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Tiny Puppy in California Could be World's Smallest

A puppy named after one of the world's biggest pop stars could set the world's record for tiniest dog.

Animal rescuers in Northern California say the female Dachshund mix, named Beyonce, was so small at birth that she could fit into a spoon. At two weeks, she's about the size of a business card.

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Transgender Model Cut from Canada Miss Universe

With blond locks, long legs and delicate features, Jenna Talackova would have been a strong competitor in Canada's Miss Universe pageant but was disqualified, she says, because she used to be male.

The 23-year-old transgender model from the western Canadian city of Vancouver has accused the pageant of discrimination, and more than 28,000 supporters have signed an online petition demanding her reinstatement.

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Canadian Court Rules to Allow Brothels

A Canadian court on Monday quashed portions of a law banning brothels and living off the avails of prostitution, lifting key barriers which it said put sex trade workers at risk of harm.

The Ontario Court of Appeal, however, upheld a ban on communicating for the purposes of selling sex.

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Russia Arrests Two Suspected Cannibals

Russia has arrested two suspected murderers who are believed to have eaten body parts of at least seven victims, investigators and media reported Monday.

A suspected serial killer in the town of Penza, some 560 kilometers (348 miles) southeast of Moscow, is believed to have "killed at least six people," the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

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S.African to Sue After Missing Funeral Due to Pothole

A South African academic is planning to sue the government after a pothole damaged his car and forced him to miss his mother's funeral, the Beeld newspaper reported Monday.

University professor Wannie Carstens's car hit a pothole and burst a tire when travelling at around 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour in darkness on Sunday morning in the country's north-west.

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U.S. Man Gets Unforgettable Win… in Memory Contest

Talk about a memorable day: on Saturday mountaineer Nelson Dellis won the USA Memory Championship for the second year in a row.

The Florida man and mountaineering enthusiast outlasted seven other finalists, known in contest circles as mental athletes, at a packed event in New York.

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Brazil Police Hunt 'Gang of Blondes' Kidnappers

A gang of women -- described as blonde, bilingual and well educated -- have been taking Brazilian shopping malls by storm, kidnapping female shoppers and maxing out their credit cards, police say.

Over the weekend police in Sao Paulo arrested three members of the so-called "Gang of Blondes," which has been credited with 54 express kidnappings here and in Rio de Janeiro since their crime spree began in 2008.

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Airport Dog Finds Illegal Food Stowed in Luggage

On a recent busy afternoon at Kennedy Airport, a beagle with plaintive-looking eyes was lying on the floor of Terminal 4, oblivious to the chaos of rolling luggage and human activity teeming all around her.

There was no prying this dog off the ground — despite the best attempts of Officer Meghan Caffery, her closest companion and partner.

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Indian Drivers Need Extra Strong Horns

German carmaker Audi makes special horns for its vehicles sold in India where local drivers hoot so much as they fight their way through chaotic traffic, the firm's country director has revealed.

"Obviously for India, the horn is a category in itself," Michael Perschke, director at Audi India, told Monday's Mint newspaper.

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Girlfriend to Marry Murdered French Soldier Posthumously

The pregnant girlfriend of one of the French paratroopers murdered by Mohamed Merah is to be allowed to marry him posthumously, the family's lawyer Gilbert Gollard said Friday.

"We have just obtained from the Elysee (President Nicolas Sarkozy's office) the authorization for Abel Chennouf's girlfriend to marry posthumously," Collard said.

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