Germany asks top U.S. intelligence official to leave over spy scandal
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany asked the top U.S. intelligence official at the Berlin embassy on Thursday to leave the country, a highly unusual step reflecting the deep anger within Angela Merkel’s government at the discovery of two suspected U.S. spies w…
Philadelphia mayor rebuked for response to fire that killed four children
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Relatives of least two of the four children killed in a weekend fire that destroyed eight homes in Philadelphia staged a sit-in at City Hall on Wednesday, demanding the mayor apologize for comments about the blaze they decried …
U.S. weather forecaster still sees 70 percent chance of summer El Nino
(Reuters) – The U.S. weather forecaster maintained its outlook for the El Nino weather phenomenon in its monthly update on Thursday, pegging the chances of the weather pattern striking during the Northern Hemisphere summer at 70 percent.
Part of U.S. Capitol closed to probe asbestos incident: officials
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Parts of the U.S. Capitol were closed early on Thursday while authorities investigated a possible asbestos release, delaying the start of the House of Representatives session and canceling some tours of the building.
Florida set to execute convicted murderer of 11-year-old girl
TALLAHASSEE (Reuters) – A Florida man who confessed to the rape and murder of a child is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Thursday, while another convicted murderer in Georgia had his death sentence, also due to be carried out on Thursday, commu…
Parched California proposes steep fines for over-watering lawns
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Regulators in drought-stricken California are proposing stringent new conservation measures to limit outdoor water use, including fines of up to $500 a day for using a hose without a shut-off nozzle.
Shooting at Tennessee National Guard armory leaves one soldier dead
NASHVILLE Tenn. (Reuters) – A 20-year-plus veteran of the Tennessee National Guard was shot to death on Wednesday by an intruder at an armory outside Nashville, and a man described as a “person of interest” in the case was detained hours later for ques…
New form of U.S. healthcare saves money, improves quality, one insurer finds
NEW YORK (Reuters) – In one of the largest tests of a novel way to deliver and pay for healthcare, insurer CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield announced on Thursday that 1.1 million people receiving care through its “patient-centered medical homes” last yea…
Colorado puts annual marijuana demand at 130 tonnes
DENVER (Reuters) – Total marijuana demand in Colorado, where the nation’s first recreational pot shops opened in January, is estimated at 130 tonnes this year, a study for the state’s revenue authority said on Wednesday.
Georgia man’s death sentence commuted a day before scheduled execution
ATLANTA (Reuters) – The day before he was due to die by lethal injection, a man on Georgia’s death row was granted clemency and his sentence commuted to life without parole on Wednesday by the state Board of Pardons and Paroles.
