China -- showing its displeasure with the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan this week -- has canceled upcoming trips to the island by top state officials, state-run media reported. Beijing has accused the exiled Tibetan leader of making his visit for political reasons. China's response appeared to be measured, because not all cross-strait events have been canceled. Several new direct flights between the mainland and Taiwan started this week. The Dalai Lama has maintained that he is in Taiwan only ...

Bill strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm early Wednesday as it churned far from land with maximum sustained winds near 135 mph. At 5 a.m. ET, Bill was centered about 460 miles east of the Leeward Islands, and more than 1,100 miles southeast of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters expected Bill to maintain its intensity, while turning more to northwest on Wednesday. "On this track, the core of this dangerous hurricane will be passing well to ...

Known for building skate parks and shaping the skateboarding scene in New York, Andy Kessler, 48, died this week after an allergic reaction to an insect sting, friends and family told news media. Kessler's death is a reminder that stings can be deadly for those with an allergy to certain insects, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology said Friday. At least 40 people in the United States die each year as the result of insect stings, ...

Four NATO service members -- three Britons and one American -- were killed Thursday in separate attacks in southern Afghanistan, according to NATO and Britain's Defence Ministry said. Two suicide bombers with explosive vests carried out the attack at a cafe in Sinjar, a town west of Mosul. Later Thursday, two people were killed and 13 were wounded in a motorcycle bombing in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood of southern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said. In Sinjar, many ...

Sen. Jim Webb will meet with leaders of Myanmar's military junta this week when he stops off in the reclusive country during a two-week, five-nation tour of Asia, his office announced Wednesday. The Virginia Democrat will be the first member of Congress to visit Myanmar in more than a decade. The visit will also be the first time a top U.S. official meets with Myanmar's top official, junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe. Webb is chairman ...

Canada is preparing to launch its toughest offensive to date against the Buy-American provision in President Barrack Obama's $787-billion stimulus package. But protectionist sentiment in the U.S. will make it difficult for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to make much headway when the two leaders meet next week at a North-American summit in Guadalajara, Mexico, even with the help of a new bargaining chip. Harper and his trade Minister Stockwell Day scored an important victory Friday when provincial premiers ...

More than 20 horses were intentionally poisoned with toxic leaves in southern California this week, authorities said Friday.

At 4 p.m. the Iranian government broke up an attempted memorial service at a cemetery, but very soon after, tens of thousands of protesters poured into the streets of central Tehran the night of July 30, overwhelming Iran's feared security forces. The crowds burned tires, honked horns, waved peace signs and chanted, "Death to the dictators." Because the demonstrators gathered in several neighborhoods throughout the capital as well as at the country's largest cemetery, 20 km south of the ...

Don't you just love a parade? Apparently the Obama administration does too, as evidenced by the steady stream of top U.S. officials visiting Israel this week. A bevy of heavy hitters are there, the likes of which haven't been seen since the Persian Gulf War. Just as Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrapped up his meetings there, Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell arrived for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mitchell will be followed later this week by national ...

Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend of two years, New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, are going their separate ways, the reality star's rep confirms to PEOPLE. The pair, who recently returned from a charity trip to Africa with Kardashian's sister Khloe, just last May talked about "heading" toward marriage, but sources tell PEOPLE their relationship suffered from the time they spent apart ­with yet another separation looming with the upcoming NFL season. "They never get to see ...