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Microsoft is leaving no stone unturned in its quest to secure more compute capacity for meeting its customers’ heavy demand for AI services. On Monday, the Redmond-based tech giant signed a $9.7 billion, five-year contract with Australia’s IREN to secure further AI cloud capacity. The deal will give Microsoft access to compute infrastructure built with Nvidia’s GB300 GPUs, which will be deployed over phases through 2026 at IREN’s facility in Childress, Texas, planned to support 750 megawatts of capacity. IREN said it is separately buying GPUs and equipment from Dell for about $5.8 billion. The deal comes after Microsoft last…

At-home gut microbiome tests are trending, selling insights to the curious, empowerment to the chronically ill and a claimed path to longevity to the wellness-conscious.Private companies are offering tests, costing $100 to $500 or more, that promise a bacterial inventory of your intestines.But can microbiome tests actually provide actionable health information? As more patients arrive at doctors appointments with results in hand, frustrated gastroenterologists want people to know the tests have limits. There’s a world in your gut and we still don’t know a lot about itInside our intestines, entire ecosystems of bacteria help us digest our food, absorb key…

When thinking of a fall getaway, travelers usually conjure up images of vibrant foliage, chilly weather, and cozy accommodations. Those seasonal favorites are still winning with travelers in 2025, but several other unique destinations are trending for trips this fall, according to a recent report from Expedia. In addition to small towns in New England or other leaf-peeping regions, travelers are also showing more interest in destinations that are located in the desert, the southern U.S., and in South Pacific archipelagos. Here are seven destinations around the world that are trending for fall vacations in 2025.Mystic, ConnecticutFor a classic trip to New…

Microsoft will invest $15.2 billion in the United Arab Emirates over the next four years, the company announced Monday at the first annual Abu Dhabi Global AI Summit. The investment will include the first-ever shipments of the most advanced Nvidia GPUs to the UAE. As part of the deal, the U.S. has granted Microsoft a license to export Nvidia chips to the UAE, a move that positions the country as both a proving ground for U.S. export-control diplomacy and a regional anchor of American AI influence. The deal allows Microsoft to expand its foothold into the Middle East, a key region…

NEW YORK (AP) — New home. Some format changes. Same monsters.“Sesame Street” launches its 56th season on Nov. 10 with NASCAR champion Bubba Wallace as a guest, a slightly tweaked format and a new way to watch — via Netflix.“There you are, hi,” Elmo invites viewers at the top of the show. “Elmo so happy to see you.”The popular children’s staple will be offering an 11-minute main story at the top — up from 9 minutes last year — and a few new segments mixed with favorite returning ones.“In the history of ‘Sesame Street,’ we’ve always reinvented in some sort…

Huggies, manufactured by Kimberly-Clark and Band-Aid, manufactured by Kenvue.Getty ImagesKimberly-Clark announced Monday it’s struck an agreement to buy Kenvue in a deal valued at $48.7 billion that would create a consumer staples giant.The deal is a combination of cash and stock. Shares of Kenvue surged 20% in premarket trading Monday, while shares of Kimberly-Clark plunged 14%.The combined company would bring together brands like Huggies and Kleenex with the likes of Band-Aid and Tylenol. It would include 10 billion-dollar brands, the companies said in a news release. The acquisition would be one of the largest on Wall Street this year. The…

For the first time in its 185-year history, Cunard is homeporting a ship in Miami for an entire Caribbean season. The refreshed Queen Elizabeth set sail from PortMiami on Oct. 16 for her first voyage of the season, which offers nine-, 12- and 21-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries through April 2026.  Entertainment Headliner: Come From Away At a launch event celebrating the new season, guests were treated to a preview of the first at-sea production of Come From Away, the Tony Award-winning musical. On board for the inaugural sailing was Kevin Tuerff—the inspiration for the character “Kevin T.”—who spoke…

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — South Florida is seeing a wave of new cars, but they won’t add to traffic or lengthen anyone’s commute. That’s because the cars are made of marine-grade concrete and were installed underwater.Over several days late last month, crews lowered 22 life-sized cars into the ocean, several hundred feet off South Beach. The project was organized by a group that pioneers underwater sculpture parks as a way to create human-made coral reefs.“Concrete Coral,” commissioned by the nonprofit REEFLINE, will soon be seeded with 2,200 native corals that have been grown in a nearby Miami lab. The…

The government shutdown is triggering a wave of closures of Head Start centers, leaving working parents scrambling for child care and shutting some of the nation’s neediest children out of preschool.Dozens of centers are missing out on federal grant payments that were due to arrive Nov. 1. Some say they’ll close indefinitely, while others are staying afloat with emergency funding from local governments and school districts. The closures mean Head Start students — who come from low-income households, are homeless or are in foster care — are missing out on preschool, where they are fed two meals a day and…

Kevin Rose has a visceral rule for evaluating AI hardware investments: “If you feel like you should punch someone in the face for wearing it, you probably shouldn’t invest in it.” It’s a typically candid assessment from the veteran investor, and one born from watching the current wave of AI hardware startups repeat mistakes he’s seen before. Rose, a general partner at True Ventures and early investor in Peloton, Ring, and Fitbit, has largely avoided the AI hardware gold rush that’s consumed Silicon Valley. While other VCs rush to fund the next smart glasses or AI pendant, Rose is taking…