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When booking a cruise, here’s how to choose less scary destinations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

Halloween or any time of year, tourists who are too relaxed while on vacation may be subject to more tricks than treats due to evil that walks among us or lurks in the shadows. As sure as well wishes of “safe travels” by loved ones cannot be guaranteed in this topsy-turvy world, a momentary lapse of awareness in the presence of unsavory souls can be the difference between a trip as sweet as Skittles or as sour as Lemonheads.Still in our Debbie Downer costume, we must note that cruise vacations are not exempt from holiday hazards at the hands of heisters, or worse. While it’s almost always smooth sailing for passengers onboard, conditions onshore can get choppy if one isn’t cautious.The Department of State’s travel advisory list indicates smooth sailing in and around near-trouble-free Australia. Here, a Carnival ship heads toward Brisbane. (Photo by David Dickstein)Whether arriving by land, air or sea, tourists are prime targets for crime because they typically carry fat wallets and ...

‘Hitchcock’s Blondes’ explores the director’s films with Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, more

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

As biographer Laurence Leamer settled in front of the television to research the films of Alfred Hitchcock, he realized he had a problem.“I started watching this as an author writing the book and trying to get material,” Leamer says on a recent call. “And after five minutes, his stuff is so fascinating I forget that and just watch it because I’m enjoying it so much.“That’s how good he is,” he says. “That’s how he involves you. He knows just what he’s doing.”Leamer persevered and “Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession” arrived on Tuesday, Oct. 10.In it, Leamer explores the work of Hitchcock and eight actresses with whom he worked, from June Howard-Tripp in 1925’s “The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog” to Tippi Hedren in “The Birds” and “Marnie” in 1963 and ’64.In between, Leamer explores Hitchcock’s work with Madeleine Carroll (“The 39 Steps,” “Secret Agent”), Ingrid Bergman (“Spellbound,” “Notorious,” “Under Capricorn”), Grace K...

Belgian minister quits after ‘monumental error’ let Tunisian shooter slip through extradition net

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

By LORNE COOK (Associated Press)BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium’s justice minister resigned on Friday over what he described as a “monumental error” after it was discovered that Tunisia was seeking the extradition last year of an Islamic extremist who shot dead two Swedes and wounded a third this week.Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said that he and his services had been searching for details to understand how Abdesalem Lassoued had disappeared off the map two years ago after being denied asylum and ordered by Belgian authorities to be deported to Tunisia.On Monday night, Lassoued gunned down two Swedish men and wounded a third with a semiautomatic rifle. The attack forced the lockdown of more than 35,000 people in a soccer stadium where they had gathered to watch Belgium play Sweden.In a video posted online, he claimed to be inspired by the Islamic State group. Police shot him dead on Tuesday morning in a Brussels cafe.“This morning at nine o’c...

Judge fines Donald Trump $5,000 after post maligning court staffer is found on campaign website

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case lingered on his campaign website for weeks after the judge ordered it deleted.Judge Arthur Engoron avoided holding Trump in contempt, for now, but reserved the right to do so — and possibly even put the 2024 Republican front-runner in jail — if he again violates a limited gag order barring people participating in the case from personal attacks on court staff.Engoron said in a written ruling that he is “way beyond the ‘warning’ stage,” but that he was only fining Trump a nominal amount because this was a “first time violation” and Trump’s lawyers said the website’s retention of the post had been inadvertent.“Make no mistake: future violations, whether intentional or unintentional, will subject the violator to far more severe sanctions, which may include steeper financ...

San Diego MLS team name, crest and colors set to be officially revealed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Calling all soccer fans: the name, crest and colors of San Diego's new Major League Soccer team are set to be officially unveiled Friday night.San Diego was selected as the location for the league's 30th team back in May. Since then, the MLS team has been gearing up for play, including working with the community to help come up with the club's branding. In a conversation with FOX 5 ahead of the big reveal, Tom Penn, CEO of the club, said that the name, crest and colors for the team was designed to represent the "real San Diego," symbolizing the county's diversity. New San Diego MLS team announces historic first for location of training facility It was something that Penn said Cody Martinez, chairman of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, was pushing for when looking at creating the insignia for the county's newest professional sports team."We're much more than the city itself. We're much more than the coast," Penn recalled of their conversation. "We're the entire ...

Murder victim in San Diego cold case identified after 50 years

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego police have finally identified the victim in a homicide case that had been considered "cold" for nearly 50 years.Using DNA profiling technology, investigators were able to identify the Jane Doe in a 1973 homicide as Arminda Grangela Rodrigues de Ribeiro. She would have been 29 years old, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said.Ribeiro's body was discovered around 11:20 a.m. on June 13, 1973. According to Campbell, fisherman found the body of a then-unidentified woman in the San Diego Bay between Laurel Street and the U.S. Coast Guard Station.Police said she had been dismembered and placed into an orange suitcase, as well as several plastic bags.For decades following her discovery, the woman had remained unidentified, but Campbell said local investigators continued to devote efforts towards solving the case.In 2020, police again looked to positively identify the victim, this time though DNA. Her remains were exhumed by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office for thei...

Trump announces Florida rally as he prepares to skip yet another GOP debate

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Florida as counter-programming to the third Republican presidential primary debate, which he is once again choosing to skip.Trump’s campaign says he will hold a rally the evening of Nov. 8th at a stadium in Hialeah, Florida about a half-hour drive from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, where his rivals will be meeting. Trump has repeatedly said he sees no point in participating, given his commanding lead in the race.Hialeah is an overwhelmingly Hispanic suburb, with more than 95% of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino, according to the most recent census numbers. Most are Cuban or Cuban American and speak Spanish at home.The choice of location reflects Republicans’ hopes that they will be able to continue to win over an increasing share of the Hispanic vote in the 2024 elections. During 2022’s midterms, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump’s riv...

Pennsylvania governor’s office settles for $295K a former staffer’s claim senior aide harassed her

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — After a top aide to Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was accused of sexual harassment earlier this year, the governor’s office settled with the complainant for $295K last month, according to documents released by the administration Friday through an open records request.The settlement, reached Sept. 5, stems from allegations made by a coworker against Mike Vereb, who served as Shapiro’s secretary of legislative affairs until his resignation in September. The woman, who started in her role not long after Shapiro was taking office, wrote in a complaint earlier this year that Vereb made lewd, misogynistic remarks and she was retaliated against when she spoke up.Her attorney, Charles Pascal, confirmed the settlement, which provided $196,365 to the woman and $49,517 to both law firms she had hired to represent her through this process. He declined further comment.A spokesperson for the governor declined further comment due to the agreement reached in...

Air Miles announces hotel, vacation rental partnership with Expedia

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

Loyalty program operator Air Miles has announced a partnership for hotels and vacation rentals with Expedia Group Inc. as part of its of newly launched travel booking platform.The U.S.-based travel company says the partnership will allow Air Miles customers to access its 700,000 hotels and vacation rentals worldwide.The deal is part of a number of improvements to Air Miles since being bought by Bank of Montreal earlier this year.When it acquired Air Miles, BMO said it would look to expand the program with new ways to earn and redeem miles.Alfonso Paredes, senior vice president of private label solutions at Expedia, says the travel company has already seen strong booking interest during its soft launch.Air Miles has nearly 10 million active collector accounts in Canada.

Owner of California biolab that fueled bio-weapons rumors charged with mislabeling, lacking permits

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:11 GMT

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — The Chinese owner of an unauthorized central California lab that fueled conspiracy theories about China and biological weapons has been arrested on charges of not obtaining the proper permits to manufacture tests for COVID-19, pregnancy and HIV, and mislabeling some of the kits. Jia Bei Zhu, 62, was arrested Thursday after an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. He is also charged with making false statements. The charges deal with federal health regulations, nothing related to online conspiracy theories about China purportedly trying to engineer biological weapons in rural America.Zhu, who is also known as Jesse Zhu, Qiang He and David He, is a citizen of China who formerly lived in Clovis, California, the office said in a press release.Court documents allege that between December 2020 and March 2023, Zhu and others manufactured, imported, sold, and distributed h...