In Japan, rare bobtail cats are considered good luck. Nagasaki is filled with them

NAGASAKI, Japan (AP) — In Japan, bobtail cats are considered good luck and Nagasaki is the place to find them. They are known as “omagari neko (bent-tail cats)” or “kagi neko (hook cats)” and have their own society of admirers and even a dedicated Shinto shrine. Nagasaki Cat Society member Kazuya Hideshima says their tails come in varieties including hook-shaped at the tip, curved or in a bun. Veterinarian Soshin Yamamoto says the large Nagasaki bobtail population is likely the result of a genetic mutation that reproduced in a relatively isolated environment when the nation was closed off. Residents hope the cats bring in tourists and help business.

Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — The best young spellers in the English language are competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The first bee was held in 1925, when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. The bee is now held just outside the nation’s capital, at a convention center on the banks of the Potomac River in Oxon Hill, Maryland. This is the 97th bee; it was canceled from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II and again in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

'How did you get here?' A large elephant seal is found lumbering along a South African street

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A large elephant seal took a wrong turn and was seen lumbering along a street in South Africa on Tuesday. It surprised residents and inspired a rescue effort to get the two-ton creature back to sea. The seal was making his way through a suburb near Cape Town. Police and a local security company attempted to contain the seal by parking patrol cars around him, but he slipped through that. A team of marine wildlife specialists and a veterinarian sedated the seal and guided him into a trailer to be returned to his natural habitat at a nearby bay.

France's first lady seems to push her husband as they land in Vietnam. He says they were joking

PARIS (AP) — Video images show France's first lady pushing her husband away with both hands on his face just before they disembark from their presidential plane to start a tour of southeast Asia this weekend. President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the couple were simply joking around. His office said the images caught “a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around.” But the moment quickly made headlines in France. Media there tried to decipher the interaction that cameras spotted through the just-opened door of the plane.

Demi Lovato marries singer-songwriter Jordan 'Jutes' Lutes in California

Demi Lovato is officially married. The musician-actor tied the knot with Canadian singer-songwriter Jordan “Jutes” Lutes on Sunday in California. The ceremony was first exclusively reported by Vogue. The couple met while working on Lovato’s last album, 2022’s “Holy Fvck." They dated for nearly two years before Lutes proposed in December 2023. Lutes co-wrote a few of the songs that made the album, including the pop-punk single, “Substance.” Lovato wore a white Vivienne Westwood dress and Lutes wore a Saint Laurent suit. Messages seeking comment were sent to Lovato's representatives.

King Charles III arrives in Canada to underscore its sovereignty after Trump annexation threats

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Britain's King Charles III has arrived in Ottawa on a visit that Canada’s leader says will underscore his nation’s sovereignty. U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated suggestion that the U.S. annex Canada prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney to invite Charles to give the speech from the throne that will outline his government’s agenda for the new Parliament. The king is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies. Canadians are largely indifferent to the monarchy, but Carney has been eager to show the differences between Canada and the United States. He said the king’s visit clearly underscores the sovereignty of Canada.

Meet Hercules and Ned, the border collies fending off wildlife at West Virginia’s busiest airport

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Two border collies have a full-time job keeping birds and other wildlife off the runway at West Virginia's busiest airport. Hercules and Ned make daily patrols with their handler to keep planes and passengers safe along the milelong airfield at West Virginia International Yeager Airport. Hercules is 8 years old and has been on the job at the mountaintop airport in Charleston since 2018. Ned is 3 and was brought in last year. Hercules is also the airport's chief ambassador, soaking in affection from passengers inside the terminal while providing calm for some nervously waiting to board a flight.

Did Brad Marchand really have a Blizzard between periods of Game 3?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A controversy — a creamy, delicious one — has been brewing in the Florida Panthers' locker room, surrounding some potentially decadent behavior on the part of Brad Marchand during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes. The issue: Did he REALLY have ice cream after the second period Saturday night? Turns out, he did not. It was honey, not ice cream.

Strauss' 'Blue Danube' waltz is launching into space to mark his 200th birthday

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Strauss' “Blue Danube” waltz is heading into space this month to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. The European Space Agency's big dish antenna in Spain will beam the waltz into the cosmos as it's performed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. The celestial send-off on May 31 will also celebrate the space agency's founding 50 years ago. The radio signals will hurtle away at the speed of light. Within 23 hours, the signals will be as far from Earth as NASA's Voyager 1, the world's most distant spacecraft some 15 billion miles away.

Publix recalls baby food pouches after testing finds elevated levels of lead

The Publix supermarket chain is recalling fruit and vegetable baby food because testing found elevated levels of lead. Publix recalled Greenwise Pear, Kiwi, Spinach & Pea Baby Food, sold in 4-ounce plastic pouches. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted the recall notice late Thursday. The pouches were sold in more than 1,400 stores. The contamination was flagged by officials in North Carolina, the state that first identified an outbreak of lead in baby food that sickened more than 500 U.S. children in 2023.