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New Mavs Odom, Carter Eager to Help Defend Title

Lamar Odom knows what it takes to repeat as an NBA champion.

Vince Carter wants to know what it feels like to become an NBA champion.

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Santos Advances to Club World Cup Final

South American champion Santos advanced to the Club World Cup final by beating Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 Thursday, setting up a possible showdown between Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Brazil teenager Neymar.

The 19-year-old Neymar, who is touted to be the next big star in football, scored one of the Brazilian club's goals.

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Chilean Doctors Separate Conjoined Twins

Chilean doctors successfully separated conjoined twin girls early Wednesday after a marathon 18-hour surgery widely followed in the South American country on television and the Internet.

The 10-month-old twins Maria Paz and Maria Jose are in stable condition even after losing a lot of blood and they are resting in the intensive care unit at Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital, chief surgeon Francisco Ossandon said.

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Hard-line Indonesian Police Shave Punkers' Mohawks

Police in Indonesia's most conservative province raided a punk-rock concert and detained 65 fans, buzzing off their spiky mohawks and stripping away body piercings because of the perceived threat to Islamic values.

Dog-collar necklaces and chains also were taken from the youths before they were thrown in pools of water for "spiritual" cleansing, local police chief Iskandar Hasan said Wednesday.

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U.S. Urges Ban on Texting, Talking While Driving

Ren Bishop is one of many American drivers who texts, tweets and talks on her cellphone while she's behind the wheel — and thinks it should be up to drivers to use their discretion when it comes to safety.

Though she admits thumbing her phone while driving is a bad habit, the University of Missouri student says drivers "are mature enough to understand when it is appropriate and when it is not."

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Apple Launches iTunes Store in Lat Am

Apple has launched its iTunes store in Brazil and 15 other Latin American countries, the company said Tuesday, making available for sale more than 20 million songs in a region where music piracy is rampant.

One top Brazilian music industry official said he thinks the launch of the online iTunes store, along with expectations that Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn will soon produce iPods, iPads and iPhones in Brazil, will put a dent in piracy in Brazil.

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Greek Fashion Feels The Pain

Greece is in crisis, but it was hard to tell at Athens fashion week, which showcased spring and summer collections for 2012.

"Keep Greek Fashion in Your Hearts," was the motto, a hard ask in a country on the verge of financial ruin. But the models on the catwalk and the glitterati on the red carpet did their part. Gowns shimmered, lipstick glistened. Pink cocktails flowed, courtesy of the sponsors.

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Lindsay Lohan Back to Court for Probation Update

Lindsay Lohan is due in court Wednesday to give a judge her first progress update under strict new probation requirements intended to keep close tabs on the troubled actress.

Lohan has been reporting regularly for work at the Los Angeles County morgue since being repeatedly threatened with a long jail sentence if she failed to complete the terms of her probation, which include community service and counseling sessions.

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Lebanese Man Allegedly Linked to Hizbullah and LCB Indicted in U.S. over Drug Crimes

A Lebanese national who U.S. authorities say is the ringleader of a vast international drug smuggling ring with links to Hizbullah has been indicted on drug and money laundering charges after allegedly reaping more than $850 million in illicit profits.

The indictment was announced Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria against Ayman Joumaa, who is currently at large. It alleges he led a conspiracy that, among other activities, sold nearly 100 tons of Colombian cocaine to the Zetas drug cartel in Mexico between 2005 and 2007 that was ultimately smuggled into the United States. The conspiracy has run since at least 2004 and at times brought in as much as $200 million in a single month, according to court documents.

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Fletcher to Take Break because of Bowel Disease

After months of putting his health at risk while playing with a chronic bowel disease, Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has been forced take an extended break from football to rest and recuperate.

The 27-year-old Scotland captain, who did not play between March and September with what United previously called a "virus," has been suffering from ulcerative colitis — an inflammatory bowel condition.

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