President George W. Bush opened a massive new US embassy in Beijing on Friday, one of America`s ...

BEIJING, August 6, 2008 (AFP) - As the waves of tourists converge on Beijing for the Olympics, they will look up to see a stunning new skyline that China's leaders hope will showcase the nation as a modern world power.

Thirty years ago the city was a poverty stricken backwater studded by a few dull Stalinist monuments grafted onto an ancient and decaying imperial capital.

LONDON, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Families of the victims of the July 7, 2005 London bombings unveiled plans on Friday for a memorial of stainless steel pillars representing each of the 52 innocent victims.

BRIGHTON, July 29, 2008 (AFP) - With colourful arcades, dizzing rides and rich-smelling food stalls, the English pier has long been a key part of a British seaside holiday -- but this summer could be its busiest for years.

NEW YORK, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) showcases the inspiration the Big Apple exerted on the world's top architects in the 1970s through a collection of drawings, projects and scale models reflecting both the pragmatic and utopian views of the city.

WESTON-SUPER-MARE, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - An inferno laid waste Monday to a historic pier in the southwest English resort of Weston-Super-Mare, dealing a further hammer blow to the seaside town's economy.

About 30 firefighters fought the massive blaze at the part-wooden Grand Pier, but there were no immediate reports of any injuries, Avon Fire and Rescue said.

LONDON, July 28, 2008 (AFP) - A major fire laid waste Monday to a historic pier in the southwest English seaside resort of Weston-Super-Mare, the local fire service said.

Around 30 firefighters fought the massive blaze at the ornate pier, which opened in 1904, but there were no immediate reports of any injuries, Avon Fire and Rescue said.

TALLINN, July 24, 2008 (AFP) - An Estonian architectural group Thursday said it would use a showcase architectural exhibition to spotlight a controversial pipeline that a Russian-German consortium plans to build under the Baltic Sea.

BRATISLAVA, July 22, 2008 (AFP) - The mayor of Bratislava announced Tuesday that the Slovakian's capital's 'Old Bridge', a 118-year-old city icon that spans the Danube, is to undergo a costly reconstruction starting next year.

DUBLIN, July 17, 2008 (AFP) - U2 megastars Bono and the Edge have won a green light for a controversial Dublin hotel project designed by renowned architect Norman Foster, they said Thursday.