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Baby 'drowned by priest during baptism'

A priest in eastern Europe has been accused of drowning a baby boy as he baptised him. Police are investigating Father Valentin for accidential homicide after witnesses at the ceremony said the priest did not cover the baby's mouth during the ritual.

Father Valentin had denied being responsible for the baby's death during the baptism in Moldova. The six-week-old baby died on the way to hospital and an autopsy found he had drowned, the baby's dad Dumitru Gaidau said.

Mr Gaidau, 36, said his son was clearly in distress during the ceremony. "He couldn't inhale, his face turned blue and he was foaming at the mouth. He [the priest] said we should not interrupt this their ritual," he said.

"We couldn't believe it that he just put his hand over his belly and over the head and submerged him three times in the water." Water was found in the baby's lungs.

The baby's godmother, Aliona Vacarciuc, said the baby had been crying as the priest submerged him in the water. "We couldn't believe it but we thought the priest must know what he's doing, but he didn't. When we got him back there was nothing that could be done anymore," she said.

When the baby's angry relatives confronted the priest, he told them he knew what he was doing and was experienced at baptisms, Ms Vacarciuc said. If found guilty of accidental homicide, Father Valentin could spend three years in jail.

bear gets in NH house, eats fruit, drinks water from fishbowl, takes stuffed bear to go

LACONIA, N.H. - A black bear walked into a New Hampshire house through an open door, ate two pears and a bunch of grapes, took a drink from the family fishbowl and grabbed a stuffed bear on its way out the door.

Mary Beth Parkinson says the bear apparently took advantage of the open outside door to get into her kitchen Tuesday in Laconia, about 20 miles north of Concord. She thinks the garage door going up scared the bear enough that it fled the house.

She says she arrived in time to save the fish.

Parkinson said her 6- and 9-year-old boys made sure the doors were locked before they went to bed.