Horror master director Wes Craven dies at 76

Horror master director Wes Craven dies at 76

LOS ANGELES

Wes Craven, whose “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream” movies made him one of the most-recognizable names in the horror film genre, has died. He was 76.

Craven’s family said in a statement that he died in his LA home Sunday after battling brain cancer.

A prolific writer, director and editor, Craven was credited with reinventing the teen horror genre with the 1984 release of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” starring a then-unknown Johnny Depp. The movie led to several sequels, as did his 1996 movie “Scream.”

Besides his work in horror films, Craven also directed the drama “Music of the Heart,” which earned Meryl Streep an Oscar nomination.

Craven is survived by his wife, producer Iya Labunka, a son, a daughter and a stepdaughter.

Governor: Boko Haram kills 56 in Borno State

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria

Islamic extremist group Boko Haram killed 56 villagers in a remote area, the governor of Borno State of the region said Sunday, as the government warned that the extremists are trying to extend their violent campaign

Gov. Kashim Shettima confirmed the attack in Baanu village during a meeting with the parents of the 219 girls abducted from a school in the region by the extremists last year. Thursday marked 500 days of captivity of the girls from a school in Chibok.

He did not provide further details of the attack.

Activists: IS damages Bel Temple in Palmyra

BEIRUT

Islamic State militants in Syria severely damaged the Bel Temple, considered one of the greatest sites of the ancient world, in a massive explosion Sunday, activists said.

The 2,000-year-old temple was part of the remains of the ancient caravan city of Palmyra in central Syria, seized by IS in May.

The news of the latest destruction at Palmyra came just days after IS released propaganda images purportedly showing militants blowing up another Palmyra temple, the 2,000-year-old Baalshamin dedicated to the Phoenician god of storms and fertilizing rains.

The U.N. cultural agency UNESCO, which has designated Palmyra as a world heritage site, called the destruction of the Baalshamin temple a war crime.

Hurricane Ignacio gets weaker closer to Hawaii

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii

Greg Colden, a farmer on Hawaii’s Big Island, said he is most worried about the damage that more rain and sustained winds could do to the area as Hurricane Ignacio passes by this week.

“I’m more worried about the rain. We’ve had over 10 inches in August, which is an anomaly for us,” Colden said.

Colden and other Hawaii residents were calmly awaiting Ignacio on Sunday as the Category 3 hurricane comes closer to the Big Island and Maui, which are under a tropical storm watch. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Ignacio was on a weakening trend Sunday as it moved northeast of Hawaii.

Malaysian PM rejects calls that he step down

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia

Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak poured scorn on a huge two-day rally that brought together tens of thousands of yellow-shirted protesters of the Bersih movement demanding his resignation over a financial scandal.

Najib has been fighting for political survival after leaked documents in July showed he received some $700 million in his private accounts from entities linked to indebted state fund 1MDB.

Police estimated the crowd size at 35,000, but Bersih says it swelled to 300,000 on Sunday from 200,000 on Saturday.

6 San Quentin inmates ill with Legionnaires’

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

At least six San Quentin State Prison inmates were ill with Legionnaires’ disease and dozens more under observation Sunday, prompting a weekend halt to visitors, no hot meals and limited drinking water supplies at California’s oldest prison.

At least 51 inmates are under observation for respiratory illness at the prison’s medical unit, said Dana Simas, a spokeswoman with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Cooking at the prison has stopped because Legionella bacteria grow in water and spread through water molecules. Instead, inmates are being served boxed meals, Simas said. Water use at California’s oldest prison has been limited since last week, when an inmate was hospitalized with a confirmed case of the disease.

Shark warning issued; 2 sightings reported

San diego

A shark has been spotted in the waters off a San Diego County beach for the second time in two days, prompting lifeguards to extend an advisory warning beachgoers of the shark sighting.

Authorities say a kayaker who was fishing off the La Jolla coast reported seeing a hammerhead shark Sunday afternoon. The kayaker said the shark followed him as he paddled toward the shore.

San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Lee Swanson says lifeguards also saw the shark swim toward a swimmer before turning toward deeper water.

Associated Press