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.

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.

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 - 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 said Tuesday, including the still violent insurgent holdout of Mosul.

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.

Reuters - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has signaled the anointment of his youngest son as heir to the ruling family dynasty, South Korean media said on Tuesday as the rival Koreas built up their forces along a disputed sea border.

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

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.

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

AP - In a new overture to Iran, the Obama administration has authorized U.S. embassies around the world to invite Iranian officials to Independence Day parties they host on or around July 4th.

AP - President Barack Obama picked a Republican congressmen to be the next secretary of the Army Tuesday, bringing another member of the opposition into his administration's fold.