BEIRUT, Lebanon – Israel is demanding that U.N. troops patrol the Syria-Lebanon border to prevent Hezbollah from receiving arms shipments. But even if Israel overcomes Syrian objections to the idea, policing the mostly mountainous frontier could prove nearly impossible. The controversy has developed as the United Nations tries to muster …

LOS ANGELES – Mel Gibson has admitted to making anti-Semitic remarks during his drunken driving arrest and has asked members of the Jewish community to help him recover from his alcohol addiction. “I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that …

NEW YORK – It’s one way to assure order in the court. The New York state Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics has ruled that it is permissible for judges to pack a pistol beneath their robes while on the bench. “From an ethical standpoint, there is no prohibition … barring …

WASHINGTON – Sales of existing homes fell in June for the eighth time in the past 10 months while home prices edged up at the slowest pace in more than a decade — more signs that the housing market has slowed dramatically. The National Association of Realtors reported Tuesday that …

DENVER – The streets of New York have never looked so barren. An occasional taxi or bus motors down a boulevard as people wander aimlessly among eerily vacant buildings. Soon, black helicopters loom overhead and armed soldiers close ranks on the streets below. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill video game: “Left …

BOSTON – People frequently justify spending a little more money by saying “You get what you pay for.” So when you look at laying out money and come to the conclusion “You can’t tell if you’re getting what you pay for,” there is little doubt that you’ve come face to …

KATMANDU, Nepal – Nepal‘s government and communist rebels signed a peace deal Tuesday to end a decade-long insurgency, paving the way for the guerrillas to join the country’s interim government. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist rebel leader Prachanda signed the accord at a Katmandu convention hall packed with …

NEW YORK – Nintendo Co.’s entry into the game console wars, the Wii, went on sale Sunday, and quickly sold out in many stores despite stocks that far surpassed those of the rival PlayStation 3, which went on sale two days earlier. “There were enough people in line to snap …

MOSCOW – Russian news agencies say the Kremlin is rejecting U.S. proposals for missile defense cooperation, calling them inadequate. ITAR-Tass and Interfax cite an unidentified Kremlin official as saying that Russia is prepared to work with Washington on European security questions. But the official accuses the current U.S. administration of …

Some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine: Season’s Greetings Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will deliver the annual Christmas message on Britain’s Channel 4 television network. Since its launch in 1993, the channel has offered a controversial counterpoint each year to Queen Elizabeth’s traditional Christmas greeting. But none have been as …