Over the years, Iran’s theocracy has fearlessly thumbed its nose at Israel, the United States, and the United Nations. But now Tehran has taken its row with the West a disturbing degree further. This week the Iranian government reportedly banned all works by Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian mystic and author of international bestsellers such as "The Alchemist," "Diary of a Magus," and "Veronika Decides to Die." More ›

Alleged Arizona shooter Jared Loughner used salvia, the hallucinogenic drug, according to a high-school friend of his. Obviously, Loughner was troubled. But did salvia have anything to do with it? More ›

How James Dyson Revolutionized the Vacuum

In 2002, when the average price of a vacuum was about $125, and the world was experiencing a hangover from the recent dotcom bubble, Sir James Dyson came to America to sell a vacuum cleaner. More ›

After several extensions, the U.N. Mission in Nepal charged with overseeing the country’s postwar transition says it’s packing up for good. And its scheduled departure on Jan. 15 has cast further doubt over the fate of Maoist combatants, whose confinement had been one of the few stabilizing developments in an otherwise fractious, unfulfilled peace process. More ›

In Tucson, the president dropped his soberprofessor mien, going back to his "One America" theme to deliver a speech that was among the best he’s ever given. More ›

At about the same time that Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri was meeting President Obama in Washington on Wednesday morning, trouble was brewing back home: Hizbullah and its allies withdrew 11 ministers from the cabinet, effectively causing Lebanon’s government to collapse. As political hardball goes, this is a pretty difficult move to top. More ›