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In Norway, Peeing Toward Russia Will Get You Fined

A new sign posted at Norway's river border with Russia reminds tourists feeling nature's call that it's against the law to pee in the direction of Russia -- on pain of a hefty fine.

Written in English in black block letters, the sign posted on the banks of the Jakobselva river that separates Norway from Russia reads: "No Peeing Towards Russia".

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Al Capone's Favorite Gun, Personal Items Head to Auction

Al Capone is infamous for having been a ruthless mob boss, but one of his granddaughters says his softer side will shine through when the family auctions the Prohibition-era gangster's personal items — including diamond-encrusted jewelry with his initials, family photographs and his favorite handgun.

Capone's three granddaughters will also auction a letter he wrote to their father and his only child, Albert "Sonny" Capone, from Alcatraz, where the mobster served an 11-year sentence following his 1934 tax evasion conviction. In the letter written in pencil, Al Capone refers to Sonny as "son of my heart."

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Japanese Diplomat Has Origami Instagram

Every day for a year, a Japanese diplomat has posted a near-identical Instagram video of the paper crane he has folded that day.

"Today is my 365th day in Seattle," says Hisao Inagaki, consul general in the western US city, in a video posted Friday.

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In Japan, World's Oldest Ironman Seeks Olympic Tips

Japan's Hiromu Inada is watching the Tokyo Olympics hoping to pick up some tips from the athletes before he competes in next year's Ironman world championship, at the age of 90.

"There's so much to learn. I apply it to my training and it works! It's fun," the octogenarian athlete told AFP after one of his near-daily training sessions.

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Panda Loaned to France Gives Birth to Twins

Huan Huan, a giant panda on loan to France, gave birth to twin cubs very early Monday, according to the Beauval zoo. 

The twins, born around 1 am, are Huan Huan and her partner Yuan Zi's third cubs after the first panda ever born in France, Yuan Meng, in 2017.

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Policeman Shoots Student for Not Wearing Mask in DR Congo

A Democratic Republic of Congo policeman has shot a student who was not wearing a mask while filming on the streets of the capital, witnesses said on Sunday.

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Coffee Rush Snarls French Traffic after Capsule Spill

Drivers in eastern France got a surprise coffee fix Friday after hundreds of capsules scattered onto a highway in a traffic accident, prompting quick pullovers by people who snatched up as many boxes as they could.

A truck carrying the capsules was involved in an accident after swerving to avoid vehicles that were stopped to wait for riders in the Tour d'Alsace bicycle race to pass near Sierentz, a town near the German border, south of Mulhouse.

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Lebanese Army Offers Tourists Helicopter Joyrides

The Lebanese Army will start offering tourists helicopter joyrides this week in a bid to boost the coffers of one of the crisis-hit country's key institutions.

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Danger and Demons: Yemen's Mysterious 'Well of Hell'

Surrounded in mystery and tales of demons, the Well of Barhout in Yemen's east -- known as the "Well of Hell" -- is a little-understood natural wonder.

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France's Macron Brings Back Customary Kisses

French President Emmanuel Macron has kissed two World War II veterans on the cheeks, returning to a tradition that was abandoned at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

French authorities have recommended people to avoid "la bise," the custom of giving kisses of greeting, to avoid spreading the virus. Macron kissed the veterans on Friday while wearing a mask.

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