World

Many different Middle Eastern cultures claim to have invented the kebab.

In Iraq, Laying Claim To The Kebab

9:54pm August 13, 2013

by Kelly McEvers

The Iraqis, among many other Middle Easterners, believe they invented the kebab. The skewered meat dish appears as early as the 9th century in a book from the southern city of Basra called The Book of Misers.

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Cecile Kyenge's appointment in April as integration minister was hailed as a landmark for diversity in Italy. But since then, she's been the target of death threats and vicious racial slurs.

World News

Italy's First Black Minister Finds Herself A Target Of Slurs

6:31pm August 13, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

Congo-born Cecile Kyenge's appointment in April as integration minister was hailed as a landmark for diversity. Instead, the mood of racial progress in Italy has suffered. The debate highlights growing intolerance and what the prime minister has called a shameful chapter for the country.

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The Angolan exhibit consists of tall stacks of large photographic posters by artist Edson Chagas. The country, which is exhibiting at Venice for the first time, won the Golden Lion award for best national pavilion.

Art In Context: Venice Biennale Looks Past Pop Culture

11:56am August 12, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

Every two years, Venice hosts the largest and oldest noncommercial art exhibit in the world. It's a dizzying and eclectic array of sights by both celebrity artists and total unknowns. More than 150 artists from 88 countries will be on display through November.

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Too Much, Too Fast: China Sees Backlash From Massive Growth

11:25am August 12, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

Years of rapid industrial expansion have left many parts of China contending with thick smog and dirty water. The move comes at a time when China is trying to shift away from the investment-led economic model that has generated such dizzying growth in recent years, but the global economic downturn has made the transition a lot more challenging.

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Palestinian Bashir Tamimi, 57, drinks water from a spring on land that he says belongs to his family. Teenagers from a nearby Israeli settlement built collection pools and brought in picnic tables when they saw no one using the spring. It has now become a

World News

A West Bank Spring At The Center Of Deadly Struggle

10:00am August 11, 2013

by Emily Harris

Israeli settlers turned the area near the spring into a picnic spot. A local Palestinian says the land has been in his family for generations. The fight is symbolic of the much larger battle over West Bank land.

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Kerry, Hagel Aim To Ease U.S.-Russian Tensions

7:43am August 11, 2013

by Michele Kelemen

The U.S. secretaries of state and defense met their Russian counterparts for a day of talks in Washington on Friday. They hope to find common ground despite U.S.-Russian friction over the Edward Snowden asylum case.

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Tightrope walker Andrea Loreni performs in front of the Coliseum in Rome on Saturday. Rome's new mayor is on a crusade to make the ancient monuments more pedestrian friendly, and the city held an all-night street party as it permanently blocked off part o

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Rome's New Mayor Wants The Monuments Pedestrian Friendly

9:38pm August 09, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

Many cities hold arts festivals during the summer. Rome joined the party last Saturday as part of a larger effort to radically revamp traffic and make the area around the Coliseum and other monuments more welcoming for pedestrians.

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As Ramadan Winds Down, Tensions Ramp Up In Egypt

5:45pm August 09, 2013

by Merrit Kennedy

Muslims are feasting at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, usually a time of peace and fraternity. But in Egypt, tension is building after the failure of international mediation efforts between the interim government and supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi. The Prime Minister has said he's losing patience and they plan to disperse the ongoing sit-ins. Morsi's supporters are vowing to stay in the streets, building barricades and stocking up on supplies in preparation for whatever comes next.

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July Was Iraq's Deadliest Month In Five Years

5:45pm August 09, 2013

Melissa Block talks to Tim Arango, Baghdad bureau chief for The New York Times, about increasing violence in Iraq.

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Democracy demonstrators wave the Burmese flag in August 1988, when millions of Burmese took to the streets. Students led the protests, but were soon joined by civil servants, police, soldiers and ordinary citizens.

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As Myanmar Opens Up, A Look Back On A 1988 Uprising

2:21pm August 09, 2013

by Radio Diaries

The country also known as Burma is emerging from decades of authoritarian rule. But 25 years ago, in the middle of that dark period, there were six weeks of hope. Demonstrations brought millions onto the streets until a harsh crackdown left thousands dead and landed thousands more in prison.

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