Asia

Sputnik nurse Marina Bogdanova gives medications to Sergei Gaptenko, who is close to finishing treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Sometimes Gaptenko isn't at home when the nurses come to give him his daily medications, so the team has to drive aro

'Sputnik' Orbits A Russian City, Finding And Healing Tuberculosis

8:33am July 11, 2013

by Corey Flintoff

One Siberian city is tackling the problem of drug-resistant tuberculosis with a health program affectionately named for an earlier Russian innovation. In the modern Sputnik program, teams of nurses travel around the sprawling city of Tomsk, finding and treating the TB patients who are the hardest to reach.

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Lawmakers Express Concern About U.S.-Chinese Pork Deal

5:58pm July 10, 2013

by John Ydstie

The Senate Agriculture Committee met Wednesday afternoon to hear testimony about the acquisition of Smithfield Foods by a Chinese company. Smithfield CEO Larry Pope tried to defend the proposed deal, but most committee members made their opposition clear.

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Traffic passes in front of the Soria Moria Boutique Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

World News

At Cambodia Hotel, The Workers Are The Boss

12:37pm July 09, 2013

by Daniel Zwerdling

Majority ownership of the Soria Moria hotel in Siem Reap now includes all 29 full-time employees, putting control of the hotel in the hands of workers who may have never had this kind of opportunity before.

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Books
Arts

'Five Star Billionaire' Shows The Human Cost Of Progress

12:37pm July 09, 2013

by Ellah Allfrey

Tash Aw's Five Star Billionaire, set in Shanghai, explores the dynamic tumult of that city. Reviewer Ellah Allfrey says that Aw, with gentle compassion and keen understanding, shows his characters succumb to the lure of a city where everything seems possible.

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A waiter delivers glasses of wine to guests at a luxury hotel bar near the Bund in Shanghai, on Sept. 8, 2012.

World News

Gatsby-Like Extravagance And Wealth ... In Communist China

12:37pm July 09, 2013

by Frank Langfitt

The recent movie remake of The Great Gatsby hasn't opened in China yet. But the Chinese are no strangers to its themes of wealth, ambition and corruption. In fact, many Chinese argue that the excesses of America in the Roaring '20s mirror those in China today.

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World News

SoftBank Moves Closer To 78 Percent Stake In Sprint

9:48am July 04, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

SoftBank's acquisition of a majority stake in Sprint Nextel appears to have cleared a final hurdle. The FCC reportedly approved the deal on Wednesday. Regulatory approval is the last step before the mega deal can be completed.

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Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been under fire for working with the government on a number of issues. Here, she meets in March with protesters who oppose a copper mine backed by Chinese investors. She supports the mining project.

World News

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi Walks Fine Line In Her New Role

10:26pm July 03, 2013

by Anthony Kuhn

The Myanmar opposition leader is being criticized for cooperating with the former military rulers who kept her under house arrest for nearly two decades. But supporters say she is trying to show she has what it takes to lead the nation.

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World News

Hopes And Fears For The Future Of The World, With Ted Koppel

10:49am June 28, 2013

The conflict in Syria rages on, the United States' relationship with Iran remains strained, and China is taking hold as an emerging superpower. As part of TOTN's "Looking Ahead" series, NPR commentator Ted Koppel looks to the future of international relations.

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A steamroller tries to flatten tusks, without much luck.

World News

Philippines Pulverizes Ivory To Discourage Traffickers

6:18pm June 22, 2013

The Philippines is a stopover for dealers trying to unload illegal ivory into the Asian black market. On Friday, the government destroyed 5 pounds of confiscated ivory.

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World News

India Revives An Ancient University

10:59am June 22, 2013

At one time, Nalanda University was a prestigious center of learning that attracted scholars from all over Asia. But after it was destroyed in the late 1100s, it languished. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks with Nobel economist Amartya Sen about plans to revive the ancient university as a collaborative school between several Asian nations.

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