The U.S. State Department criticized China on Monday for what it said was worsening religious freedom in the country, citing crackdowns on people in the Tibetan and Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous regions. Releasing the International Religious Freedom Report for 2012, Secretary of State John Kerry told a press conference, "I urge all countries, especially those identified in this report, to take action now to safeguard this fundamental freedom."

Pakistan's incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday threw his support behind peace talks with the country's Taliban insurgents, saying it would be a top priority for his new government. "If Taliban have offered us an option to have dialogue then we should take it seriously," Sharif said while addressing his party's newly elected parliamentarians in the eastern city of Lahore. "Terrorism is one of the main problems (facing) Pakistan. Establishment of peace in Pakistan is one of our top (priorities) and we are discussing ways and means to establish peace," he said.

The tensions of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation exploded onto the screen at Cannes on Monday, where a tale of love and betrayal won a five-minute standing ovation. "Omar" is the new work by Hany Abu-Assad, who shot to prominence in 2006 with "Paradise Now," which won a Golden Globe and, in the race for best foreign-language film, became the first-ever Palestinian film to be tipped for an Oscar. Abu-Assad dips into the conceptual source of Palestinians who take up arms, just as "Paradise Now" recounted the tale of two men preparing for a suicide attack in Tel Aviv.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Special K was once just a line of cereals. Today, it's a diet food empire. The brand first hit shelves in 1955 as a no-frills breakfast alternative but now caters to dieters who see its airy chips and pastries as a way to beat cravings and lose weight. And this summer, Kellogg Co. is building on its biggest moneymaker with a "hot cereal" called Special K Nourish that's made with quinoa and other grains.