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Kia Concept Car 'Provo' Reminds Some of IRA Terror

Kia's new concept car, the Provo, is designed to provoke comment. But to many across Britain and Ireland, the name sounds like a celebration of terrorism.

British lawmakers appealed Tuesday in the House of Commons for the South Korean car maker to junk the name of its planned mini sports coupe because "Provo" is the street name for the dominant branch of the outlawed Irish Republican Army. The Provisional IRA killed nearly 1,800 people during its failed 1970-1997 campaign to force Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom.

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Body in Car for Five Days on Busy New Zealand Road

The body of a driver lay undetected on the front seat of his car beside one of New Zealand's busiest roads for five days before anyone called police, reports said Wednesday.

Auckland man Alvin Singh was reported missing on February 22 and his corpse was found in his car, parked in plain sight near a major intersection, on February 27, police told Fairfax Media.

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U.S. Police Dog Accidentally Fires Gun with Paw

Police in the U.S. say a dog searching for a gun in a snowbank accidentally pulled the trigger with its paw, firing the weapon.

No humans —or dogs — were hurt.

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Swiss Police Snare Man with 49 Phones in His Trousers

A wily criminal was snared with a haul of 49 mobile phones stuffed down his trousers, Swiss police said Monday.

The 27-year-old Romanian -- believed to be either the actual thief or a receiver of stolen goods -- was arrested over the weekend in the city of Zurich.

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British 'Batman' Hands Wanted Man to Police

A man dressed as Batman walked into a British police station in the middle of the night and told officers: "I've caught this one for you!" as he handed them a crime suspect.

Police in West Yorkshire, northern England, are baffled after the mystery crime fighter delivered the suspect to a police station in the city of Bradford in the early hours of Thursday.

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U.S. Calls on U.N. to Bar Drunken Diplomats

The United States on Monday called for drunk diplomats to be barred from United Nations' budget negotiations.

Annual talks on how much the global body spends have become increasingly tense as western nations call for spending cuts.

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World's Oldest Woman Turns 115 in Japan

The world's oldest woman celebrated her 115th birthday on Tuesday in a Japanese nursing home with her favourite mackerel sushi dish on the menu.

Misao Okawa, a descendant of kimono merchants in the city of Osaka, western Japan, told a broadcaster she had never expected to live to such a great age but had managed it "thanks to everybody".

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Fake Bishop Tries to Sneak into Vatican Meeting

An Italian man dressed up in fake ecclesiastical robes was escorted out of a meeting of Catholic cardinals by Swiss Guards on Monday after trying to sneak into the closed-door Vatican meeting.

The man had told reporters that his name was "Basilius" and that he was a member of the "Italian Orthodox Church", which does not exist.

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It's a Dog's Life for Singapore's Pampered Pets

The guests lean over the side of the boat to catch the morning breeze as their catamaran eases off from a jetty in Singapore. A typical cruise, except for the fact that the passengers are dogs.

"Actually, this is their third cruise," said Andy Pe, 43, the doting owner of two Black Labrador Retrievers, a Yellow Labrador, a Golden Retriever and two mongrels. "They enjoy the sea breeze and water so much."

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China Grave-Robbers Sold Dead Brides

Four people have been jailed in China for digging up corpses to sell as brides for traditional "ghost marriages" -- where dead single men are buried with a wife for the afterlife -- local reports said.

Marriage is an important part of Chinese society and, while the practice is increasingly rare, it is still kept up by some families whose young adult sons pass away before having a chance to wed.

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