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Smoking sparks Aurora porch fire early Friday, displacing 10, fire officials say

AURORA | Ten people were forced from their Aurora home early Friday after a back porch caught fire, ignited by someone smoking, according to Aurora Fire Rescue officials. Firefighters responding to a smoke alarm activation to a house in the 4600 block of South Ivory Circle at about 5 a.m. reported visible fire and smoke […]

1 min read

Aurora Highlands launches art-centric Market in the Park festival series Saturday

AURORA | The Aurora Highlands launches its monthly Market in the Park festival series this Saturday at Winged Melody Park, melding art, food, music, shopping and more into a fund day for the entire family, organizers say. A fusion of art, shopping food and community boasts fun at the market and a chance to ogle […]

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An ancient whale graveyard in the Indian Ocean teems with life

NEW YORK | Scientists have unearthed communities of marine life — including jellyfish, tubeworms and brittle stars — thriving on a millions-year-old whale graveyard. These graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor, becoming a sustaining snack for nearby critters. This one, located up to 23,000 feet (7 kilometers) below the surface of […]

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The secrets behind a memorable World Cup anthem, from Shakira and more

NEW YORK | What makes a memorable World Cup anthem? Is it a song that best reflects the host countries? Is it a global banger, incorporating multiple languages and genres? Or should it simply value a chant-along chorus above all? There’s an argument to make for each — or perhaps all. To get to the […]

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Canada seeks to ban social media accounts for children under 16, joining growing global effort

TORONTO | Canada introduced legislation on Wednesday that could bar children younger than 16 from having social media accounts unless the companies show they can make their platforms safe. Canada is joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections. Canadian government officials said social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put […]

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Visa plugs its payment network into ChatGPT, letting AI agents shop and pay for users

SAN FRANCISCO | Betting that people will soon grow more comfortable having artificial intelligence agents shop for groceries, plane tickets or diapers on their behalf, payments giant Visa said Wednesday that it has embedded its payment network inside of ChatGPT, empowering the chatbot to independently shop and complete transactions. It means AI agents can not […]

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Taylor Swift becomes the youngest woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at age 36

NEW YORK | Taylor Swift became the youngest woman ever inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame Thursday night at age 36. “It was instinctual. No one taught me how to do it,” she said of songwriting through a raspy voice she attributed to screaming along to the night’s performances and Wednesday night’s historic NBA […]

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Trump is raising expectations that this time he really will close deal with Iran to wind down war

WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump has long been looking for this weekend to be a big one for his presidency. The World Cup returns to the U.S. on Friday for the first time in 32 years after Trump threw himself into winning the bid to co-host the soccer tourney during his first term. He’ll be […]