AP - Vice President Dick Cheney asserted Tuesday that the situation in Iraq is continually getting better, taking on war critics while acknowledging misgivings many Americans have about the administration's strategy.

AFP - Chinese gamers who frequently adopt flamboyant alter egos for their online contests will soon be forced to reveal their true identities in a bid to stop youngsters from spending too much time in the virtual world.

AP - A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee has been charged with taking bribes from an apartment rental agent in Kuwait in exchange for signing leases to house military employees there.

Reuters - Josie Phyllis Brown never had a chance against her 6-foot-6-inch (2-meter) killer, although his stature was one of the few things she should have known from his Internet profile.

Reuters - DaimlerChrysler (DCXGn.DE) expects its ailing Smart small-car brand to break even next year, according to the car maker's finance chief.

AP - Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans Tuesday to step up energy supplies to China with a gas pipeline opening within five years, but there was no word of an agreement to build a separate pipeline sought by Beijing to deliver Siberian oil to the energy-hungry country.

The Chinese and Russian presidents pledge closer economic ties during talks in Beijing.

AFP - Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian assured the United States he would not push for independence during the rest of his term, after his decision to scrap a unification council touched nerves in Washington and Beijing.

Reuters - China and Russia have common ideas on a resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

Reuters - China hit back at the United States on Tuesday for a White House national security report that criticized its military buildup and trade policies, saying the remarks were "groundless" and harmed relations.

Reuters - Austria's football league has overturned a player's bizarre sending-off for wearing jewellery but ruled that league leaders Austria Magna's 3-0 defeat away to title rivals Salzburg should stand.

AFP - Mark and Steve Waugh spring to mind, as do Michael and Ralf Schumacher.

AP - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Tuesday for a visit to China that is to include talks on building a pipeline to deliver Siberian oil to fuel China's booming economy — and his fifth meeting in under a year with the Chinese president.

Reuters - President Vladimir Putin brought Russia's top energy chiefs to Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Chinese leaders who have signaled their frustration at a lack of progress in boosting Russian oil and gas imports.

AFP - Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing to begin a two-day state visit likely to be dominated by bargaining on China's insistent demand for new energy supplies and Russia's push to secure more Chinese investment in other sectors.

Danielle George - AHN Staff Reporter Beijing, China (AHN) - Industry juggernaut, Wal-Mart, will increase its staff by 150,000 in China over the next five years. As the world's largest retailer, the company already has 56 stores in China and plans to open 20 more over the next year. Domestic...

Yvonne Lee - AHN Staff Reporter Los Angeles, California (AHN) - Early estimates indicate that "V for Vendetta" earns the most money at the box office this weekend, taking in more than $26.1 million. The action/adventure film stars Natalie Portman as Evey, who shaves her head on film for the...

AFP - Stephen Fleming led New Zealand to an emphatic 10-wicket victory over the West Indies on the fourth day of the second cricket Test, to wrap up the series 2-0 with a game to spare here.

AP - Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp. raised its group net profit outlook Monday for the year ending March 31on brisk sales of its electrical systems, industrial automation equipment and mobile phones.