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Tomb of Previously Unknown Pharaonic Queen Found in Egypt

Czech archaeologists have unearthed the tomb of a previously unknown queen believed to have been the wife of Pharaoh Neferefre who ruled 4,500 years ago, officials in Egypt said Sunday.

The tomb was discovered in Abu Sir, an Old Kingdom necropolis southwest of Cairo where there are several pyramids dedicated to pharaohs of the Fifth Dynasty, including Neferefre.

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Egypt Defense Lawyers Challenge Police in Hammam Case

Defense lawyers for 26 Egyptians accused of "debauchery" at a Cairo bathhouse challenged police procedures in the case on Sunday.

The men were arrested on December 7 in a night raid on a hammam in the Azbakeya district of the capital.

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Sartre's 'Non to Nobel Prize Came Too Late'

A letter sent by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre in 1964 declining the Nobel Prize for Literature came too late to avert one of the biggest debacles in its history, Swedish media reported Saturday.

Sartre's letter arrived nearly a month after he had been picked as the top choice by the Nobel Committee, the daily Svenska Dagbladet reported, based on archival material made available at the end of a customary 50-year period of secrecy.

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Turkey Gives Go-ahead for First New Church in 90 Years

Turkey's Islamic-rooted government has authorized the building of the first church in the country in nearly a century, officials said Saturday.

The church is for the tiny Syriac community in Turkey and will be built in the Istanbul suburb of Yesilkoy on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, which already has Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic churches.

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California Issues Driver Licenses for Illegal Immigrants

California began issuing driver's licenses Friday to people who are in the country illegally, becoming the 10th state in the nation to do so.

Thanks to a 2013 law approved by Governor Jerry Brown, anyone who can show they are California residents -- such as through bills or rental agreements -- can now apply for a license, regardless of immigration status.

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Turkish Minister Slammed over 'Career of Motherhood' Comment

Turkey's Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu on Friday faced a barrage of criticism on social media after suggesting that women should prioritize the "career" of motherhood before anything else. 

"Women of the world have the career of motherhood that no one else can experience," Turkish media quoted Muezzinoglu as saying on Thursday at a hospital where he welcomed the first baby born in Istanbul on New Year's Day.

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Explained: The Enigmatic Death of Mrs. Oscar Wilde

For decades, historians of literature have mulled the untimely death that met Constance, the wife of the exuberant, scandalous writer Oscar Wilde.

An early pioneer for women's rights and a published author, Constance had two children with Wilde but fled London with them in 1895 to escape a backlash after her husband was jailed for homosexual acts.

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Egyptian Gays Living in Fear under Sisi Regime

Since the night police stormed into a Cairo bathhouse and dragged out a group of near-naked men, Hassan Sherif fears a widening police crackdown on homosexuals in Egypt.

The 32-year-old gay man, who lives with his boyfriend in a Cairo apartment, feels they could be among the next targets of police action that activists say has intensified under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

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In the Swartland Terroir, a South African Wine Revolution

There's a revolution happening in South Africa's winelands where a handful of young impassioned friends are turning their backs on the very practices that have made the country's wine industry such a success.

Not for them the standard locales that make up the wine tours of the region: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Constantia -- big farms with big production of big, fruity wines, all on Cape Town's doorstep.

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After Mastering Vodka, Poland Takes on Black Caviar

Foodies, take note: After flooding the global market with its vodka, apples and berries, Poland has gone gourmet and is trying its hand at making black caviar.

Dressed from head to toe in sterile clothing, a worker leans over a sieve containing roe from Russian and Siberian sturgeon. She uses tweezers to remove any leftover bits from the ovary sack -- anything to ensure the quality of the caviar.

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