GRAPEVINE, Texas (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America approved a proposal on Thursday to end a ban on openly gay scouts that has been in place throughout the organization's 103-year history, the group said in a statement. The vote by more than 1,400 members of the group's National Council came amid intense lobbying by gay-rights activists and members of conservative organizations. The change does not remove the organization's ban on gay adult leaders. (Reporting by Marice Richter; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

GROZNY, Russia (Reuters) - The father of a Chechen immigrant killed during questioning over his links with one of the Boston Marathon bombings suspects said on Thursday he plans to travel to the United States where he thinks his son was tortured and killed. Ibragim Todashev, 27, was killed by a federal agent in his apartment complex when he became violent during questioning over his ties to Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older of two brothers suspected of planting two bombs at the marathon on April 15. ...

By Richard Weizel MILFORD, Connecticut (Reuters) - Leaders of Connecticut gun advocacy groups said on Thursday they had sued to knock down a strict new gun-control law passed in April because they believed the measure would not improve public safety. In the wake of the December massacre of 26 people at an elementary school by a gunman, Connecticut adopted a tough new gun law banning sales of the sort of high-capacity ammunition clips used in that attack as well as expanding the range of weapons covered by the state's assault-weapons ban. ...