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AP PHOTOS: 3-day Halloween festival draws huge crowds to Romania’s capital, Bucharest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — The Romanian capital Bucharest boasts a perfect location for Halloween festivities — and visitors love it.More than 80,000 people descended last weekend on Bucharest’s Insula Ingerilor, or Angels’ Island peninsula, for the three-day West Side Hallo Fest, the largest Halloween festival in the Eastern European nation since the fall of communism.The venue was carefully chosen. Both the Angels’ Island and the surrounding Lacul Morii lake have been shrouded in mystery stories ever since the lake was artificially created in the late 1980s.When the lake was created, hundreds of homes, two schools and a church had to be demolished, along with a cemetery. Authorities moved about 11,000 graves, but left many others behind, feeding spooky tales of lost souls, wandering ghosts and strange lights appearing at night.The area around the lake remained deserted for years and later became a popular recreation area for Bucharest residents. But its reputation of eerie mystery ...

Stafford Co. fire and rescue employee charged with murdering infant son

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

A Stafford County fire and rescue employee has been charged with murdering his 3-month-old son.On Oct. 27 at 12:25 p.m., deputies were called to Richland Road, where they found the infant unresponsive, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.Deputies attempted life-saving measures until fire and rescue arrived and took the baby to the hospital, where he died, the release said.The state medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide, but the sheriff’s office has not released details on how the child died.On Oct. 28, detectives charged the baby’s father, 19-year-old Dallas Bowling, with second-degree murder and felony child abuse, the release said.He was held without bond at Rappahannock Regional Jail.In a statement posted on social media, Stafford County Fire and Rescue officials did not identify Bowling by name, but said the employee charged with second-degree murder and child abuse had been placed on administrative leave pending the...

Lions lean on Jahmyr Gibbs’ legs, Jared Goff’s arm in 26-14 win over offensively challenged Raiders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions can trace their turnaround to hitting more than missing in the draft.Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta are the latest examples.Gibbs ran for a season-high 152 yards and a touchdown, LaPorta had eight receptions for 57 yards with a score, and the rookies helped the Lions beat the Las Vegas Raiders 26-14 on Monday night.“We wanted to get Gibbs going,” coach Dan Campbell said. “You could tell he was feeling it.”The NFC North-leading Lions (6-2) stalled on three early drives, turned the ball over three times, missed a field goal and still won by double digits.“When your defense plays that good, you can overcome that,” Campbell said.Jared Goff threw an interception that Marcus Peters returned 75 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter, allowing Las Vegas (3-5) to pull within two points. Detroit’s next drive ended when Craig Reynolds fumbled at the Raiders 3.The Lions kept the ball on their third drive of the second half, taking a two-score lead ...

Luka Doncic’s 58th career triple-double powers Mavericks past Grizzlies 125-110

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Luka Doncic had 35 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists and Derrick Jones Jr. added 22 points as the Dallas Mavericks remained undefeated with a 125-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.Tim Hardaway Jr. added 21 points for Dallas and Grant Williams finished with 15. Doncic, who had 49 points in Friday’s 125-120 win over the Brooklyn Nets, recorded his 58th career triple-double, shooting 11 of 22 from the field, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range. Dallas improved to 3-0.“It’s a great start,” Doncic said. “We know we have a lot of games left, but it’s always (nice) to have a great start.”Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 30 points apiece. Jackson grabbed nine rebounds. Marcus Smart finished with 23 points before fouling out late in the game.The loss left the Grizzlies at 0-4, the first time Memphis has lost its first four games in a season since 2004. Monday’s game was the largest losing margin.“We’...

Today in History: October 31, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

Today in HistoryToday is Tuesday, Oct. 31, the 304th day of 2023. There are 61 days left in the year. This is Halloween. Today’s Highlight in History: On Oct. 31, 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two Sikh security guards. On this date: In 1864, Nevada became the 36th state as President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation. In 1941, work was completed on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, begun in 1927. In 1961, the body of Josef Stalin was removed from Lenin’s Tomb as part of the Soviet Union’s “de-Stalinization” drive. In 1964, Theodore C. Freeman, 34, became the first member of NASA’s astronaut corps to die when his T-38 jet crashed while approaching Ellington Air Force Base in Houston. In 1967, Nguyen Van Thieu (nwen van too) took the oath of office as the first president of South Vietnam’s second republic.In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered a halt to all U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, saying he hoped for fruitful peace ne...

Video shows moments before shots fired in South Bay restaurant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- The owner of a Chula Vista business at the center of a Saturday night shooting spoke with FOX 5 and shared surveillance video from the terrifying moments inside Novo Brazil. “I heard there was a shooting before they got there, because if you see the video they are chasing, they’re looking for someone,” said Tiago Carneiro, owner Novo Brazil Brewing.  Surveillance video from the restaurant shows what happens moments before shots are fired. Two people are seen walking by the entrance, then they double back, look inside and continue on walking. Suddenly they run inside the restaurant, chased by three others. A person in a black and red top is seen with his arm up, holding a gun. As shots are fired, immediately everyone drops to the ground. “All of them were not our customers. They have never been in our location. They were not there that night. They come inside and between the time they shoot and they go out it was 12 seconds,” Carneiro said. Carne...

City acknowledges it does not have enough 24/7 bathrooms downtown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Monday's vote was to approve the San Diego City Council's joint response to the Grand Jury Report titled “Downtown Area Public Restrooms in the City of San Diego: Stop Kicking the Can Down the Road."“It’s a huge class issue," Council President Sean Elo-Rivera said. "This is a universal need and something we simply need to get right."City council acknowledged that the current number of restrooms that are available 24/7 in downtown is not enough. However, the city said the restrooms primarily serve the unhoused, and believe they should be adding more shelters.The Grand Jury filed the report on May 24, 2023, and the city has an extension to provide a response to the Superior Court's Presiding Judge by Nov.10, 2023. Community volunteers make up the Grand Jury and investigate certain issues.The report has eight findings and eight recommendations in which the city had mixed responses to each of them.Overall, the city agreed adequate public restrooms may help mitigate outbreak...

King Charles III is in Kenya for a state visit, his first to a Commonwealth country as king

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — King Charles III is in Kenya for a four-day trip, his first state visit to a Commonwealth country as king, underscoring his commitment to an organization that’s been central to Britain’s global power and prestige since World War II. It’s also a visit that’s full of symbolism as Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, learned that she had become U.K. monarch while visiting a game preserve in the East African nation in 1952.The king and Queen Camilla touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport late on Monday. The royal couple was received by Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan.On Tuesday morning, a ceremonial welcome by Kenyan President William Ruto is planned at State House.During the visit, Charles will acknowledge the “painful aspects” of his nation’s shared history with Kenya, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence f...

Southern California wildfire prompts evacuation order for thousands as Santa Ana winds fuel flames

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

AGUANGA, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire fueled by gusty Santa Ana winds ripped through rural land southeast of Los Angeles on Monday, forcing about 4,000 people from their homes, fire authorities said.The so-called Highland Fire erupted at about 12:45 p.m. in dry, brushy hills near the unincorporated Riverside County hamlet of Aguanga.As of late Monday night, it had spread over about 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of land, fire spokesman Jeff LaRusso said.About 1,300 homes and 4,000 residents were under evacuation orders, he said.The fire had destroyed three buildings and damaged six others but it wasn’t clear whether any were homes. The region is sparsely populated but there are horse ranches and a large mobile home site, LaRusso said.No injuries were reported.Winds of 20 to 25 miles per hour (32 to 40 kph) with some higher gusts drove the flames and embers through grass and brush that were dried out by recent winds and low humidity so that it was “almost like kindling&...

Hong Kong leader defends new election rules even though biggest pro-democracy party can’t join race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:48:24 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s leader defended the rules for upcoming local elections as open and fair Tuesday after an electoral overhaul effectively barred the city’s remaining pro-democracy activists from joining the race. The city’s largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party, will be absent in December’s district council election for the first time since its establishment in 1994. Party chair Lo Kin-hei said he and other members could not secure enough nominations under the new rules authorities introduced to ensure that “patriots administer Hong Kong.” Other smaller groups from the camp had the same problem. Chief Executive John Lee said at a weekly news briefing that candidates have to respect the decisions of the people they sought nomination from.“It is up to you to ensure that you can convince the person you want to convince,” he said. The district councils were the last major political representative bodies chosen by the public. Under the electoral overhau...