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'Twilight' Stars Eye New Life after Vampire Saga

"Twilight' stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are looking forward to sinking their teeth into new, non-vampire roles, as they ponder life after the "Twilight" saga.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2" debuts this weekend in North America, bringing the blockbuster vampire franchise to an end, and closing a lucrative chapter in the young actors' careers.

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Thai Man's Penis Removed after Botched Enlargement

Health officials on Friday told Thai men size does not matter after a patient had to have his genitals removed following a botched attempt to enlarge his penis by injecting olive oil into the organ.

The risky and unproven method using the oil -- although bees wax, silicone and even paraffin are often also used -- is common in Thailand with one Bangkok hospital receiving about 40 patients a month concerned about side-effects.

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50 Years Since Solzhenitsyn Gulag Story Shocked USSR

The Soviet Union 50 years ago allowed publication of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's landmark account of life in the Stalin prison camps "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich", shocking readers by revealing a hitherto hidden horror.

In November 1962, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was looking for a powerful symbol that could help his risky campaign to expunge Stalin's lasting impact on political and cultural life. He found it in a story by the then unknown author Solzhenitsyn.

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Syrian Troops Pound South Damascus, Suburbs

Syrian troops bombarded southern districts of Damascus and the outskirts of the capital before dawn, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and activists on the ground.

Residents in Damascus were kept awake through the night with the sound of explosions rumbling in the capital, they told Agence France Presse.

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Israeli Army Starts Drafting 16,000 Reservists

The Israeli army started calling up 16,000 reservists on Friday, as officials said the Jewish state was preparing for a possible ground offensive into the Gaza Strip.

"They're distributing emergency call-up notices now, the process has started," an army spokeswoman told Agence France Presse.

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'Grand' Sudan Hotel Seeks to Reclaim Past Glory

Political talk flowed as freely as booze in the lively Khartoum of decades past, and The Grand Hotel was its fountain.

Behind the colonial-era walls, deals were made and gossip exchanged by an elite group of civil servants, politicians, intellectuals and businessmen.

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U.S. Firms Drawing a Line on After-Hours Email

Katey Klippel makes a point of keeping her smartphone in her bag when she returns home from a hard day at the management consulting firm where she works in Washington.

That way, she can better practice what her employer preaches and stop checking her emails after hours.

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Thai Police Hold Serial Panty Thief after Jewel Heist

Thai police said Friday they had discovered thousands of items of stolen women's underwear at the home of a robbery suspect, the second time the man has been found hoarding undergarments this year.

Danai Raiwech, 48, was arrested at his home in a Bangkok suburb on Thursday after police searched his property in connection with a $325,000 heist at a jewelers.

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U.S. Lawmakers Shown Video of Benghazi Attack

U.S. senators got their first look Thursday at dramatic video footage of the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi as they probed the government's response to the deadly September 11 assault in Libya.

Four Americans were killed in the attack including the U.S. ambassador, Chris Stevens, and President Barack Obama's administration is under fire over security at the consulate and for its evolving narrative about the assault.

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IMF Head Says Eurogroup Deal Key to Saving Greece

A crucial meeting of Eurozone finance ministers next week will be key to getting Greece "back on its feet", IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Friday, as she cut short her visit to Asia to attend the talks.

The International Monetary Fund managing director told a news conference in Manila that the Eurogroup's focus was getting the debt-wracked country on a "sustainable" path as soon as possible.

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