THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A prison swap practice in the Netherlands, apparently going on for a long time, has caught the Dutch by surprise, the BBC says.
PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A Pasadena, Calif., dad says his sons don't deserve Christmas presents this year, so he's auctioning them off on eBay.
More kids e-mailing Santa this year ... Minnesota speed racer pleads guilty ... Scooter lady snarls Scottish traffic ... Cloned cat turns out to be a live ringer ... Watercooler stories from UPI.
Sack-o-flour causes airport scare ... Mexican city bans indoor nudity ... Little lizard grows up into big gator ... Royal Navy bans newspaper's hotties ... The world as we know it from UPI.
HOUSTON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A Houston man lying in bed watching television got caught up in a drama of his own when a car plowed into his apartment and ran him over.
ELY, England, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The queen of England's cousin -- who is president of the Institute of Advanced Motorists -- has been banned from driving for six months for speeding.
HALIFAX, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court of Canada has been asked to decide whether the word "kemosabe" is racist to native people, the CBC said Thursday.
Royal Navy bans newspaper's hotties ... Cloned cat turns out to be a live ringer ... Mexican city bans indoor nudity ... Model sues dentist over ugly teeth ad ... UPI Quirks in the News.
ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- HazMat crews rushed to Albany (N.Y.) International Airport to inspect a suspect package on a United Express plane that turned out to be African rice flour.
VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Villahermosa, Mexico, is cracking down on nudity, imposing fines and jail time for walking nude inside the home -- or outside.
ARBROATH, Scotland, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A disabled Scottish woman found a public bus could not accommodate her scooter so she decided to drive home and snarled traffic for miles.
WABASHA, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A motorcyclist arrested for driving 205 mph outside Wabasha, Minn., was sentenced to serve nearly the same amount in community service hours.
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- An Edinburgh man got nipped when Scottish authorities answered his ad seeking a new home for his 5-foot pet alligator.
WINNIPEG, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- In what may be a sign of the times, Canadian children wrote fewer letters to Santa Claus this year but bombarded jolly old St. Nick with e-mails.
MILWAUKEE, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A Missouri model says he was stunned when he saw a magazine ad with his face alongside an insert of crooked, yellow and blackened teeth.
LONDON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Days before Christmas, British sailors have been ordered to take down pictures of pretty girls aboard their ships, The Sun reported Thursday.
LONDON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Accommodations for London's homeless during the holidays have been expanded to allow for at least 60 homeless dogs, The Guardian said Thursday.
LONDON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- British art collector Charles Saatchi has reportedly been offered $12 million for a pickled 14-foot-shark he bought for $95,000, The Telegraph said Thursday.
DALLAS, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The first commercially cloned housecat appears and behaves exactly as its late cell donor did, the Dallas Morning News reported Thursday. For $50,000, a Dallas-area woman identified only as Julie received her copy-cat kitten Dec. 10.
LONDON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Some 10,000 DVDs of Irish ballads and festive carols have been recalled in London after 167 of them were found to be pornographic films.
BUDAPEST, Hungary, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- One of Budapest's most revered historical sites, near-450-year-old Turkish baths, has become the site of gay orgies, the Budapest Sun reported Thursday.
BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A special branch officer is to be questioned over his link to the 1998 Real IRA bombing that killed 29 people in Omagh, Ireland.
ELY, England, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The queen of England's cousin -- president of the Institute of Advanced Motorists -- has been banned from driving for six months for speeding.
Norwegian scientists: Santa does exist ... Nose-nuzzling rats escape shelter ... Controversial pill ad pulled ... Phone-sex bills get priority at schools ... Watercooler stories from UPI.
Frenchman Arnaud Clement hits a shot during his French Open mens first round match against Russian Alex Bogomolov Jr. at Roland Garros in Paris on May 28, 2012. Clement defeated Bogomolov when the match was retired at 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 5-4. UPI/David Silpa
