Six top Paris hotels fined on pricing

Six of the most prestigious luxury hotels in Paris, The Hotel de Crillon, the Four Seasons Hotel George V, the Hotel Ritz, the Hotel Plaza Athenee, the Hotel Meurice and Hotel Le Bristol were fined on Nov. 29 by the French Competition council for collusion and illegal price-fixing. The fines for the hotels ranged from 248,000 euros (291,000 USD) for the Hotel de Crillon built in 1758 for Louis XV, the highest, to 55,000 euros (64,000 USD) for the Hotel Meurice. Photo taken on June 16, 2004 shows the facade of the Hotel de Crillon in Paris.

Christmas tree collects funds for charity

Photo taken on Nov. 27, 2005 shows a "Christmas tree" decorated with some 10,000 bulbs lightening during a charity activity at the Johannesburg Zoo in South Africa's Johannesburg. As the major part of a charity activity named the Tree of Light, the "Christmas tree" made by bulbs that cost about eight US dollars each, collected funds for the local philanthropy.

Quake relief in full swing in Jiangxi

A local woman strokes a makeshift cotton tent on the People's Square in the quake-striken Ruichang City, east China's Jiangxi Province, Nov. 28, 2005. About 7,000 tents have been transported to the disaster area.

"Memoirs of a Geisha" promoted in Tokyo

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi poses for a photo in Tokyo, capital of Japan, Nov. 28, 2005. A dream team of movie stars from China and Japan gathered in Tokyo on Monday to promote "Memoirs of a Geisha," the first big-budget Hollywood romance to feature an almost entirely Asian cast. Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh played leading roles in the film.

Shenzhou-6 delegation visits Chinese University of Hong Kong

Hu Shixiang (C), head of the delegation and deputy chief commander of China's manned spaceflight project, Fei Junlong (1st L) and Nie Haisheng (1st R), astronauts of China's second manned space mission Shenzhou-6 meet with local students and teachers in the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in Hong Kong, south China, Nov. 28, 2005.

Chinese naval fleet arrives in India for friendly visit

Indian naval officers salute to the visiting fleet of the Chinese navy in Indian's port Cochin on Nov. 28, 2005. The naval fleet, composed of a Shenzhen missile destroyer and a Weishanhu depot ship, arrived in Cochin on Monday, starting a three-day friendly visit in India.

Trial of Saddam postponed to Dec. 5

The trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his seven aides was adjourned till Dec. 5, the chief judge announced on Monday. Photo shows Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (R) speaks to Presiding Judge in Baghdad Nov. 28.

134 confirmed dead in Heilongjiang coal mine blast

A trapped miner of Dongfeng Coal Mine is carried out by his fellow workers in Qitaihe City of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province Nov. 28, 2005. Altogether 221 miners were working underground when a blast went off in Dongfeng Coal Mine run by the Qitaihe branch of the Longmei Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. at 9:40 p.m. Sunday at Dongfeng Coal Mine. A 269-member rescue team has rescued 72 miners after the blast. By 8 p.m. Monday, the death toll rose to 134, and 15 were missing.

EU and Mediterranean states summit

British Prime Minister Tony Blair (front L) and the EU Council Secretary-General Javier Solana Madariaga (front R) attend the European Union (EU) and Mediterranean states summit in Spain's Barcelona on Nov. 27, 2005. Twenty-five members of EU with ten Mediterranean partners attended the first Euro-Med summit on Sunday. During this summit, leaders came together to assess progress so far and saw what more could be done. Combating terrorism and controlling immigration, as well as democracy and trade issue, were scheduled to top the agenda.

Chinese leaders meet Mongolian President in Beijing

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L) holds a welcome ceremony for Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 28, 2005.