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Argentine Merchant: Pope a Really Thoughtful Guy

Pope Francis, who's earning a reputation as a pretty regular guy as far as pontiffs go, had the courtesy to phone his newspaper vendor back home in Argentina and cancel his subscription.

Kiosk owner Daniel del Regno told Agence France Presse Tuesday that when Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio left Buenos Aires for Rome in late February to get ready for the conclave gathering to pick the new pope, he said he would be back in three weeks or so.

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U.S. Governor: Prince Harry to Keep His Clothes on

When Prince Harry visits the United States this May he'll have to keep his clothes on -- at least while he's in New Jersey, the state's governor said.

Christie, a blunt-talking, heavy-girthed Republican, said he'll make sure the party-loving British royal doesn't repeat his naked Las Vegas antics that got him into hot water during his last U.S. trip.

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NGO: Israeli Army Arrests Five Hamas Members

Israel's army early Wednesday arrested five members of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, including a member of parliament, a prisoners' support group said.

The five were arrested at dawn at their homes in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, the Ramallah-based Prisoners' Club told Agence France Presse.

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New 'BioShock' Game Takes Aim at American Taboos

A new edition of the dystopian "BioShock" shooter videogame released Tuesday puts Americanism in the crosshairs, taking on taboo topics including slavery and racism.

The "BioShock Infinite" protagonist battles a cult devoted to US founding fathers in a fictional floating city of Columbia that clings to early 1900s Americana and shuns the notion of an Emancipation Proclamation.

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Four Killed in Iraq Attacks

A series of attacks near Baghdad and north of the capital killed four people on Wednesday, the latest in an apparent spike in violence just weeks ahead of Iraq's first elections in three years.

Separate bombings south of Baghdad -- one inside a restaurant and the other a car bombing near a police checkpoint -- killed two people and left 26 others wounded, officials said.

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Man Held over U.S. Show 'Breaking Bad' Script Theft

Police said Tuesday they arrested a man accused of stealing a script for Emmy award-winning U.S. TV show "Breaking Bad" from star actor Bryan Cranston's car.

Xavier McAfee, 29, was detained on suspicion of burglary last week and appeared in court Monday in New Mexico, where the actor lives and the show is set, said Bernalillo County Sheriff's officials.

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Landlubber Chameleons Became Sailors

Chameleons took to the waves to migrate from Africa to Madagascar about 65 million years ago, said a study published on Wednesday that seeks to resolve a roiling biological debate.

Chameleons are famous for the extraordinary ability of some species to change colour, and for a lightning-fast talent to catch prey with their tongue.

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'Freak Tornado' Leaves 12 Dead in Philippines

Twelve people died when a mini-tornado caused an overloaded boat to capsize in remote southern Philippine marshes, a local official said on Wednesday.

The small motorboat, designed for 10 passengers, was carrying 18 people from a small town through marshland on Mindanao island on Monday night when the accident happened, said the local mayor, Alan Aguas.

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Health Gap in Europe Wider than Ever

Life expectancy in Russia has marked time since the collapse of the Soviet Union but risen in its former eastern-bloc allies, The Lancet reported on Wednesday.

Alcohol, tobacco and road accidents head a list of problems that lie behind premature death in the former Communist eastern Europe but remain chronic in many of the ex-Soviet republics, it said.

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Ban Says 11,200 Peacekeepers Needed for Mali

Up to 11,200 troops could be needed for a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali but a "parallel" military force will have to battle radical Islamists, U.N. leader Ban Ki-Moon said Tuesday.

The 11,200 troops could only cover main towns "assessed to be at highest risk," Ban said in a grim report on conditions in Mali that the U.N. Security Council will discuss Wednesday.

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