Surprise Rodin bronze part of $2M restoration for New York lighthouse honoring French explorer

October 5th, 2009 Spooky lighthouses, from Oregon to FloridaBIRMINGHAM, Ala. — No such thing as ghosts, right? But a lonely lighthouse can look a little spooky on a foggy coastline above the pounding waves.

September 12th, 2009 Calif. gov hails 2 firefighters killed in LA blazeLOS ANGELES — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined thousands of firefighters from around the country in honoring two veteran firemen who died last month fighting the largest wildfire in Los Angeles County history.

September 10th, 2009 Biden to mark Sept. 11 anniversary in New YorkWASHINGTON — The White House says Vice President Joe Biden will travel to New York on Friday to mark the anniversary of the Sept.

July 11th, 2009 Central Park's stolen bronze eagles finally homeNEW YORK — Two bronze eagles stolen from Central Park more than 30 years ago by a drug dealer who used them to store his stash are finally back at home. Prosecutors say the statues were stolen from the City Employees War Memorial at the Mall in the mid-1970s.

June 29th, 2009 Clinton urges restoration of order in HondurasWASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the United States believes the unrest in Honduras "has evolved into a coup" and that officials believe the situation needs close watching. Clinton said Monday a delegation from the Organization of American States will be heading to Honduras as early as Tuesday "to begin working with the parties" on the restoration of constitutional government there.

May 14th, 2009 Restoration done at Truman's Little White HouseKEY WEST, Fla. — A seven-year, nearly $1 million restoration of President Harry Truman's Little White House in South Florida is complete.

April 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's Gagan Narang won the bronze in 10-metre air rifle event in the shooting World Cup in Changwon, South Korea, Friday. Gagan was eighth and the last to qualify for the final after he shot 594 out of 600.

March 2nd, 2009 BEIJING - A Chinese man, who successfully bid for two looted bronze sculptures auctioned in Paris last week, says the winning bid will not be paid. Cai Mingchao, a collection adviser of National Treasures Fund, bid 31.49 million euros ($39.63 million) by telephone during the auction at Christie's Feb 25, Niu Xianfeng, deputy director of the fund, said at a press conference Monday.

February 27th, 2009 LONDON - China warned of 'consequences' after two bronze artefacts taken from a Chinese palace 150 years ago were auctioned off by Christie's in Paris Wednesday. In an unusually strong statement, China said it condemned and did not recognise the sale of the bronze rat and rabbit, which were sold for $39 million as part of the estate of the late French designer Yves Saint Laurent.

February 26th, 2009 BEIJING - China has condemned the auction in Paris of two bronze sculptures that were taken from its Summer Palace in 1860 and said it would have 'serious effects on Christie's development in China'. China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) issued a statement here Thursday condemning the sale of the two sculptures.

February 15th, 2009 LONDON - Mexican actress Salma Hayek has married on-off fiancé Francois-Henri Pinaul in a surprise ceremony in Paris on Valentine's Day. The Mexican actress, 42, and the French billionaire, 46, married in the City Hall in the St.

January 27th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Wednesday requested the central government to award the Padma Bhushan to Olympic bronze medal winner Vijender Kumar and others who performed well at the 2008 Beijing games since they were left out of the national honours list this year. Hooda appealed to the centre that Vijender Kumar as well as boxers Akhil Kumar and Jatinder Kumar, and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt - all of whom made it to the quarterfinal events in respective categories in the 2008 Olympics - be suitably honoured.

January 27th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Wednesday wanted the Padma Bhushan for Olympic bronze medal winner Vijender Kumar and others who performed well at the 2008 Beijing games since they were left out of the national honours list this year. Hooda appealed to the union government that Vijender Kumar as well as boxers Akhil Kumar and Jatinder Kumar, and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt - all of whom made it to the quarterfinal events in respective categories in the 2008 Olympics - be suitably honoured.

January 23rd, 2009 BEIJING - China has said that it would not try to buy back two looted bronze relics that are to be auctioned in February by Christie's. The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) bronze rabbit and rat heads once decorated Yuanmingyuan, Beijing's Imperial Summer Palace.

January 8th, 2009 PUDUCHERRY - A 172-year-old disused lighthouse on the seafront here came ablaze with light in the New Year as it became the venue for an exhibition on oceanic culture and the Indian diaspora. The exhibition revealed little known facts about Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry) as one of the ancient port cities of India, and its role as an important embarkation port for the thousands of Indians who migrated to colonies around the world.