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EMBOSCADA, Paraguay (AP) — The rainy weather did not prevent Blanca Servín from dressing her 7-year-old son like a bird. They joined a procession honoring St. Francis Solanus, the patron saint of a town in Paraguay about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the capital city of Asunción.Like her child, dozens of Catholics in Emboscada wear elaborate feathered garments each July 24. Dressing up is a ritual aimed at fulfilling promises made to the Spanish friar, who was a missionary in South America during the 16th century and is believed to grant miracles.“I couldn’t have children,” Servín said. “I underwent several…

KYOTO, Japan (AP) — Nishijinori, the intricate weaving technique for kimonos that dates back more than a thousand years in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, is getting a high-tech collaborator: artificial intelligence.The revered colorful weaving style associated with “The Tale of Genji” of the 11th-century Heian era, has gone through its share of ups and downs. But its survival is more perilous than ever today, as demand for kimonos nose-dives among Japanese grappling with modernization.Hironori Fukuoka, the fourth-generation successor to his Nishijinori business, is determined to keep alive the art he’s inherited, even if that means turning to AI.“I want…

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Coffee hasn’t always been an easy sell in Nepal.The Himalayan country is a major tea producer, as well as a major consumer. When people greet each other in the morning, they don’t ask “how are you.” They say “have you had your tea?”Tea — usually served with as a sweet, milky beverage in a piping hot glass tumbler — is as much a part of Nepal’s culture as rice, a constant presence at homes, meetings and social gatherings.But a growing number of Nepalis are warming up to coffee, as trendy cafes spring up street corners in…

President Donald Trump’s plan to boost artificial intelligence and build data centers across the U.S. could speed up a building boom that was already expected to strain the nation’s ability to power it.The White House released the “AI Action Plan” Wednesday, vowing to expedite permitting for construction of energy-intensive data centers as it looks to make the country a leader in a business that tech companies and others are pouring billions of dollars into. The plan says to combat “radical climate dogma,” a number of restrictions — including clean air and water laws — could be lifted, aligning with Trump’s…

MILAN (AP) — Art restorers have removed a deteriorating piece of graffiti by the street artist Banksy titled “The Migrant Child” from the side of a building overlooking a Venetian canal to preserve the work for future public display, officials said Thursday.The removal from the wall of Palazzo San Pantalon was carried out in consultation with people close to the secretive British street artist, according to the Venice-based bank Banca Ifis’ art program that promotes art and culture.The artwork depicting a shipwrecked child holding a pink smoke bomb and wearing a lifejacket appeared along Rio di San Pantalon in Venice…

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Most cat owners dread their pets bringing home mice or birds. But for the owners of one felonious feline in Auckland, New Zealand, there’s a worse shame — being the unwitting accomplice to an unstoppable one-cat crimewave.His prolific laundry-pinching from clotheslines and bedrooms in the placid beachside neighborhood of Mairangi Bay has turned 15-month-old Leo into a local celebrity and earned him a new moniker. He now goes by Leonardo da Pinchy. And he’s got expensive taste. His frequent hauls include silk boxer shorts, thick men’s work socks — preferably with clothespins still attached —…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — They were in love once.Four years before Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” became one of the best breakup records of the 1970s — and, many might say, all time — Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were relative unknowns, a young couple putting out their own album, posing nude on the cover like a Laurel Canyon version of Adam and Eve.Released as “Buckingham Nicks,” the 1973 album has for decades maintained somewhat of a holy grail status in the dusty bins of record stores, selling for $20 to $90 depending on its condition. Now, in addition to new vinyl,…

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Ken Silver knows beef because he knows Philly cheesesteak. He hopes that a summer spike in how much he pays for his restaurant’s main product doesn’t cause heartburn for him or his customers.Silver, president of Jim’s South St. in Philadelphia, said he might have to raise prices for his popular sandwiches to offset the rising cost of beef or even declare a market price, which is commonly associated with seafood.“I really hate to do that,” said Silver, whose father started the business in 1976.U.S. beef prices have been steadily rising over the past 20 years because the…

Cacioppo didn’t always realize she wanted to be a startup founder. But she knew she liked building things starting at age 11, when she ran a solo eBay Beanie Baby business.Katie Thompson On Wednesday, security and compliance software company Vanta announced a new $150 million fundraise that values the company at $4.15 billion, up from $2.45 billion when it last raised money a year ago. The new round brings Vanta’s total funding raised to around $500 million. Vanta cofounder and CEO Christina Cacioppo, who is on Forbes’ list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women, has a stake now worth around $830…

BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Ozzy Osbourne’s fans had sensed the end was near.At his final show just a few weeks ago, admirers watched the heavy metal icon perform while seated on a black throne and knew it would likely be the last time they saw the lead singer of Black Sabbath. He died Tuesday at age 76.So there was little surprise Wednesday as they made pilgrimages to sites around Birmingham, the city in central England where Osbourne grew up and the band was formed.Outside the Crown Pub, where Black Sabbath played its first gig, Daria DeBuono, 59, and Stephen Voland,…