Xinhua News Agency

Poking around a pirate DVD shop down the block from the Apple Store in central Beijing one recent afternoon on her lunch break, Zhou Xin eyed the floor-to-ceiling selection of Oscar-nominated films, indie flicks and B-movies such as "Nude Nuns With Big Guns" before grabbing a sleek copy of "Black Swan," complete with a blurb in English and Mandarin, for closer inspection. "It looks creepy," said the 26-year-old, who works in public relations. She replaced it on the shelf and picked up "The Social Network," which she purchased for eight yuan, or about $1.22.

China has concluded its investigation into the "mistakes" of former Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang, 73, and confirms its decision to dismiss him from his top posts, the official Xinhua news agency said.

A freight train derailed Friday in Shanghai and crushed seven houses, killing eight people and injuring 10 others, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

A Chinese airliner crashed into a lake on its second attempted takeoff from China's northwestern city of Yinchuan Friday, killing 59 people, including a Briton, the official Xinhua news agency said.

As the Supreme Court hears arguments over gay marriage, the debate over the rights of couples of the same sex has also reverberated around the globe. Wedding bells are still a distant dream for gays and lesbians in many countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East, where couples of the same sex often face persecution and arrest. In the Sudan, for instance, sodomy--a catchall category that encompasses gay and lesbian sex--is punishable by death after multiple offenses. Saudi Arabia whips or sometimes stones to death people for the same crime, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

A 19-year-old panda has given birth to her 13th cub at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center in China, setting a new record for fertility among the rare animals, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

China raised its 1984 estimate of new coal reserves to 10.2 billion tons. The government said the revision brings its total estimate to more than 780 billion metric tons, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

China announced a ban Friday on dumping radioactive waste at sea and said it would phase out sea disposal of industrial waste. The ban takes effect today, the official Xinhua News Agency said. China previously allowed dumping of low-level radioactive waste at sea with government permission.

A $215-million Hello Kitty theme park celebrating the cute cartoon cat with a cult-like following will open in China in 2014. Photos : Hello Kitty theme park rides and attractions Construction is expected to begin in July on the 150-acre theme park in China's Zhejiang province, about three hours west of Shanghai, according to China's Xinhua news agency. Plans for the first Hello Kitty theme park outside Japan closely follow the recent announcement of Shanghai Disneyland , set to open in late 2015 or early 2016.