World News

The Ethiopian government has set up about a dozen vaccination booths along its thousand-mile border with Somalia.

Violence, Chaos Let Polio Creep Back Into Syria And Horn Of Africa

6:27pm October 31, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

The number of polio cases globally sank to an all-time low in 2012. But outbreaks in Syria and Somalia this year are jeopardizing efforts to eradicate the virus. A recent visit to the Somali-Ethiopian border highlights just how easily polio can regain a foothold in rural, insecure communities.

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Ricker's grilled eggplant salad with egg and dried shrimp.

How A Portland Cook Became A 'Proud Copycat' Of Thai Food

10:48am October 31, 2013

by Joel Rose

Andy Ricker spent years eating in roadside restaurants, noodle stands and home kitchens across Thailand before opening his first restaurant, Pok Pok, in Portland, Ore. But he avoids using words like "traditional" and "authentic" when talking about this food. He'd rather call it "accurate."

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A Marmaray Project train awaits its inauguration ceremony in Istanbul on Tuesday.

World News

Ottoman Dream Come True: Train Links East And West In Istanbul

9:04pm October 30, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

Istanbul inaugurated the world's first continent-connecting train line this week. It's not the Orient Express, but the subway does make real an idea first proposed in the mid-19th century.

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Demonstrators who are critical of the Catholic Church and favor abortion rights take part in a protest in Rio de Janeiro during Pope Francis' visit to Brazil on July 27. Abortion is illegal in Brazil with rare exceptions. Some lawmakers are attempting to

World News

Brazil's Restrictions On Abortion May Get More Restrictive

12:15pm October 29, 2013

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Latin America has some of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the world. Many countries in the region have a total ban. In Brazil, abortion is illegal, but there are some exceptions. A new bill is trying to roll those exceptions back.

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World News

Ethnic Divisions In Russia Grow Sharper

10:12am October 28, 2013

Police in Moscow have been rounding up hundreds of migrant workers after an ethnic riot in the southern part of the city. Thousands of ethnic Slavic men rioted after an ethnic Slav was murdered — allegedly by a migrant from the North Caucasus region. Migrants from southern Russia and the Central Asian republics are routinely blamed for crimes in the Russian capital.

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Candidates for town council Michal Chernovitsky (left) and Adina Ruhamkin campaign in a park in El'ad, or Forever God, a small religious community in Israel. They could be the first women on El'ad's council, and the first ultra-Orthodox women to win publi

Election In Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Town Tests Gender Norms

8:29am October 27, 2013

by Emily Harris

"It's a new thing. I hope it will be accepted, but I'm not so sure," one resident says about women running for town council. "Here women who express themselves aren't seen as a good thing."

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A Teenage Music Phenom, Infographics, Motorcycles In Vietnam

9:45pm October 26, 2013

Ozy co-founder Carlos Watson tells NPR's Arun Rath about a teenage singer with a grown-up voice, two tutors turned bloggers, and Vietnam's Harley Davidson craze.

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Ava Gene's, a Roman-inspired restaurant in Portland, Ore., incorporates colatura, a modern descendant of ancient Roman fish sauce, into several of its dishes.

Fish Sauce: An Ancient Roman Condiment Rises Again

11:19am October 26, 2013

by Deena Prichep

We usually associate fish sauce with Southeast Asian cooking. But it turns out the briny condiment also has deep roots in Europe, dating back to the Roman Empire. What caused its decline? Historians say it boils down to taxes, and pirates.

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France's government has taken legal steps to protect the country's independent booksellers from behemoths like Amazon. It already prohibits discounts of more than 5 percent on books. Now it's considering a law that would not allow online retailers like Am

Little 'Libraires' That Could: French Law Would Keep Amazon At Bay

7:55pm October 25, 2013

by Eleanor Beardsley

A proposed law in France prevents online booksellers like Amazon from pricing books at deep discounts. It's the French government's latest effort to protect the country's many independent bookshops.

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Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's latest film, Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon, just hit cinemas in Asia.

Before Sherlock: An Ancient Chinese Sleuth's Enduring Appeal

12:19pm October 25, 2013

by Anthony Kuhn

The sleuthing exploits of Judge Dee, a character based on a seventh-century Chinese official, are gripping new audiences as new generations of writers, movie directors and storytellers tell his tale and build on his legend. His stories continue to inform ordinary Chinese people's understanding of justice and law.

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