 people on board earlier this week, the defense minister said on Tuesday.

DETROIT/NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Motors Corp said on Tuesday it reached a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand to a privately held Chinese company, part of an effort to drop four unprofitable vehicle lines and leave bankruptcy as a leaner company.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama stepped up efforts to build public support for a broad revamp of U.S. healthcare on Tuesday, saying the country could no longer afford the soaring costs of the current system that leaves millions without medical coverage.

AP - Brazilian military planes found a 3-mile (5-kilometer) path of wreckage in the Atlantic Ocean, confirming that an Air France jet carrying 228 people crashed in the sea, Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said Tuesday. Jobim told reporters in Rio de Janeiro that the discovery 'confirms that the plane went down in that area,' hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha.

AP - Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday countered Republican charges that she would let her background dictate her rulings as Americans signaled a favorable first impression of President Barack Obama's first Supreme Court choice.

AP - Al-Qaida's deputy leader on Tuesday criticized President Barack Obama's upcoming speech to the Islamic world in Cairo, saying it will not change the 'bloody messages' the U.S. military is sending Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. Al-Qaida has repeatedly lashed out at Obama since he was elected, a move some analysts believe indicates the terrorist organization is worried he will be effective in improving the U.S. image in the Muslim world.

AP - General Motors Corp. took a key step toward its downsizing on Tuesday, striking a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand to a Chinese manufacturer, while also revealing that it has potential buyers for its Saturn and Saab brands.

AP - The final score of Maria Sharapova's stunning loss in the French Open quarterfinals Tuesday did not look quite as embarrassing as it nearly did:

Reuters - Brazilian military planes have found the wreckage of an Air France jet that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean with 228 people on board earlier this week, the defense minister said on Tuesday.

Reuters - General Motors Corp said on Tuesday it reached a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand to a privately held Chinese company, part of an effort to drop four unprofitable vehicle lines and leave bankruptcy as a leaner company.

Reuters - President Barack Obama stepped up efforts to build public support for a broad revamp of U.S. healthcare on Tuesday, saying the country could no longer afford the soaring costs of the current system that leaves millions without medical coverage.

AFP - Brazil's government confirmed late Tuesday that debris spotted by aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean came from an Air France flight carrying 228 people that disappeared the day before.

AP - An airplane seat, a fuel slick and pieces of white debris scattered over three miles of open ocean marked the site in the mid-Atlantic Tuesday where Air France Flight 447 plunged to its doom, Brazil's defense minister said.

AP - A Yemeni detainee at Guantanamo Bay has died of an apparent suicide, U.S. military officials said Tuesday. His is the fifth apparent suicide at the offshore U.S. prison, which President Barack Obama hopes to close by January. The Joint Task Force that runs the U.S. prison in Cuba said guards found Muhammad Ahmad Abdallah Salih unresponsive and not breathing in his cell Monday night.

AP - President Barack Obama is leaving the door open to taxing health care benefits, something he campaigned hard against while running for president. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., raised the issue with Obama during a private meeting Tuesday with the president and other Democratic senators and later reported the president's response: 'It's on the table. It's an option.'

AP - A man has been arrested for the 153rd time, this time after he was accused of punching someone in the face over the weekend. Paul Baldwin, 49, told a judge Monday he plans to plead guilty to the assault, along with trespassing and alcohol charges. He said he's had a long battle with alcohol and was trying to correct the problem during his most recent one-year jail term, which ended last week.

AFP - Brazil confirmed Tuesday that a five-kilometer (three-mile) swath of debris floating in the Atlantic marked the spot where an Air France flight carrying 228 people came down in mysterious circumstances.

AFP - President Barack Obama embarked on his first regional Middle East mission Tuesday, seeking Arab backing for his bid to revive peace moves while a US confrontation steadily builds with Israel.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian military planes found wreckage on Tuesday from an Air France jet that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean with 228 people aboard, the airline's worst disaster in its 75-year history.

AP - Maybe these bees were too tired to fly for themselves. A gang of honeybees landed on the wing of a plane used for flight school training at Beverly Airport. At first, the 10,000 or so bees swarmed over the left side of the aircraft, then landed on top of the left wing. The owner of the flight center called police, who said to call local bee removal expert Al Wilkins.

AP - Roy Halladay struck out a career-high 14 to win his major league-leading ninth game, Alex Rios backed him with a home run and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Angels 6-4 on Tuesday night.

DETROIT/NEW YORK (Reuters) - General Motors Corp said on Tuesday it reached a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand to a privately held Chinese heavy machinery maker, part of an effort to drop four unprofitable vehicle lines and leave bankruptcy as a leaner company.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama stepped up efforts to build public support for a broad revamp of U.S. healthcare on Tuesday, saying the country could no longer afford the soaring costs of the current system that leaves millions without medical coverage.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc employees could be shouting the retailer's corporate cheer with renewed vigor at this year's annual meeting.

Reuters - General Motors Corp said on Tuesday it reached a tentative deal to sell its Hummer brand to a privately held Chinese heavy machinery maker, part of an effort to drop four unprofitable vehicle lines and leave bankruptcy as a leaner company.

Reuters - President Barack Obama stepped up efforts to build public support for a broad revamp of U.S. healthcare on Tuesday, saying the country could no longer afford the soaring costs of the current system that leaves millions without medical coverage.

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc employees could be shouting the retailer's corporate cheer with renewed vigor at this year's annual meeting.

AFP - Navy ships were due to arrive at a zone in the Atlantic off Brazil's coast where an Air France plane carrying 228 people crashed this week, as investigators focused on finding answers to the tragedy.