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Russian Oligarch Faces $4.5 Billion Swiss Divorce

A Swiss court has ordered a Russian billionaire to pay more than $4.5 billion to his ex-wife in what could become the biggest divorce settlement in history.

In papers delivered Monday to both parties, the Geneva Tribunal of First Instance said Dmitry Rybolovlev, an owner of the French soccer club AS Monaco, must pay 4,020,555,987.80 Swiss francs ($4,509,375,184.80) to ex-wife Elena Rybolovleva of Geneva. Both are aged 47.

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Louisiana Lawmakers Want Drivers to 'Arret'

Drivers in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana -- many of whom trace their colonial roots to France -- may one day soon find themselves stopping at bilingual signs that warn: "Stop-Arret."

A new law passed last week by local lawmakers authorizes parishes -- the state's version of counties -- to translate their road signs into "Louisiana French."

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Thai Golfer Kiradech Lives as a Monk ahead of U.S. Open Bid

Asian Tour number one Kiradech Aphibarnrat has taken an unusual path as he bids to qualify for the U.S. Open next month -- he's been living as a monk.

The world number 83 from Thailand needs to break into the top 60 by June 9 to play in the year's second major and he swapped his golfing attire for a robe at the Buddhist Wat Veerachoti Thamaram temple, 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Bangkok last week.

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Biden Turns Down Prom Invitation but Sends Corsage

What happens when you invite Vice President Joe Biden to your high school prom? For one student he couldn't make it, but he sent a personal reply.

Talia Maselli reached out to Biden last fall, knowing his dance card likely would fill up.

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Bolivian Football Club Signs on President as Player

A Bolivian first-division football club has come up with a great marketing ploy: The Sports Boys team says it has signed on the country's president, Evo Morales, to suit up and play about 20-30 minutes per match.

Morales is an avid football player, frequently sparring with journalists, union leaders, diplomats and even other presidents on the field.

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How Chinese Officials 'Like' Banned Facebook

China's Communist authorities ban their own people from accessing major global social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. But when it comes to self-promotion they are increasingly keen users themselves.

The official news agency Xinhua, the Communist Party's official mouthpiece the People's Daily, and state broadcaster CCTV all have Twitter accounts, as do a host of city and provincial authorities.

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Pele Pens Song for Brazil World Cup Campaign

Football legend Pele has written a song to cheer on his native Brazil in the World Cup as it prepares to host the June 12-July 13 tournament.

"It's given me so much happiness, it's made me cry, football is in our nation's veins," goes the opening verse, which Pele sang to journalists from newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

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Cambodia's Royal Oxen Predict 'Quite Good' Harvest

Cambodia's royal oxen munched on beans, sesame, corn, and rice at an ancient ritual on Saturday, leading astrologers to predict a "quite good" harvest this year.

Hundreds of people watched to see what the cows ate to signal the coming year's harvests at the Royal Ploughing ceremony, presided over by King Norodom Sihamoni in a football field outside Phnom Penh.

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Across Egypt, 1 Question: What Time is It?

Egypt's sudden flip to daylight saving time Friday had everyone asking the same question: What time is it?

The decision to move clocks ahead one hour, now putting the country seven hours ahead of New York, saw computers and mobile phones showing the wrong time. Worried employees at Cairo International Airport made sure to make announcements and scurried to help passengers, though the flights appeared calm during the day.

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Cambodia's Royal Oxen Predict 'Quite Good' Harvest

Cambodia's royal oxen munched on beans, sesame, corn, and rice at an ancient ritual on Saturday, leading astrologers to predict a "quite good" agricultural harvest this year.

Hundreds of people watched to see what the cows ate to signal the coming year's harvests at the Royal Ploughing ceremony, presided over by King Norodom Sihamoni in a football field outside Phnom Penh.

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