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George R.R. Martin is working on three animated ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoffs

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

(CNN) — George R.R. Martin knows there’s a lot to choose from in terms of content, but that’s not stopping him from adding more abundance.In a blog post over the weekend, the “Game of Thrones” author shared that he’s working on three animated projects based on that wildly popular franchise.Writing, “There is so much on television these days, in the age of streaming, it is hard to keep up,” Martin wrote. “It is always a joy to stumble on a show that you haven’t seen before, a great show that just blows you away, that sinks its claws into you and won’t let go.”He noted that Netflix’s animated series “Blue Eye Samurai” is just such a show, which led into the revelation about his own animated shows in development.“As it happens, HBO and I have our own animated projects, set in the world of A SONG OF ICE & FIRE.  None of them have been greenlit yet, but I think we are getting close to taking the next step with a couple of them,” Martin wrote. “When this ...

Megalosaurus, the first ever dinosaur discovery

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

(CNN) — Huge fossilized bones that emerged from slate quarries in England’s Oxfordshire beginning in the late 1600s were immediately puzzling.In a world where evolution and extinction were unknown concepts, the experts of the day cast around for an explanation. Perhaps, they thought, they belonged to a Roman war elephant or a giant human.It wasn’t until 1824 that William Buckland, Oxford University’s first professor of geology, described and named the first known dinosaur, based on a lower jaw, vertebrae and limb bones found in those local quarries. The largest thigh bone was 2 feet, 9 inches long and nearly 10 inches in circumference.Buckland named the creature the bones belonged to Megalosaurus, or great lizard, in a scientific paper that he presented to London’s newly formed Geological Society on February 20, 1824. From the shape of its teeth, he believed it was a carnivore more than 40 feet (12 meters) long with “the bulk of an elephant.” Buckland thought it was l...

Service restored after part of Green Line’s E Branch temporarily suspended due to accident

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

Service for a portion of the Green Line’s E Branch was suspended temporarily due to an accident near the MBTA’s Back of the Hill station, but has resumed.https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/1742205775143944522The transportation authority announced around 10 a.m. that service was suspended between Heath Street and Brigham Circle as a result of the accident. Details on the extent of the crash itself have not yet been released.“Riders may use the route 39 bus for alternative service,” the MBTA stated on X, formerly known as Twitter.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/1742200183771869347

Bill Belichick too committed to current Patriots to address 2024 NFL Draft pick

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

Sunday’s loss to the Bills might not have done anything to help Bill Belichick’s job security, but to borrow a phrase from the Patriots head coach, it probably was in the “best interest of the team.”The loss moved the Patriots up from selecting fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft to third overall. Depending on what happens next weekend, they could wind up picking anywhere from second to seventh overall.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots-Bills film review: Bill Belichick’s latest loss a microcosm of lost season New England Patriots | Bill Belichick compares rookie’s interception to play All-Pro made vs. Patriots New England Patriots | Bill Belichick comments on future before what could be last game as Patriots head coach New England Patriots | Bill Belichick gives abrupt answer on Trent Brown’s benching New England Patriots | How close are the Patriots to...

Cold spell in Finland and Sweden sends temperature below minus 40

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

By JARI TANNER (Associated Press)HELSINKI (AP) — Finland and Sweden recorded their coldest temperatures of the winter Tuesday when thermometers plummeted as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) as a cold spell grips the Nordic region.Cold and snow disrupted transportation throughout the region, including in Norway where a major highway in the south was closed due to the weather and ferry lines suspended operations. Swedish train operators said the cold snap caused substantial problems for rail traffic in the Arctic north. Nikkaluokta, a small village inhabited by indigenous Sami people in northern Sweden, recorded a temperature of minus 41.6 degrees C (minus 42.8 F) early Tuesday, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported.“It’s the coldest temperature we have had so far this winter, and it will continue to be quite cold weather in the north,” SVT meteorologist Nils Holmqvist said.The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute reported te...

Great-West Lifeco closes Putnam Investments sale to Franklin Templeton

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

WINNIPEG — Great-West Lifeco Inc. says it has closed the sale of Putnam Investments.The company first announced the deal to sell the business to Franklin Resources Inc., which operates as Franklin Templeton, in May 2023.The deal includes a partnership that will see Great-West Lifeco distribute Franklin Templeton products and allocate an initial US$25 billion in assets under management to Franklin Templeton’s specialist investment managers.Great-West Lifeco has also agreed to retain shares representing about a 4.9 per cent stake in Franklin Templeton for a minimum five-year period. Great-West Lifeco chief executive Paul Mahon says the deal furthers the company’s strategy of building and extending strategic partnerships.The company said the transaction is not expected to have a material financial impact.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2024.Companies in this story: (TSX:GWO, TSX:POW)The Canadian Press

Basdeo Panday, Trinidad and Tobago’s first prime minister of Indian descent, dies

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Basdeo Panday, a former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago who was the first person of Indian descent to hold that position, has died. He was 90.Panday died on Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement that his daughter, Mickela Panday, posted on social media.“He passed with his boots on, keeping everybody around him on their toes with his wit and humor,” she wrote.Panday served twice as prime minister from 1995 to 2001 following key elections that marked a turning point for the Indo-Trinidadians who lived on the twin-island nation, whose population is currently 35% East Indian and 34% of African descent.Panday was a lawyer, economist and union leader who also co-founded three political parties, including United National Congress. He temporarily stepped down as opposition leader of that party after being convicted in 2006 of failing to disclose a bank account in London.In 2005, Panday and others were charged with corruption and arreste...

Warren Buffett, James Simons and Phil Knight are among the top charity donors of 2023

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual list of the biggest charitable donations from individuals or their foundations totaled more than $3.5 billion in 2023. Four universities received big gifts in 2023, along with four scientific research institutes and a health-care system. The other gifts went to a family foundation and a racial-justice group.The list has 11 gifts because of ties. Eight of the donors are multibillionaires, and their combined net worth is $305.1 billion.Topping the list is a gift from the investment guru Warren Buffett, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes at roughly $119 billion. He gave 1.5 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway Class “B” stock valued at $541.5 million to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named for his first wife, who died in 2004.Buffett created the grantmaker in 1964 to manage the family’s charitable giving, and it remains a family affair. Two of his three children serve on its board, and it is led by his former son-in-law. The foun...

Woman charged with leaving 4 children home alone on New Year's Eve

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

CHICAGO — A woman is charged after leaving four young children home alone on New Year's Eve on the city's West Side, according to Chicago police.Dominique Bishop-Smith, 29, faces four misdemeanour counts of child endangerment.Around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, officers were waved down by an 11-year-old boy who said that he was home alone with other children inside a residence on the 4800 block of West Jackson Boulevard in the Austin neighborhood.Officers transported the boy, along with a 1-year-old boy, a 7-year-old boy, and a 4-year-old girl to West Suburban Hospital as a precaution after not being able to make contact with a guardian.

Village police chief in Southwest suburb retiring after 39 years in DuPage County Law Enforcement

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:48:25 GMT

WOODRIDGE, Ill. — The Village of Woodridge announced Tuesday that Chief of Police Brian Cunningham is retiring after 39 years of service with DuPage County Law Enforcement.Cunningham’s last day with the Village of Woodridge and the Woodridge Police Department will be Wednesday, Jan. 24, according to a news release from the village announcing Cunningham's retirement. He has been the village's Chief of Police for the past seven years.The search for a new chief will begin immediately, the release states. In the interim, Deputy Chief of Police Thomas Stefanson will serve as acting chief. Stefanson has been with the Village of Woodridge since 1998 and has held several positions, including Patrol Sergeant and Detective Sergeant, before becoming Deputy Chief of Police in 2014.During his tenure as Chief of Police for the Village of Woodridge, Brian Cunningham has implemented several programs and led initiatives for the Woodridge Police Department and the community. (PHOTOS COURTESY VILLAGE ...