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The Weeknd is officially the most popular artist in the world

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

(CNN) — It’s official: The Weeknd is the most popular artist in the world.The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, according to Guinness World Records (GWR).“No one else even comes close,” said the organization in a statement earlier this week.The Canadian singer, 33, has set two new Guinness World Record titles. He currently has the most monthly listeners on Spotify, with 111.4 million as of March 20. He also became the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners.The Weeknd’s record-breaking stats will come as bad news to Swifties, Sheerios and Beliebers — whose idols are trailing in his wake.Miley Cyrus is The Weeknd’s closest competitor, with 82.4 million monthly listeners, according to GWR.Next is Shakira (81.6 million), then Ariana Grande (80.6 million), Taylor Swift (80.2 million) and Rihanna (78.5 mill...

Casey Affleck, Matt Damon spotted again in Boston as movie filming continues

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

Hollywood stars Casey Affleck and Matt Damon hit the streets of Boston for another day of filming Thursday, a day after they were spotted filming in the area on Wednesday. Spotted in Boston’s Back Bay, Affleck briefly spoke with a 7NEWS camera. “Filming is going great,” Affleck said. Affleck and Damon are starring in “The Instigators,” a new Apple movie. The two were seen at a fire station on Cambridge Street on Wednesday. In the North End, Bova’s Bakery is also closed this week to make way for filming inside. In Back Bay, the 47-year-old, Oscar-winning Affleck took time to pat a dog before cameras started rolling on Thursday. Crews gathered as filming got underway near the corner of Exeter and Marlborough streets “I think it’s pretty exciting,” Back Bay resident Susan Gentile said. There was a whole lot of waiting for people on Exeter Street, peering down an alley which was kept wet with piles of snow being trucked in for a wintery look. Through t...

Car crashes into Dunkin’ in Chelsea

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries Thursday after a car crashed into a Dunkin’ location in Chelsea, officials said. The crash happened at the Dunkin’ on Washington Avenue just after 1 p.m. when police said the car’s elderly driver confused the gas pedal for the brake and accidentally accelerated.Photos from the scene showed damage to the Dunkin’ building, with bricks and debris inside.The vehicle involved in this incident was later pulled free from the building. Officials said the shop is structurally sound and will remain in operation. The two occupants of the car who were taken to the hospital are expected to be okay, according to police.Chelsea police said in a message on social media that the case had been referred to the Registry of Motor Vehicles for further driver evaluation as of Thursday afternoon. No motor vehicle charges had been filed. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Yankees Notebook: Carlos Rodon throws first bullpen session since forearm strain

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

Carlos Rodon’s first bullpen session since mildly straining his left forearm went off without a hitch.The southpaw threw 15 fastballs on Thursday. The injury, which Rodon pitched through last May as a member of the Giants, had sidelined the Yankees’ most notable newcomer since March 9.“Just hitting the marks, trying to check off the boxes, week by week, day by day,” Rodon said when asked how the session felt. “The cliches you guys want to hear, but it’s the truth because that’s how rehab goes, and it sucks.”As for next steps, Rodon will “probably” play catch up to 90 feet on Friday. He’ll throw another bullpen in a few days, one that will incorporate breaking balls.If all goes well, Rodon is likely looking at a late-April or early-May debut for the Yankees.ON THE CLOCKBecause of his injury, Rodon has had limited experience with the pitch clock. He threw in just one game this spring, completing two innings.“I lik...

Stocks tick higher after another dizzying day on Wall Street

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

By STAN CHOE (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose Thursday, but only after another dizzying day for Wall Street where a big show of strength from the morning vanished and worries rose about the banking industry. The S&P 500 added 0.3% for its third gain in four days, but it had been on track for a much healthier gain of 1.8% in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw an early gain of 481 points disappear, and it likewise dipped to a brief loss before closing with a rise of 75 points, or 0.2%. Strength for technology stocks helped the Nasdaq composite hold up better than the rest of the market, and it added 1%. Two big questions have been causing big swings for Wall Street this month, and investors still don’t have a final answer for either. On one, investors are worried about whether more banks will suffer a debilitating exodus of customers following the second- and third-largest U.S. bank failures in history. On the other, all the turmoil is cl...

‘Succession’ review: The billionaires are back for a final season on HBO, battle lines drawn

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

Nina Metz | (TNS) Chicago TribuneEveryone is expendable. Even top dogs, who have the benefit of consoling themselves with massive exit packages. Some CEOs hang on longer than most, but not forever — retirement or death comes for us all — which is why, when money and power and legacies are in play, you need a plan of succession. The rich comedic conceit of “Succession” has always been rooted in one irascible billionaire’s inability to do this simple task: Name your replacement.The fourth and final season of the HBO series opens by tacitly asking if any of that matters, now that patriarch Logan Roy is selling off his media empire. It seems like a done deal, but you never know with this crowd. Either way, when Logan broke the news of his intentions last season, it shattered the hopes and sweaty, incompetent dreams of his three youngest children, and the show picks back up in the aftermath, with battle lines drawn.On one side you have Logan (Brian Cox), his afterthought of a son Connor ...

Source: Patriots determine Joe Judge’s new coaching role for 2023 season

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

Despite a disastrous debut as the Patriots’ quarterbacks coach last year, Joe Judge was always expected to return to Bill Belichick’s staff in a new role.But it wasn’t until recently that Judge’s new position was finalized.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft release statements on Dont’a Hightower’s retirement New England Patriots | Ex-Patriots P Jake Bailey blames 2022 struggles on one change New England Patriots | Source: Patriots, DB Jalen Mills reach revised 1-year deal after expected release New England Patriots | Guregian: Patriots’ dynastic defense ends without McCourty, Hightower New England Patriots | Former Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower announces retirement According to a source, Judge will serve in an assistant head coach role and coach the special teams units alongside assistants Cam Achord and Joe Houston. Judge wi...

Weather-weary California hopes for sunny spring after storms

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Californians are tired. Tired of the rain, tired of the snow, tired of stormy weather and the cold, relentlessly gray skies that have clouded the Golden State nearly nonstop since late December.With spring now underway, the state’s 39 million residents are hopeful for sunnier days ahead. But this week’s atmospheric river — the 12th such storm here since late December — had other plans.The powerful systems dump huge amounts of rain and snow as they bring massive plumes of Pacific moisture into California. They have already wreaked havoc across the state, with a death toll rising as communities dig out and floodwaters recede. High winds toppled trees, snowfall stranded mountain communities and storm surges inundated coastal towns with no end in sight.Californians initially welcomed the precipitation and chilly temperatures after a record-hot summer and yearslong drought that included the driest January through March on record in 2022. But the atmospheric r...

Massachusetts train derails, no hazardous cargo reported

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

AYER, Mass. (AP) — Five freight train cars derailed in Massachusetts on Thursday, but no hazardous materials were being hauled and there were no reports of injuries, according to authorities.The freight cars that toppled over at about 11:30 a.m. were carrying sealed containers of trash and recycling material, the Ayer Fire Department said in a social media post. Each car was carrying double stacked containers for a total of 10 containers, according to the state emergency management agency.A woman walking in the area first noticed the toppled railcars and called authorities, Fire Chief Tim Johnston said at the scene. “For an unknown cause the two double-stacked containers on one of the trains toppled over and it seems to have ended up pulling four others over,” he said.The fire department called railway operator CSX and utility National Grid to the scene and officials took precautions to protect a nearby waterway.The train was not moving at the time of the derailment, assistant...

Abortion-rights supporters prevail in New Hampshire House

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 08:48:01 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — In a victory for abortion-rights supporters, the Republican-led but closely divided New Hampshire House on Thursday rejected multiple bills to further restrict abortion access while also approving legislation to protect it.The eight abortion-related bills came up for a vote during what has been a hectic week for abortion policy nationwide. Nine months after the U.S. Supreme Court ended a nationwide right to an abortion, court fights are playing out on multiple fronts, states dominated by Democrats are seeking to protect access and Republicans are trying to tighten restrictions.In New Hampshire, Republicans hold a 201-198 majority in the House, with one seat vacant. That has made attendance on session days extra important, as evidenced by the vote on a measure Thursday that ended in a tie.The proposal in question, backed by virtually all Democrats, would have repealed the state’s ban on abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy. The bill was tabled after the 192-192 t...