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HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ season finale draws in a series high

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

By KARENA PHAN (Associated Press)LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Last of Us” fans set another rating record for the season one finale of the apocalyptic, mushroom-infected zombie video game adaptation. Despite airing against the Oscars Sunday night, HBO said the season finale drew in 8.2 million viewers.Viewership for “The Last of Us” has consistently grown throughout the season. The series has not only won over gamers with high expectations but also critics and people who aren’t familiar with the game.The series premiere drew 4.7 million viewers in the U.S., based on Nielsen and HBO data, making for HBO’s second-largest debut, behind “House of the Dragon.” Outside of the U.S., “The Last of Us” is now the most-watched show in the history of HBO Max in both Europe and Latin America, HBO said.As viewers watch episodes on the streaming platforms days after the episodes air, the numbers for the series will continue to increase. The series is now averaging 30.4 million viewers across its first s...

The Average Millennial Has Nearly $30K in Debt. Here Is What They Should Do.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

NEW YORK – March 14, 2023 – ( Newswire.com )Credello: Studies show that Millennials often have debt. The average amount is almost $30K. Some have more, while others have less, but it’s a sobering number.There are actions you can take if you’re a Millennial and you’re carrying this much debt. We’ll talk about some strategies right now.Get a Personal LoanMany Millennials are paying for things with credit cards. This is tempting, but it can backfire. Credit cards can have interest rates close to 35%.If you have several outstanding debts,  how much of a personal loan can I get should probably be the question you’re asking. If you approach a bank or credit union and get a personal loan, you can use that money to pay off your debts.Why Are Personal Loans So Attractive?Getting a bank or credit union loan simplifies your life. If you do this, you only have one loan to repay, rather than owing several different credit card companies and other entities.Also, when you get a personal loan, you’...

Saudi Arabia places order with Boeing for up to 121 planes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

Two Saudi Arabian airlines said Tuesday they will order 78 jetliners from Boeing and take options to buy 43 more in a major boost for the American aircraft manufacturer.The order for Boeing 787s will be divided between Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, and a planned new airline called Riyadh Air, which Saudi officials announced over the weekend.At list prices, the combined deal would be worth about $37 billion if the options are exercised, but airlines routinely get deep discounts. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.Boeing had been talking to the Saudis about an order for three years, according to two senior U.S. administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been publicly announced. The officials said President Joe Biden did not directly lobby for the order when he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last summer, but top aides made a pitch to Saudi government officials on Boeing’s behalf.The Saudi deal will support about 1 m...

German police: 2 children in custody over girl’s killing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

Berlin (AP) — German police said Tuesday that two children are in custody suspected of killing a 12-year-old girl found dead earlier this week in the western town of Freudenberg, in a case that has shocked the country.The girl, who was only identified by her first name Louise due to privacy reasons, went missing Saturday after visiting a friend. She was found stabbed to death on Sunday in a forest near a former railroad station, after a massive police search.Prosecutor Mario Mannweiler told reporters that “we must assume that the crime was committed by two children from the (victim’s) circle of acquaintances.”The two suspects, who are 12 and 13 years old, confessed to the killing, police officer Florian Locker said.Citing the age of the suspects, officials refused to give any further details on their identity, gender, motive or whether they knew the victim from school.Due to their youth, the two children are below the age of criminal responsibility which is 14 in G...

San Francisco to air Black reparations plan, $5M per person

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A controversial draft reparations proposal that includes a $5 million lump-sum payment for each eligible Black person could make San Francisco the first major U.S. city to fund reparations, though it faces steep financial headwinds and blistering criticism from conservatives.Tuesday’s meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will include a presentation by San Francisco’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee, which released its draft report in December. The $5 million-per-person payment is among more than 100 recommendations ranging from offering grants to buy and maintain homes to exempting Black businesses from paying taxes.Supervisors can vote to adopt all, none or some of the recommendations and can change them. Several board members have expressed concerns over the potential hit the lump-sum payment and other options would have on the city budget, already facing a shortfall.An estimated 50,000 Black people live in San Francisco, but...

Netherlands repatriates indigenous remains to St. Eustatius

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Netherlands has returned the remains of nine indigenous people that archaeologists found more than 30 years ago in the tiny Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, officials said.Some artifacts found alongside the bone fragments date back to the 5th century, the government of the island known as Statia said in a press release Monday.The repatriation process took nearly a year, and officials said that a local cultural heritage committee will consult residents about how and where to rebury the remains.The Caribs are believed to have lived on St. Eustatius before the arrival of Spanish conquerors. The island later changed hands several times among Britain, France and the Netherlands. It is currently a special municipality of the Netherlands with a population of about 3,200.The bone fragments and artifacts including boxes of ceramic and shell food remains were found during an excavation from 1984 to 1989 at the airport in the capital of Oranjestad as pa...

Author Leigh Bardugo reaches blockbuster deal with publisher

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Million-selling author Leigh Bardugo has reached a blockbuster deal with Macmillan Publishers, an eight-figure agreement for more than a dozen books across several imprints. According to Macmillan, the books will comprise a “variety of formats, age categories and genres.” Bardugo is best known for her Grishaverse fantasy novels, which include “Shadow and Bone,” the basis for a Netflix series of the same name that begins its second season this week. She also has written the adult fantasy novel “Ninth House” and its recently released sequel “Hell Bent.”“Macmillan took a chance on me over a decade ago and they’ve been my home ever since. When no one in YA was interested in epic fantasy, they welcomed ‘Shadow and Bone,’” Bardugo said in a statement Tuesday. “When everyone wanted books about kings and queens, they rolled the dice on my team of six outcasts (in her novel ‘Six of Crows’) trying to pull off an impossible heist.”“And when I wanted to go someplace far da...

Migrant boats sink off Turkish coast; at least 4 dead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Two boats carrying dozens of migrants sank off Turkey’s Aegean coast on Tuesday, drowning at least four people, Turkish media reports said.The Turkish coast guard rescued 38 people and recovered the four bodies, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.It was not clear how many people were on the boats and coast guards were continuing to search off the coastal resort of Kusadasi for other possible survivors.The rescued migrants were taken to hospitals to be treated for hyperthermia, private DHA news agency reported. Their nationalities were not immediately known.Anadolu claimed that the boats carrying the migrants are believed to have been pushed back into Turkish waters by Greek authorities.Turkey frequently accuses Greece of engaging in the illegal practice of pushbacks — summary deportations of migrants without allowing them to apply for asylum. Greece denies that, and in turn accuses Turkish authorities of directing migrant boats to Greek waters.Thousands of p...

Police: 5 people robbed in 10 minutes near University of Chicago campus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

CHICAGO — Five people were robbed in a span of ten minutes Monday night near the University of Chicago.According to University of Chicago police, the first armed robbery happened at around 7:30 p.m. in the 5300 block of South Kimbark. Three suspects robbed one person on a sidewalk and fled in a white Kia.At around 7:35 p.m., two more people were robbed by the same group in the 5100 block of South Kenwood. Then five minutes later, two more were robbed in the 1200 block of East 57th Street. Man accused of battering 50-year-old CTA driver on South Side The three suspects were later arrested at 38th and Cottage Grove and a handgun was recovered, police said.

WATCH LIVE | SAFE-T Act, elimination of cash bail is before Illinois Supreme Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:57 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A controversial part of the SAFE-T Act goes before the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday.The act's elimination of cash bail is at the center of the case before the justices in Springfield. A Kankakee judge ruled in favor of state's attorneys who believe getting rid of the cash bail system is unconstitutional. Now, the state's highest court will begin the process of making the decision to possibly eliminate the entire law. Gov. JB Pritzker and the attorney general are urging the court to reject constitutional theories from prosecutors challenging the measure. They believe eliminating cash bail puts dangerous criminals back on the street.Those against the SAFE-T Act are using a specific part of the Illinois constitution that guarantees people bail by sufficient sureties.The issue is whether sureties automatically means money. Illinois’ SAFE-T Act explained The attorney general's office argues lawmakers have the right to reform pretr...