Lighting of Empire State Building with Chinese colors angers critics of Communist state

September 30th, 2009 Empire State Building honors China, riling criticsNEW YORK — Critics of China's communist government are protesting plans to light the top of New York's Empire State Building red and yellow to honor that nation's 60th anniversary. Several supporters of Tibet protested Wednesday outside the iconic building, where a lighting ceremony is planned.

September 30th, 2009 Empire State Building lit for China, drawing ireNEW YORK — Red and yellow lights shone from the top of the Empire State Building at dusk Wednesday, a tribute to communist China's 60th anniversary that protesters labeled "blatant approval" of totalitarianism and criticized as inappropriate for an icon in the land of the free. The building is routinely lit with different colors to mark holidays and big events, but opponents questioned whether it's right to commemorate a sensitive political issue, particularly when China has such a poor human rights record.

September 18th, 2009 HONG KONG - A single Chinese stamp with a face value of 3 cents has sold for a world record $332,000 at a Hong Kong auction, a news report said Saturday. The 1897 Qing dynasty stamp was bought by a Beijing collector at an auction Friday and set a new world record for a single Chinese stamp, the South China Morning Post reported.

September 14th, 2009 Arizona in the fall: Good weather and fall colorsFLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The weather's good, the landscape ranges from grasslands to canyons and mountains, and the foliage is beautiful too: That's Arizona in the fall.

September 10th, 2009 Chinese gov't to finance rest of Revel's AC casinoATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Revel Entertainment has turned to the Chinese government for financing to finish its lavish Atlantic City casino.

September 10th, 2009 Chinese govt to help finish Revel's AC casinoATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Revel Entertainment has turned to the Chinese government for help finishing the lavish casino it is building on Atlantic City's Boardwalk.

September 4th, 2009 Photo shows Fidel Castro outside, in dress shirtHAVANA — Cuban state media have released a second recent photo showing Fidel Castro in regular civilian clothing instead of the track suits that he commonly wore after falling ill in July 2006. In the picture, the 83-year-old Castro is shaking hands with the visiting head of the Chinese parliament in the walled backyard of an undisclosed home.

August 8th, 2009 The portable Castro: Cuba issues Fidel dictionaryHAVANA —Cubans accustomed to hourslong speeches, thousand-word essays and lengthy interviews can now get Fidel Castro at a glance, thanks to a new dictionary of El Comandante's teachings. "Unemployment" and "History" are among the myriad words for which the 339-page paperback provides definitions — based on snippets of speeches, columns and statements dispensed by Castro during the 49 years he governed the communist-run island.

July 21st, 2009 Australian FM hopes to discuss Australian's arrestCANBERRA, Australia — Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Tuesday that he hoped to discuss with his Chinese counterpart this week the arrest of an Australian mining executive accused by China of stealing state secrets. Smith flies to Thailand on Tuesday for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum.

July 21st, 2009 Australian FM hopes to discuss Rio case with ChinaCANBERRA, Australia — Australia's foreign minister said Tuesday he hopes to discuss the detention of an Australian mining executive accused by China of stealing state secrets with his Chinese counterpart this week. Stephen Smith flew to Thailand on Tuesday for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting that China will be participating in.

July 7th, 2009 Curfew declared in restive Chinese regionURUMQI, China — Chinese state media say that the government in the restive western region of Xinjiang has declared a curfew following the violence of recent days that has killed at least 156 people and paralyzed the main city of Urumqi. The official Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday that the curfew from 9 p.m.

July 4th, 2009 Iconic skyscrapers find new luster by going greenNEW YORK — When owners of the Empire State Building decided to blanket its towering facade this year with thousands of insulating windows, they were only partly interested in saving energy. They also needed tenants.

June 1st, 2009 Vandals hurl paint-filled balloons at Rome museumROME — Vandals threw paint-filled balloons at a controversial museum designed by U.S. architect Richard Meier overnight, splashing the red and green colors of the Italian flag against the outside white wall, police said.

June 1st, 2009 Rome's Ara Pacis museum vandalizedROME — Vandals threw paint-filled balloons at a controversial museum designed by U.S. architect Richard Meier overnight, splashing the red and green colors of the Italian flag against the outside white wall, police said.

April 27th, 2009 Chinese massacre movie reports strong openingHONG KONG — A new movie backed by the Chinese government about Japanese atrocities during the World War II-era "Nanking Massacre" earned a strong $10 million in its opening week, its director said Monday. "City of Life and Death" deals with the sensitive topic of the 1937 rampage in the eastern city now known as Nanjing.