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Local authorities in various parts of the UK are opting to remove punctuation marks from roadsigns so as to remove confusion. The move comes in the wake of numerous complaints from concerned members of the public that roadsigns contain incorrect grammar. The authorities in the UK's second largest city, Birmingham, have already taken steps to remove apostrophes from roadsigns because council staff spend too much time dealing with complaints over the correct use of punctuation on signs. The Apostrophe Protect

A group of rebels in Colombia made a serious error during an attempt to kill a senior member of the country's government. A unit of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) intended to mark the 45th anniversary of the group's formation by killing the politician. As part of the plan, 10 FARC members dressed themselves as policemen and sprayed two motorcycles in police colours. However the terrorists painted the words Policia back to front on the petrol tanks of the motorcycles. This was spotted and

A US TV channel is attempting to make car chases and action scenes containing exploding vehicles carbon neutral. Although carbon dioxide is emitted during the pursuit sequences or when vehicles are crashed and blown up, an offsetting process is being introduced. Concern for the environment has been placed as a high priority by the TV company. It is not clear whether the firm has also found a way to offset carbon or heat emissions from the large amounts of electricity consumed by lighting rigs.

UK car parking firm NCP has announced plans to pump pleasant aromas into many of its facilities in major cities including London, Birmingham, Leeds and Cardiff. The firm's research has highlighted that many of its customers find the smells often associated with car parks: exhaust fumes, urine and vomit, strangely off-putting. According to the research large numbers of customers seek alternative parking as a result. In a bid to tackle the issue and improve profitability, NCP intends to pump more pleasant sme

Vietnam's ministry of health has prompted comment and bemusement in the country after saying that people with chests measuring less than 720mm will no longer be allowed to drive motorcycles. The proposal comes as part of health criteria requiring Vietnam's drivers to be in good physical health to try to improve safety on the roads in a country where motorcycles account for 90% of vehicle traffic. However many Vietnamese people are slight of stature and this particular proposal has generated considerable amu

A Brazilian woman was killed in a road accident, by her dead husband's coffin. The incident happened on the way to the man's funeral, a day after he had died from a heart attack at a dance. The hearse the woman was travelling in was hit from the rear by a fast moving Alfa Romeo and the coffin slid forward in the crash, breaking her neck and killing her instantly. The woman's son and the hearse driver suffered only minor injuries in the accident, while the driver of the Alfa Romeo also escaped serious injury

A Portuguese construction contractor has caused dismay amongst archeologists after he dug up some dinosaur bones. The man put the sauropod tail bones, which measure a total 3.6m long, for sale on the Internet causing a flurry of protest from Portuguese palaeontologists. The valuable bones are thought to be from 146-152 million years old. However, the contractor has so far refused an offer of €100,000 from a Portuguese museum and is also refusing to tell palaeontologists where the find was made.

Drivers relying on GPS systems sometimes find themselves stuck in narrow roads or trying to locate bridges that have yet to be constructed. However three Norwegian tourists travelling in Brazil had a rather more hair-raising experience. The men were driving back from a beach resort north of Rio on their way to drop off the vehicle at the airport when their GPS unit told them to drive off the main highway. Unfortunately, the suggested short cut took the men through the dangerous Mare slum area where the car

A Japanese designer has developed a battery powered vehicle that features bodywork, seating and floor made from bamboo. The vehicle offers a 50km range and is reputed to weigh just 60kg (it is not clear if this includes battery weight although it seems unlikely). The diminutive single seater also has bodywork that is 100% biodegradable. Crash testing results have not been announced for the vehicle so far, although bamboo's flexibility means that it may well offer good shock absorbing properties. However dri

A car enthusiast in the US state of Wisconsin built his own Lamborghini but had to hire an excavator and demolish a wall to remove the simulacrum supercar from his basement. The man was so inspired after seeing the B-movie Cannonball Run about an illegal car race held on public roads across the US that he decided to build his own Lamborghini. The film starred Burt Reynolds, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Junior, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan, Peter Fonda and Roger Moore, at least some of whom can be assumed to have