A Romanian nunnery tale, a killer whale of a drama and whimsical pre-teen love jostled for Cannes glory Monday as the world's top cinema showcase hit the half-way mark.

Awful weather and a lingering sexism row made only a slight dent in the French Riviera festival's glamour that saw stars like Jessica Chastain, Bill Murray and Marion Cotillard sashay up the fabled red carpet.

Mourning Algerians paid tribute Saturday to Arab singing legend Warda, whose body was returned to her homeland after she died of a heart attack in Egypt two days earlier.

Known throughout the Arab world as Warda al-Jazairia (Warda the Algerian), or simply as the "Algerian Rose", the singer won a passionate following in the north African nation and across the Arab world after she started singing Algerian independence songs as a young girl.

Actor and activist Sean Penn urged U.S. President Barack Obama to step up his support for Haiti as he hosted a Cannes fundraiser to help the country recover from the devastating 2010 quake.

Dubbed Carnival in Cannes, the star-studded party is being held on the sides of the Riviera filmfest jointly with Italian couturier Giorgio Armani. Proceeds will go to three aid groups: Sean Penn's J/P Haitian Relief Organization, Artists for Peace and Justice, and Happy Heart's Fund.

A 27-year-old man pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of stalking Hollywood actress Mila Kunis, star of Oscar-winning 2010 movie "Black Swan."

Stuart Dunn was charged with two counts of stalking despite a restraining order, after being initially arrested in January having broken into a vacant condominium owned by Kunis.

Best-selling author Dan Brown made a rare public appearance in New Hampshire on Friday, saying very little about his next novel other than he's well into the writing process.

"The Da Vinci Code" author, who grew up in New Hampshire, spoke at a benefit for The Music Hall's "Writers on a New England Stage" series in Portsmouth.

French opera seems to be hitting just the right note in the United States.

Concert halls across America are showcasing francophone conductors and productions with distinct ties to Paris.

Hundreds of nurses wearing Robin Hood hats and red t-shirts calling for "an economy for the 99 percent" rallied in Chicago Friday ahead of the NATO summit.

"NATO is here, the time is right for dancing in the streets," they sang as the cheerful crowd broke out into a dance routine.

Prince William and his wife Catherine will sail with Queen Elizabeth II on her royal barge as it leads a huge flotilla down London's River Thames for her diamond jubilee, officials said Thursday.

The young royals, credited with breathing new life into a monarchy previously seen as out of touch and beset by scandals, will add extra star power to one of the key events of a four-day jubilee holiday.

U.S. rap star 50 Cent tweeted Thursday that is recovering in hospital and posted a picture of himself with an array of cuddly toys -- although some questioned whether it was all a publicity stunt.

The rapper posted a string of messages on Twitter starting Wednesday with photos of himself in bed, after being hospitalized with what a friend, DJ Drama, told XXLMag.com was a stomach bug.

U.S. Navy sailors tend to be overlooked when it comes to Hollywood blockbusters, but the new action movie "Battleship" features American destroyers and their crews in the starring role, waging war against hostile aliens in the Pacific Ocean.

The Pentagon gave director Peter Berg access to a huge naval exercise and allowed him to film scenes on six ships, including four destroyers, an aircraft carrier and an amphibious assault ship, officials said.