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Freedoms for Saudi University Girls End at Gates

Within their female-only campuses, women at Saudi Arabia's universities let loose. Trendy sneakers, colorful tops, a myriad of hairstyles. Some experiment with bleach blonde or even dip-dyed blue hair. The more adventurous ones have cropped their hair into short buzzes.

In their bags, the textbooks vary, but one item is mandatory: a floor-length black abaya robe that each must cover herself with when she steps through the university gates back to the outside world of the kingdom.

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Cambodia Say U.S. Auction House to Return Ancient Khmer Statue

Cambodia announced Monday that leading auction house Sotheby's will return a 10th century Khmer statue worth up to $3 million said to have been looted during its civil war.

The statue of a warrior will be returned to the kingdom within 90 days under an agreement signed last week by Sotheby's, its Belgian client and U.S. authorities, said Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.

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Mandela Statue Unveiled in South Africa Capital

South Africa has unveiled a gigantic statue of anti-apartheid fighter Nelson Mandela to cheers and singing at the Union Buildings in its capital.

The mood was joyous Monday in Pretoria as a military band played and fighter jets flew overhead to honor Mandela after 10 days of mourning over his death ended Sunday with his burial.

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Indonesian 'Robbed Graves for Black-Magic Flying Spell'

An Indonesian man has admitted stealing human remains from graves to use in black-magic spells he believed would give him the power of flight and invisibility, police said Monday.

Police detained Resi Rokhis Suhana, 27, in the south of the main island of Java on Sunday, following reports that bones were stolen from graves, including those of twin babies.

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Christie's Aims to Boost Market, Tap Rich with First India Sale

Christie's hopes to help revive the Indian art scene this week with its first auction in the country, where the market is yet to return to the heady days enjoyed before a crash five years ago.

The international auction house is bringing 83 lots spanning a century of Indian art under the hammer on Thursday, including works by modern master M.F. Husain and national treasures Rabindranath Tagore and Amrita Sher-Gil.

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Nigeria Marks 100 Years of 'Nigeria'

January 1, 2014 marks the centenary of the amalgamation of southern and northern Nigeria but the anniversary looks set to be muted, amid lingering questions about whether the union can hold.

In the run-up to the landmark, opinion is split between those who think amalgamation has been a boon and others who consider it the first step in the creation of a still-failing state.

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Outrage in Romania over 'Jew-Burning' Christmas Carol

Romania faced mounting outrage on Friday after a traditional choir performed a Christmas carol on public television that indirectly glorified the Holocaust and said Jews should be burned in a chimney.

The song, shown on the country's new TVR3 channel on December 6, drew strong condemnation from religious groups and the U.S. embassy in Bucharest. The government has also distanced itself from the controversial broadcast.

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Malaysia's Once-Nomadic Penan Caught between Two Worlds

Through eons spent roaming Borneo's rainforests, Malaysia's Penan people became supremely adapted to surviving, and thriving, in the wild.

But that has left the Penan -- keepers of a rapidly-disappearing semi-nomadic culture -- equally unprepared for the transition to a modern world that is closing in fast.

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$16 Million Gold Mao Statue Unveiled in Communist China

A gold and jade statue of Mao Zedong worth more than $16 million was unveiled Friday, in the latest example of Communist China's indecision over how to commemorate its founding father's 120th anniversary.

The statue, 80 cm (32 inches) tall but weighing more than 50 kilograms, was put on display in the southern boom town of Shenzhen, China National Radio (CNR) reported.

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Four Years after War, Sri Lanka's Widows Fear Rape, Abuse

They arrived suddenly on her doorstep pretending to be friends of her dead husband. Faceless men she suspects were security agents, they physically abused her and threatened to come again.

Scared and alone, Gowry did what she always does -- she packed in a hurry and fled with her two young children, the third time in recent years that she has moved house in Sri Lanka's former northern warzone.

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