More than 80 countries are convening in Germany on Monday to discuss Afghanistan as international troops prepare to withdraw in 2014. Fariba Nawa has documented the devastating effects of the opium trade on Afghanistan — her home country. She speaks with host Michel Martin about the conference and her hopes and fears for Afghanistan's future.
Dan Brown, author of the blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, is back with his first novel in four years. Inferno follows academic hero Robert Langdon on a chase through Italy as he attempts to avert a biological catastrophe.
Designer Katie Shelly's upcoming cookbook offers 50 illustrated recipe "blueprints" for basic meals — from simple snacks to more hefty dishes like eggplant Parmesan. She hopes they'll inspire any level of cook to improvise in the kitchen.
The IRS has admitted it flagged tax-exemption requests from groups with "tea party" or "patriot" in their names starting in 2010. But some liberal groups and journalism organizations say their applications also faced long delays during the same period.