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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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Cuba Detains Performance Artist, other Dissidents

Cuban authorities detained or kept at home several dissidents Tuesday, including a performance artist who organized an open-mic session for Cubans to speak out about their future.

The fate of the artist -- 46-year-old Tania Bruguera, 46, who trained in Cuba and the United States, and splits her time between the two countries and France -- was not immediately known.

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The Quiet Craft of Cheesemaking in War-Torn Eastern DRCongo

Better known for war and bloodshed, the lush hills of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are also home to a surprising, successful craft that has survived decades of violence: cheesemaking.

Though not part of the traditional diet, the cheese -- a mild-tasting hard variety with a yellowish-brown rind -- has managed to win favor across the nation.

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Religion in India Bubbles Over into Politics

In small-town northern India, Muslims are offered food and money to convert to Hinduism. If that doesn't suffice, they say they're threatened. Across the country, the Christmas holiday is canceled for hundreds of government servants who spend the day publicly extolling the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Powerful Hindu nationalist leaders — some with close ties to Modi's government — say they intend to ensure India becomes a completely Hindu nation.

But Modi himself? He has remained silent as nationalist demands have bubbled over into day-to-day politics, and amid growing fears among minority religious groups of creeping efforts to shunt them aside.

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Secret Files Shed Light on First Thatcher-Gorbachev Talks

Classified documents made public Tuesday shed light on the political courtship between Britain's Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev -- whom she famously declared she could "do business" with.

After Gorbachev's first official visit to Britain in 1984, four months before he became Soviet leader, Thatcher praised his "charm and humour" as both sides sought to improve East-West relations.

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Files: Britain Eyed China Trade after Hong Kong Deal

Britain was looking for stronger economic ties with China even before the agreement which would eventually hand it Hong Kong was signed in 1984, secret documents released Tuesday showed.

Ahead of late prime minister Margaret Thatcher's trip to Beijing in December that year to sign the deal, officials discussed how she should make the case for British business with China.

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UAE Follows Egypt, Morocco in Banning Moses Epic

The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday that it will not allow screening of Hollywood's Biblical epic "Exodus: Gods and Kings," mirroring similar bans by Egypt and Morocco.

The National Media Council, charged with vetting films for release in the UAE, said the Ridley Scott movie about Moses's escape from pharaonic Egypt contained "religious and historical mistakes."

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