By Alia IbrahimKnaisseh - For years, residents of this Lebanese village have slipped in and out of Syria over a border that was never officially marked. Even after Syria set up sand barricades in 2006 to stop smuggling, they found

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has begun a two-day visit to Sweden and Norway to discuss the crisis in the Caucasus. The German foreign ministry said Steinmeier's meetings would focus on finding ways for the international community to foster long-term

Afghanistan has mobilised 7,000 police officers in the capital Kabul ahead of Monday's Independence Day celebrations after a wave of violence killed at least 60 people in a series of clashes across the country's south. In the worst incident government

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As soaring home prices set the stage for America's great housing meltdown, a critical step in making sure those home sales were a fair deal - the real estate appraisal - was undermined from within.

tags: West 66th street/Lincoln Center Subway Art, Artemis, Acrobats, Divas and Dancers, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC Artemis, Acrobats, Divas and Dancers.Artist: Nancy Spero, 1999. Installed 2004.West 66th Street/Lincoln Center Subway tile mosaic art #37as seen at

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Carl Edwards sent a not-so-subtle message to Kyle Busch Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

The secretary general of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change says he believes a power-sharing deal with the country's ruling party will be reached soon. Tendai Biti was speaking after the end of a two-day regional summit held in Johannesburg.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for the speedy withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia. The German leader met Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, for talks amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the crisis in the Caucasus. At their joint press

Iran says it has sent its first dummy satellite into space using a domestically built rocket. The Safir, or Ambassador, satellite launcher was tested in anticipation of sending up another satellite at a later date which is to gather atmospheric

BEIJING -- Michael Phelps kept every swimsuit, every cap, every pair of goggles he wore during nine magical days at the Water Cube. Every memory will be savored, too, from goofing off with his U.S. teammates to bowing his head

BELLEVILLE, Pa. -- The folks in this picturesque mountain community with red barns and Amish buggies have been voting overwhelmingly Republican in national elections for decades.

CRAWFORD, Texas -- The United States on Sunday accused Russia of stalling its military pullback in Georgia, but the Bush administration is not rushing to repudiate Moscow for its actions.

tags: book review, economic insecurity, politics, social programs, insurance, poverty, employment, education, housingWhat ever happened to the American Dream? Well, if you are like me, you will admit that your pursuit of the American Dream is like chasing after a

IRVINE, Calif. -- A former Marine sergeant facing the first federal civilian prosecution of a military member accused of a war crime says there is much more at stake than his claim of innocence on charges that he killed unarmed

tags: new bird species, African forest robin, Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus, Gamba Complex, Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, ornithology, birds, avian, Smithsonian, bpr3.org/?p=52A male specimen of the newly-discovered olive-backed forest robin, Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus, is carefully examined in the hand of Brian Schmidt, the Smithsonian

tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books"One cannot have too many good bird books"--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).Here's this week's issue of the Birdbooker Report by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, which lists ecology,

tags: Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus, birds, nature, Image of the DayLong-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus, at Bolivar Flats, Texas. Image: Joseph Kennedy, 25 July 2008 [larger view]. Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1600s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400. Read

American swimmer Michael Phelps entered history on Sunday, to become the first man to win eight gold medals at the same Olympics. He was on the US team which won the men's 4x100m medley relay in a new world record

NEW YORK -- Fewer Americans are reading newspapers and are instead getting their news online, but television remains the leading source of news in the country, according to a survey released Sunday.

PHOENIX -- An earthen dam broke near the Grand Canyon early Sunday after heavy rains that forced officials to pluck hundreds of residents and campers from the gorge by helicopter. No injuries were immediately reported.