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'Piggy Bank-Gate' Rattles Taiwan Election Campaign

Taiwan authorities Friday reminded opposition presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen not to receive money from minors, after a group of children reportedly donated their piggy banks to her campaign.

The Control Yuan, the top government watchdog, said it had contacted Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for a "kindly reminder" after media reports said she had accepted the children's offer of their piggy banks at a rally.

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Brazilian Man Fined for Calling Off Planned Wedding

A Brazilian man was ordered to pay his fiancée $6,639 for moral and material damage caused by his decision to backtrack on a pledge to marry her, authorities said Thursday.

Cristiane Costa said she had to undergo "psychological treatment" after Marcelo de Azevedo informed his parents that he was calling off the wedding, despite expenses already incurred.

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Austrian Accused of 850 Robberies

Austrian police said Friday they have arrested a serial thief accused of some 850 robberies over the past four years, with a particular interest appearing to be women's knickers and bras.

The 36-year-old admitted pilfering around 15,000 Euros ($21,000) in 270 thefts in the past 18 months, mostly from pubs, crimes which due to his "professionalism" often went unnoticed, police in Linz in northern Austria said.

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Croat Man Risks Charges after Explosive Sex Game

A 50-year-old Croat, who had to get medical help after inserting an anti-aircraft shell in his anus, sparked a police probe and risks charges if similar weapons are found at his home, local media said Friday.

The man was admitted to a Zagreb hospital after apparently "experimenting in a sex game" with the explosive 20mm cannon shell which got stuck, the Slobodna Dalmacija daily reported.

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Oregon Lawn-Chair Balloonist Plans Baghdad Flight

Lawn-chair balloonist Kent Couch boarded a plane Thursday for the start of a journey that he hopes will end in Iraq with a safe launch and landing beneath a huge cluster of party balloons.

Couch made headlines worldwide in 2008 when he flew a specially rigged lawn chair supported by more than 150 helium-filled party balloons from the parking lot of the gas station he owns in Bend, Oregon, to an Idaho field. The trip spanned 235 miles.

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One-Month Old Baby Received a Salary in Nigeria

A one-month old baby, said to hold a diploma, was on the Nigerian government payroll, officials have discovered, exposing the levels to which corruption runs in Africa's most populous country.

The name of the infant was recently found on the payment voucher of a local government council in northern Nigeria during an exercise to fish out ghost employees from a bloated workforce, Garba Gajam, justice commissioner for Zamfara State told Agence France Presse late Wednesday.

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'Bald' is Not Libelous, South Korean Court Rules

Calling somebody "bald" is not derogatory and does not constitute libel, South Korea's top court ruled Thursday.

A 30-year-old man only identified as Kim living in the southern port of Busan was charged last year with defamation after calling another man named Park "bald" during an online chat.

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'Family' of Skeletons Found in Japan House

The skeletal remains of three people were found in a house in northern Japan, police said Friday, amid reports a family suicide could have gone unnoticed for up to a year.

The bodies were discovered in a two-storey house in Sendai after court officials visited the premises as part of a dispute the occupants had with the landlord over rent, Kyodo news reported.

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China Hospital Disposes of Live Baby

A hospital in south China has suspended four medical workers for mistakenly diagnosing a stillbirth and disposing of a baby that was alive, state press said Friday.

Health authorities in Guangdong province have launched an investigation into the incident on October 26 at the Nanhai Red Cross Hospital in Foshan city, the Beijing News said.

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British 'Dead Man' Caught in Australia

A British man who allegedly faked his own death and made off with the life insurance payout has been arrested in Australia, police said Thursday.

Hugo Jose Sanchez, 47, also known as Alfredo, was taken into Australian Federal Police custody overnight in Sydney, the force said, ending a six-year manhunt.

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