International

MOORE, Okla. — A monstrous tornado at least a half-mile (800 metres) wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs, flattening entire neighbourhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph (320 kph). At least 51 people were killed, including at least 20 children, and officials said the death toll was expected to rise.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A deer has taken a ride on a Pennsylvania bus.
The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat newspaper reports the white-tailed deer crashed through the windshield of a public bus being driven Tuesday evening in Johnstown, about 65 miles (105 kilometres) east of Pittsburgh.
The deer hopped around frantically near the driver before jumping on empty seats and running in circles in the aisle.

WASHINGTON — The crew of the International Space Station is boldly going where no one has gone before — to see the new “Star Trek” film.
The three astronauts were offered a sneak peak of “Star Trek Into Darkness” days before it opens Thursday on Earth, seeing it not in 3-D, but Zero-G.

NEW ORLEANS — The suspect in a Mother’s Day parade shooting that left 19 people wounded in New Orleans was taken into custody Wednesday night, police said.
Akein Scott, 19, was arrested in the Little Woods section of eastern New Orleans, police department spokeswoman Remi Braden said. She said no additional details were available and would not be until Thursday morning.

DES MOINES, Iowa — So you didn’t win Wednesday’s $360 million Powerball jackpot? Make that you and everyone else.
A message early Thursday on the multistate lottery’s website said the jackpot has soared to $475 million after none of the ticket sold matched all the winning numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing: 2, 11, 26, 34, 41 and a Powerball of 32.

MOSCOW — A U.S. diplomat was ordered Tuesday to leave the country after the Kremlin’s security services said he tried to recruit a Russian agent, and they displayed tradecraft tools that seemed straight from a cheap spy thriller: wigs, packets of cash, a knife, map and compass, and a letter promising millions for “long-term co-operation.”

A Seattle man trying to dribble a soccer ball 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometres) to Brazil in time for the 2014 World Cup died Tuesday after being hit by a pickup truck on the Oregon Coast.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Monday that an Indiana farmer violated Monsanto Co.’s patents on soybean seeds resistant to its weed-killer by growing the beans without buying new seeds from the corporation.

MOSCOW — A Soyuz space capsule carrying a three-man crew returning from a five-month mission to the International Space Station landed safely Tuesday on the steppes of Kazakhstan.
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, American Thomas Marshburn, and Russian Roman Romanenko landed as planned southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan at 8:31 a.m. local time Tuesday (10:31 p.m. EDT Monday night).

NEW YORK — Authorities say a New York police officer who tried to rescue a cat stuck in a tree got caught himself and needed a little help getting back down to the ground.
The Fire Department of New York says it happened Monday afternoon in the borough of Queens.