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Manuscripts among Rare Hemingway Items Shown at JFK library

Ernest Hemingway and John F. Kennedy never met, but the author's most extensive personal collection is housed at JFK's presidential library and is now on public display.

The exhibition opening this week in Boston includes original manuscripts of some of his most famous literary works; letters to other major literary figures of his time; photographs and other personal mementos.

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Gaza's Architectual Heritage Fades, but One Man Resists

A surprise awaits beyond a black door adorned with a silver lotus flower at the end of a tangle of alleyways in Gaza's chaotic Old City.

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Pakistan's Kalash Fight for their Identity with UNESCO Bid

Pakistan's smallest religious minority, the Kalash speak their own language and celebrate their gods through music, dance -- and alcohol, which they brew themselves in Chitral's plunging verdant valleys.

Here, the sexes mingle easily, marriage can be sealed with a dance, and women are free to move on to new loves -- it is a far cry from life in much of the rest of the country, where many adhere to a strict Islamic code forbidding such behaviour. 

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France Bewitched by 'Bojangles', a Book Full of Joy and Tears

It is the literary sensation of the year in France. A first novel by a dyslexic author that has had readers crying -- and laughing out loud -- on the Paris metro.

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Thai Police Ban Old Marie Claire Magazine Issue

Thai authorities have banned a five-month-old French edition of Marie Claire magazine because of an article which police said defamed the kingdom's royal family.

Thailand's royal defamation laws are among the world's harshest and can land offenders decades behind bars.

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Pope Opens Door for Divorced but Slams it Shut for Gays

Pope Francis on Friday opened doors for divorced and cohabiting Catholics but slammed one shut for gay believers in new Church guidelines on family life.

In his 260-page "apostolic exhortation", an update of Church teaching and practice likely to disappoint some Catholic modernizers, Francis strongly reiterates the Church's opposition to the legal recognition of gay relationships.

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New Shakespeare First Folio Discovered

A new William Shakespeare First Folio, part of the original collection of 36 plays published in 1623, has been discovered on a Scottish island, the University of Oxford said Thursday.

Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University, authenticated the First Folio as genuine, making it one of the most valuable books in the world.

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French MPs Approve Contested Ban on Paying for Sex

French lawmakers on Wednesday passed a controversial law that makes it illegal to pay for sex and imposes fines of up to 3,500 euros ($3,970) on prostitutes' clients.

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Iranian Man who Killed Dog Sentenced to 74 Lashes

An Iranian man has been sentenced to 74 lashes for killing a dog, the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency reported Wednesday, after an online video showed him hurling the animal repeatedly against his car.

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Britain's Windsor Castle Gets Tourist Revamp

Windsor Castle, a home of Queen Elizabeth II and one of Britain's most popular tourist attractions, is to get an extensive facelift to improve facilities for visitors.

Tourist areas at the medieval castle west of London will be redeveloped at an expected cost of £27 million ($38 million, 33 million euros), said the Royal Collection, which looks after the British monarchy's art.

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