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Germany calls for more European solidarity in refugee crisis

Germany called on Sunday for other European Union states to take in more refugees, saying it could not go on absorbing a disproportionate share of the thousands of asylum seekers arriving in the bloc. Germany expects the number of asylum seekers it receives to quadruple to about 800,000 this year — a figure confirmed by Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Sunday. Some European governments have refused to take in

Katrina anniversary brings tears, gratitude to tiny Mississippi town

While the narrative for New Orleans after a decade has become one of rebirth and renewal, the same cannot be said for small Pearlington, Miss. that saw just as much devastation. Many here acknowledge that Pearlington may physically never be the same. But just as Katrina broke their buildings, townspeople say one unexpected positive note is that the unity required for the recovery also broke a longstanding racial divide.

Sharper forecasts may help avert repeat of Katrina disaster

By David Adams MIAMI (Reuters) – The science of predicting hurricanes has come a long way since Katrina caught New Orleans officials off guard 10 years ago. A range of technological advances, from a new generation of satellites to supercomputers and unmanned drones, promises more-accurate forecasts that would increase public officials’ confidence in weather experts’ advice. If authorities were quicker to heed warnings about the devastating potential of Katrina before

Two dead, massive outages after windstorm slams Washington state

(Reuters) – A powerful windstorm toppled trees, killing two people in Washington state as work crews scrambled on Sunday to restore power to 450,000 customers, a TV report showed. A father driving with his three-year-old daughter in Gig Harbor, just west of Tacoma, was killed on Saturday when a tree fell on his car, KOMO 4 TV reported. Within two hours, a falling branch struck and killed a 10-year-old girl

Hurricane Ignacio strengthens but forecast to just miss Hawaii

Packing potentially destructive winds of 140 miles per hour (220 kph), the hurricane was about 450 miles (720 km) east of Big Island of Hawaii moving north-northwest at 9 miles per hour (15 kph), the center said. With hurricane force winds extending 30 miles (45 km) from its center, waves as high as 20 feet (4 meters) could be expected on Sunday and Monday, along with sustained winds of 39

Republican Christie proposes tracking immigrants like FedEx packages

(Reuters) – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said on Saturday if he were elected president he would combat illegal immigration by creating a system to track foreign visitors the way FedEx tracks packages. Christie, who is well back in the pack seeking the Republican nomination for president, told a campaign event in the early voting state of New Hampshire that he would ask FedEx Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith to