Scott Neuman

Tweets Capture 'Shock And Awe' At Tornado's Deadly Power

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:47:00 +0000

Our colleague Andy Carvin has scanned Twitter in search of reaction, including photos and video, from the massive tornado that swept through central Oklahoma on Monday.

Among the tweets:

Sidney Montoya of Oklahoma City says he is "Praying for my little cousins in Moore, their elementary school just got hit by the tornado."

And Dennis Varghese, who also lives in Oklahoma City, says: "Just overheard a lady break down and say, 'my house is gone!' and now worry

A Brief History Of Oklahoma Tornadoes

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:14:00 +0000

Although Oklahoma is a state where tornadoes are a fact of life, few days stand out like May 3, 1999.

That was when some 70 tornadoes touched down over a 21-hour period, cutting paths of destruction like deep cuts of a knife blade in and around Oklahoma City.

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal Heads For Scrap Yard

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:46:00 +0000

The people of Portsmouth, England, on Monday turned out to bid farewell to the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, destined for a Turkish scrap yard after its decommissioning two years ago.

The Invincible class carrier was a victim of a 2010 defense review that recommended scrapping the vessel and selling its Harrier jump jets (they were subsequently sold to the U.S.).

Beijing Angry Over North Korea's Seizure Of Chinese Fishermen

Scott Neuman — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:21:00 +0000

Beijing has long been about the closest thing to an ally that Pyongyang enjoys, but the seizure of a Chinese fishing boat by unidentified North Koreans has threatened to put an already tenuous relationship on even shakier ground.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was quoted by The New York Times as making it fairly clear that his government was not happy about the development.

China, he said, is "demanding that it properly deal with the matter as quickly as possib

Injuries Reported In 'Major' Train Derailment In Connecticut

Scott Neuman — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:43:00 +0000

Two Metro-North Railroad trains have collided on a stretch of track near Fairfield, Conn., causing a "major derailment" and "preliminary reports of injuries," according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

[Update at 8:55 p.m.

Need A Tattoo Translated? Forget The British Foreign Office

Scott Neuman — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:16:00 +0000
The British Foreign Office is happy to assist its citizens, but officials want to make clear that there are some requests they won't fulfill.
Such as supplying Olympic tickets or doing a background check on that Swedish woman you met online.
Those are just a few of the "often good natured" but distracting requests that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) says it received over the past year, according to a press release issued Thursday.
Some others that no doubt provided stodgy Briti

America's Cup Death Raises Concerns Over High-Tech Race Boats

Scott Neuman — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:21:00 +0000
America's Cup, the oldest and most prestigious sailing competition, has hit some choppy water.
The death last week of British sailor and gold medal Olympian Andrew "Bart" Simpson when the boat he was crewing capsized and broke up during a practice run off San Francisco, has prompted tough questions about safety.
Simpson reportedly drowned after being trapped for 10 minutes underneath the stricken boat belonging to Sweden'

Illinois Lawmakers Send Medical Marijuana Bill To Governor

Scott Neuman — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:35:00 +0000
The Illinois Senate has approved a measure to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes, sending the bill to the governor for his signature.
The bill would be the strictest in the nation. According to The Chicago Tribune:
"The proposal would create a four-year trial program in which doctors could prescribe patients no more than 2.5 ounces of marijuana every two weeks.

Former Argentine Dictator Who Oversaw Death Squads Dies At 87

Scott Neuman — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:24:00 +0000
Jorge Rafael Videla, an ambitious Army chief who seized power in Argentina in 1976 and orchestrated a campaign of terror against his opponents, has died in prison at age 87.
Videla, whose "Dirty War" killed at least 15,000 people, perhaps twice as many, died of natural causes in Argentina's Marcos Paz prison, where he was serving multiple life sentences for crimes against humanity, officials said.
After leading a bloodless coup that toppled President Isabel Martinez de Peron on March 24, 1976, Videla became the head of a junta.

Federal Prosecutors Arrest Uzbekistan National On Terrorism Charges

Scott Neuman — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:50:00 +0000
Authorities in Idaho have arrested an Uzbekistan national on federal terrorism charges, the Justice Department announced Thursday evening.
Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, was arrested in Boise on Wednesday, prosecutors say.

There's No Ignoring This 800-Pound Gator

Scott Neuman — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:05:00 +0000
You've heard of the 800-pound gorilla in the room that everyone ignores? Well, here's an 800-pound alligator that's getting some attention.
The 14-foot beast, the heaviest ever recorded in Texas, was bagged by a Houston-area high school student last week at a wildlife management area near Choke Canyon State Park, about 90 miles south of San Antonio.
Braxton Bielski, 18, is credited with the kill.

Report: Problems At Justice Allowed Terrorist Suspects To Fly

Scott Neuman — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:22:00 +0000
Officials at the Department of Justice didn't share crucial information on some terrorist suspects in the federal witness protection program with the agency that maintains the "no fly" list, allowing an unknown number of them to board commercial flights, a new report says.
"We found that the department was not authorizing the disclosure to the Terrorist Screening Center of the new identities provided to known or suspected terrorists" in the federal Witness Security Program, known officially as WitSec, the report by the Justice Department's inspector general, Michael Horowitz, says.
Until t

Pope Francis Denounces 'Cult Of Money'

Scott Neuman — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:40:00 +0000
Pope Francis has demanded that financial and political leaders reform the global money system to make it more equitable.
"Money has to serve, not to rule!" the pontiff declared.
As The Associated Press writes:
"It's a message Francis delivered on many occasions when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, and it's one that was frequently stressed by retired Pope Benedict XVI.
"Francis, who has made clear the poor are his priority, made the comments as he greeted his first group of new ambassadors accredited to the Holy See."
It also occurs amid the Vatican's

How Families Cope With Notorious Relatives

Scott Neuman — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:22:00 +0000
What is it like to be suddenly and irreversibly thrust into the public spotlight for something truly horrible done by a relative?
"I could hear my last name being whispered in the hallway, and I heard 'murder,' just under people's breath," says Melissa Moore, daughter of Keith Hunter Jesperson, who was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of at least eight women over a five-year period.
Moore spoke on Thursday to Michel Martin, host of NPR's