Bird man on red carpet leaves Cannes squawking

CANNES, France (AP) — Stars in glamorous gowns often peacock on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet, but one attendee Saturday night literally came as a bird. Ahead of the the premiere of Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love,” with Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence, a man came fully dressed as bird, complete with a beak and feathers. The costume had a purpose. It was a tie-in with the documentary “I Love Peru,” which is playing in the Cannes Classics section. The costume was specifically a condor, which in Peru has been seen as a creature connecting heaven and earth. The Cannes Film Festival recently banned nudity and “excessively voluminous” gowns. But it has no policy against condors.

Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen faces showdown against 'the world.' Will it end in a draw?

BERLIN (AP) — Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is playing a single game against 140,000 people worldwide. The mega-match potentially could overturn expectations by ending in a draw in the next few days. “Overall, ‘the world’ has played very, very sound chess from the start," Carlsen said Friday. The online game, billed as “Magnus Carlsen vs. The World,” began April 4 on Chess.com. It is the first-ever online freestyle match featuring a world champion. As a freestyle match, the bishops, knights, rooks, queen and king are randomly shuffled around the board while the pawns remain in their usual spots.

Sailing from Oregon to Hawaii after quitting his job turns a man with a cat into social media star

HONOLULU (AP) — A 29-year-old former tire shop manager who quit his job and cashed in his retirement savings to buy a sailboat has become a social media sensation as he sails from Oregon to Hawaii with his cat, Phoenix. Oliver Widger says he decided to chase his sailing dream after being diagnosed with a neck issue that could ultimately paralyze him. His posts about stunning sunsets and  harrowing rudder failures as he crosses the Pacific Ocean have attracted more than 1 million followers on TikTok and Instagram. He tells The Associated Press that he is harnessing the power of social media to fund his round-the-world trip.

Harvard thought it had a cheap copy of the Magna Carta. It turned out to be extremely rare

BOSTON (AP) — Harvard University for decades assumed it had a cheap copy of the Magna Carta in its collection, a stained and faded document it had purchased for less than $30. But two researchers have concluded it has something much more valuable — a rare version from 1300 issued by Britain’s King Edward I. The original Magna Carta established in 1215 the principle that the king is subject to law, and it has formed the basis of constitutions globally. There are four copies of the original and, until now, there were believed to be only six copies of the 1300 version. Harvard's copy of the Magna Carta is worth millions of dollars, but Harvard has no plans to sell it.

Pope meets Sinner: No. 1 player gives tennis fan Pope Leo XIV racket on Italian Open off day

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has apparently made peace with Jannik Sinner. The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope on Wednesday, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play, during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open. Leo, the first American pope, is an avid tennis player and fan and had said earlier this week that he would be up for a charity match when it was suggested by a journalist. But at the time, Leo joked "we can’t invite Sinner,” an apparent reference to the English meaning of Sinner’s last name. Sinner said it was “a good thing for us tennis players” that the new pope likes to play the sport.

Man who tried to sell $6.4m gold toilet stolen from English country house is spared jail

LONDON (AP) — A man who tried to help a burglar cash in from the theft of a gold toilet was spared prison on Monday after a British judge said he had been taken advantage of by the thieves. Frederick Doe, 37, also known as Frederick Sines, was given a suspended sentence Monday at Oxford Crown Court for his role in helping to sell the 18-carat gold fully functioning toilet stolen in 2019 from Blenheim Palace. The toilet was never recovered and is believed to have been cut up and sold. Two men convicted of stealing the work of art face sentencing later.

Cannes makes it official: No nudity on the red carpet

CANNES, France (AP) — The Cannes Film Festival red carpet is perhaps the most rigidly controlled red carpet in the world. Now, the festival has added a new stipulation. No nudity. While nudity was never previously endorsed at the festival, Cannes updated its dress policy on the eve of its 78th edition to read that “nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival.” While a no-shirt-no-service policy is standard in places far less glamorous than Cannes, the policy tweak sparked widespread attention Monday because of the recent trend of sheer and “nude dresses” in some fashion circles.

An Alaska Mother's Day tradition: Mingling with ice age survivors on a farm

PALMER, Alaska (AP) — It is one of Alaska’s favorite Mother’s Day traditions, getting up close and personal with animals that have survived the ice age. All moms get a flower and free admission Sunday at the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer, about an hour’s drive north of Anchorage. Once inside, they will have the chance to view more than 70 members of the musk ox herd, including babies who have just been born. Mother’s Day is the busiest day of the year, attracting over 1,500 visitors. It is a tradition that now stretches over three generations. Executive director Mark Austin says there would be a riot if they ever didn't have the traditional opening of the summer season on Mother's Day.

Chimpanzees drum with regular rhythm when they beat on tree trunks, a form of ancient communication

A new study shows that chimpanzees drum with regular rhythm when they beat on tree trunks. Previous research has shown that chimps have their own signature drumming style. A new analysis of 371 bouts of chimpanzee drumming demonstrates that the chimps clearly play their instruments -- the tree trunks -- with regular rhythms. This suggests that the ability to produce rhythm predates the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees, dating back more than 6 million years. Scientists believe that the drumming is a form of long-distance communication. The research was published Friday in the journal Current Biology.