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Raymond Gunt is profane, rude, heartless and truly the Worst. Person. Ever. Author Douglas Coupland says he's not exactly sure how the character, with no redeeming qualities, came into his mind.

Salvadoran journalist Oscar Martinez has ridden the train known as "the Beast" eight times, interviewing Central American migrants on their way to the U.S. He shares his experiences in the book The Beast. Alt.Latino asked him about the books he read that inspired him — and what he'd take to read on a desert island.

The New Zealand-born author Adam Christopher has a fascination for America — his latest, Hang Wire, is a decade-jumping, character-crisscrossing urban fantasy set in San Francisco. Reviewer Jason Heller says that with Hang Wire, his fourth novel, Christopher has mastered "geek-centric weirdness and galloping, whiz-bang pace."

The chief minister of India's most populous state came from humble origins, but Mayawati, as she is known, has not been shy about displaying her wealth. Recently, the show of opulence at a political rally — where she accepted a garland made entirely of money — seems to have gone too far, even by her standards.

The former broadcast journalist who spent time hosting NPR's two flagship news shows during the late 70s, died this month.

The Stones' 1969 concert at the park drew 250,000 people and was tinged with sorrow, coming just two days after the death of founding member Brian Jones. Just before performing, Mick Jagger silenced the crowd for a remembrance of Jones.

You can sometimes find out a lot about a country just by spending an hour or two rooting around town. NPR's Philip Reeves sent this postcard about his trip to a historic market in Santiago, Chile, in search of one of the world's more lethal drinks.

Khaled Mashaal, the long-exiled leader of Hamas, made his first visit to the Gaza Strip on Friday.

Last weekend, English soccer fans were looking forward to a sporting feast. They ended up taking part in a nationwide communal vigil, focused on an African-born player's fight for life.

It started as a banner year for female candidates. More ran in party primaries than ever before, especially Republicans. Some posted big victories Tuesday. But for the first time since the 1970s, the total number of women in the new Congress will likely drop.

The price of gas has been on a roller coaster this year. After a brief dip in early summer, the average price per gallon is back on the upswing. That's left many consumers wondering if prices will go even higher, but some analysts expect the most recent spike to be relatively short-lived.

In Libya, refugees are streaming out of Sirte, the last major town still in the hands of forces loyal to ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Cut off from the rest of the country, without electricity, many knew nothing of recent rebel advances, including the fall of the capital, Tripoli.

In Libya, refugees are streaming out of Sirte, the last major town still in the hands of forces loyal to ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Cut off from the rest of the country, without electricity, many knew nothing of recent rebel advances, including the fall of the capital, Tripoli.

The price of gas has been on a roller coaster this year. After a brief dip in early summer, the average price per gallon is back on the upswing. That's left many consumers wondering if prices will go even higher, but some analysts expect the most recent spike to be relatively short-lived.

Four novels for the year's end: a new Raylan Givens adventure from Elmore Leonard, a story of psychology and obsession from Ellen Ullman, Thomas Caplan's latest spy thriller and Alex Gilvarry's debut set in the fashion world and Guantanamo Bay.

The Israeli military says it has encircled Gaza's second largest city, where fierce battles with Hamas continue. Dozens of people have been killed and thousands have fled further south.

Novelists Aatish Taseer and Naomi Benaron portray life amid sectarian violence in Pakistan and Rwanda, respectively, while Glenn Carle reflects on being a CIA interrogator, novelist Jonathan Lethem explores his influences, and David Bellos probes translation's complexity.

At a time when jazz was not widely seen in higher education, the alto saxophonist brought the wisdom learned on the bandstand to the classroom.

Despite fears of a police crackdown, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's funeral in southeast Moscow went on peacefully, two weeks after his mysterious death in an Arctic penal colony.

Ed Dwight, a former Air Force test pilot who was passed over to become an astronaut in the 1960s, described his flight aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard as "life changing."