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The road from Kabul, Afghanistan's capital, to the Pakistani border is vital to trade and other concerns. But it's also treacherous, despite recent improvements.

The highly anticipated sixth installment of J.K. Rowling's novel about a child wizard was released Saturday. NPR's Neva Grant followed two youngsters who spent the weekend immersed in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Melissa Block and food writer Grace Young trek through New York's Chinatown in search of wok hay, the magical essence released by a good wok when it's properly cared for and heated just right.

Melodrama is essential to any American soap opera, and the same holds true for their Chinese counterparts. Rachel DeWoskin talks about her role as an aggressive Westerner in a Chinese daytime drama, and her new book, Foreign Babes in Beijing.

The United States and Australia are sending hundreds more troops to Afghanistan in the run-up to September's parliamentary elections. In recent months, the Taliban and other militants have stepped up their attacks. The elections are seen as a step toward democracy, but warlords continue to hold considerable power.

The landmark New Orleans eatery turns 100 this year. Locals and celebrities, U.S. presidents among them, have queued up for a table over the years at a bistro celebrated in a biography by two regulars.

The painting is a touchstone of American culture, depicting an upright Midwestern family on the farm. Its story is the topic of Thomas Hoving's book American Gothic.

Charles Sennott is the London bureau chief for the Boston Globe. He was in London during the Underground and bus bombings on July 7. He discusses British reaction to the events and compares it to the American reaction to Sept. 11, 2001.

Teller, the usually silent half of the magician duo Penn and Teller, reviews the book, The Glorious Deception, by Jim Steinmeyer. It's a biography of the magician known to audiences as Chung Ling Soo, who Teller says was a genuine enigma.

Details of the United States' disastrous operation in eastern Afghanistan -- in which 19 special operations personnel died -- are now emerging. An attempted rescue of a team seeking Taliban and escaped prisoners led to 16 deaths when a helicopter was shot down.