📌 Oscars, Europe Steps Up, Daredevil Cat

Anora

, a film about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch, won 5 Oscars at the 97th Academy Awards.

Its victory capped a tumultuous awards season, one that cycled through frontrunners at a dizzying pace with contenders like

Emilia Pérez

and

The Brutalist

seeing their fortunes rise and fall as controversies over everything from offensive tweets to the use of AI upended their campaigns.

It was also a race that unfolded during one of the worst natural disasters in LA history, something the Oscars reflected with tributes to the firefighters who assisted communities impacted by the wildfires, as well as with a montage highlighting the many films shot in the city, from

The Long Goodbye to Licorice Pizza.

Sean Baker, the maverick behind

Anora

, was recognized for producing, directing, editing and writing the film’s screenplay, becoming the first person to win four Oscars for the same movie. Having earned $40 million globally,

Anora

ranks as one of the lowest-grossing best picture winners in history.

Most of the movies that the Oscars honored this year were made by independent producers and companies. It’s a sign of how averse studios, which focus most of their resources on franchise fare, have become to producing the kind of adult-oriented films that dominate awards season.

Blockbusters that received best picture nominations, such as

Dune: Part Two

and

Wicked

, only scored wins in technical categories. Adrien Brody (

The Brutalist

) and Mikey Madison (

Anora

) took the top acting honors.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rallied his European counterparts to shore up their borders and back Ukraine.

Starmer’s exhortation to 18 fellow leaders that they need to do the heavy lifting for their own security comes two days after US backing of Ukraine appeared in jeopardy when President Donald Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said he wasn’t grateful enough for America’s support.

Starmer worked with France and Ukraine on a peace plan. Presented to a group of mostly European leaders, they agreed to keep aid flowing to Kyiv, maintain economic pressure on Russia, ensure Ukraine is present at a peace deal for its sovereignty and security, and continue to arm Ukraine to deter future invasion.

Starmer said they would develop a “coalition of the willing“ to defend Ukraine and guarantee peace. “Not every nation will feel able to contribute, but that can’t mean that we sit back,“ he said. The UK is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air, together with others.“

It is far from certain whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will accept any such plan, which Starmer said would require strong US backing. Starmer said he would later bring a more formal plan to the US and work with Trump.

French president Emmanuel Macron said he and Starmer are proposing a “truce in the air, on the seas and energy infrastructures“ that would last a month. He said the question is how to use the time “with negotiations that will take several weeks and then, once peace is signed, a deployment [of troops].“

Honor pledged $10 billion in AI investments over five years and announced a deepening partnership with Google.

The investment plan, revealed at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, is designed to reposition the firm from a smartphone player into an “AI device ecosystem company,“ said Honor, as the Chinese smartphone maker looks to bolster its market share overseas.

The Chinese company is somewhat of an upstart in the smartphone world, after spinning off from Huawei in 2020 when the tech giant was hit with US sanctions. Since then, Honor has looked to expand outside of China and push into the higher-end part of the market.

An Honor spokesperson said it will invest in putting AI into hardware as well as next-generation AI agents, which are often described as more advanced virtual assistants. Another part of the investment will go toward creating a “platform for a wide range of AI devices.“

Honor is using the technology behind Google Gemini, the US firm’s AI system, for the AI features on its latest devices. Honor said it would commit to seven years of employing the Android operating system and security updates for its Magic series of flagship smartphones.

Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said. “To date, it has felt as though Google was keeping Chinese smartphone makers at arm’s length when it came to the most advanced aspects of Gemini AI, but this appears to put the Honor on par with Samsung Galaxy and Google’s own Pixel products.“

Birds are breathing in many airborne microplastics into their lungs — and, likely, so are we, with unclear effects on our health.

The discovery arose after an examination of 56 wild birds representing 51 distinct species sampled from the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in western China. It was chosen as part of the airport's wildlife management program, which aims to reduce bird collisions with aircraft.

Birds were the focus of the study because they often share environments with humans and are found in almost every corner of the world. “Our research highlights an urgent need to address plastic pollution in our environments, as these contaminants can have far-reaching impacts on ecosystem health, as well as human health,“ said Shane DuBay, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Laser direct infrared imaging was used to detect and count the microplastic particles in each bird's lungs. Then, pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass-spectrometry — which identifies compounds with heat to break them into smaller molecules — helped identify even smaller particles known as nanoplastics.

“We have so few studies that have been able to look at microplastics in human lung tissue that would be able to give us a sense of exposure risk in humans and how that risk might vary by geography,“ DuBay said. No “safe“ level of microplastics in lung tissue has been established.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said tariffs on Canada and Mexico start Tuesday, but the planned 25% could change.

“Exactly what they are, we’re going to leave that for the president and his team to negotiate,“ Lutnick said. Lutnick’s comments were the first indication from Trump’s administration that it may not impose the full threatened 25% tariffs on all goods from Mexico and non-energy imports from Canada.

He said the two countries have “done a reasonable job“ securing their borders with the US, though he maintained the deadly drug fentanyl continues to flow into the country.

Lutnick said Trump was expected to raise tariffs another 10% on China on Tuesday unless the country ends fentanyl trafficking into the US.

Haiti says police have launched a large-scale operation in a shantytown controlled by powerful gang leader Jimmy Chérizier.

The authorities say several gang members have been killed in the Lower Delmas area of the capital Port-au-Prince. Local reports say military drones carrying explosives are being used in the operation.

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé praised the assault. He said it was the work of a special task force created two days ago to tackle insecurity. It is not clear whether Kenyan police officers deployed in Haiti last year to help fight the gangs are involved in the security operation.

Chérizier, widely known as “Barbecue,“ is the feared leader of Viv Ansam (Live Together), a coalition of gangs that control much of the city. Gang control in Port-au-Prince has led to an almost complete breakdown of law and order, the collapse of health services, and the emergence of a food security crisis.

More than 5,500 people were killed in gang-related violence in the Caribbean nation in 2024, and more than a million people have fled their homes.

A daredevil cat soared through the skies on a parachute-skiing adventure, sporting his tiny helmet.

The Bengal-mix named Thoth was securely strapped to owner Ivan Kuznetsov as they soared down the slopes of Gribanovka Ski Resort in Russia. After testing out downhill skiing together in December, the duo decided to take things up a notch, leading to their high-flying stunt.

To keep Thoth secure, Ivan attached his harness to the speed glider’s safety gear, and the tiny adventurer also wore a warm down jacket to ward off the cold mountain air. “The only thing that scared him was the noise of the cable car, so we started landing farther away from it.

Ivan first discovered Thoth’s love for adventure when the kitten crawled out of his backpack during a bike ride and perched on his shoulder for the entire trip. Now, the seven-month-old kitty accompanies Ivan on all his adventures. “He enjoys walking in the park, cycling, skiing, snowboarding, and even swimming.

Ivan and Thoth are now preparing for their next challenges: rafting and tandem rock climbing.