Search results for

The Bush administration realizes that Syria is one key to a peaceful resolution of the current conflict in the Middle East. But the president has so far refused to talk directly with the government in Damascus. Instead, the U.S. has decided to try and put pressure on Syria through other Mideast governments.

An offensive in Afghanistan targets fighters loyal to the ousted Taliban regime. A U.S.-led coalition hits two camps in southern Afghanistan hard. Financial Times correspondent Rachel Moragee sets the scene for John Ydstie.

A group of foreign ministers makes urgent calls for a sustainable cease-fire along the Israel-Lebanon border -- and the deployment of an international force under a United Nations mandate. Many of the ministers said they wanted an immediate end to the fighting -- but they could not agree on a way to achieve that.

Two new movies, The Lake House and Wordplay, take different paths to tricky subjects. One is about playing with time, the other about playing with words.

Israel's security Cabinet authorizes another call-up of army reserves. But Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also decided against expansing ground operations. There has been a lull in the fighting in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops have sustained heavy casualties in combat with Hezbollah guerrillas.

A majority of Shiites believe that Hezbollah has won a victory. But Michael Young, Lebanese commentator and opinion editor of the Daily Star, the English language newspaper in Beirut, also hears less optimistic views, including the fear of sectarian tension in the future.

At the International Astronomical Union meeting, now underway in Prague. astronomers will vote over whether Pluto's small status should cause it to be declassifed as a planet. At left, the first-ever glimpse of Pluto's surface, taken by Hubble in 1994.

Hezbollah is being portrayed by Arab TV as the winner in its conflict with Israel. The Lebanese Shiite group, quietly backed by Iran, is seen as the first Middle Eastern group to stand up to Israel and win.

In a closely watched court case in Mississippi, a federal judge rules that a couple cannot collect damages from Hurricane Katrina's storm surge because their insurance policy excludes flood damage. The ruling could set a precedent for thousands of other cases.

For Henry Belcher, learning to dance was a snap. After a friend taught him the basics, he picked up steps from dancers at shows -- and on the streets, where he earned money for "hoofing," a form of tap dance. After a long break, Belcher is back at it.