EDINBURGH, Scotland, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Scottish author Ian Rankin says he has considered killing off his literary character, John Rebus, but the detective will survive his next book.

Bus 'buffoon' gets jail for bomb hoax ... N.C. alcohol agency bans gossip ... Women turn from romance to crime ... Agents block stolen overseas shipments ... The world as we know it from UPI.

LONDON, April 13 (UPI) -- A survey finds British women have turned from romantic novels to thrillers and crime fiction.

ABERDEEN, Scotland, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The mother of a girl with a disabling rare genetic disease is locked in a battle with Scottish authorities over school for her daughter.

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The United Nations' education and cultural body is to name Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, the world's first City of Literature, the BBC reported Wednesday.

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