Suicide bomber kills 9 kids, 2 US troops

Suicide bomber kills 9 kids, 2 US troops

kabul

A suicide bomber targeting U.S. troops outside an Afghan government office killed nine children walking home from school and two of the Americans on Monday, the latest sign that this year’s fighting season could be one of the deadliest of the 12-year-old war.

An increase in casualties among Afghan civilians and security forces reinforces fears that foreign combat forces will be leaving behind a country in the throes of relentless violence when they withdraw next year.

Monday’s civilian death toll reached 16 when a family in another eastern province drove their vehicle over a roadside bomb, killing all seven people inside.

Snoutless hero dog to fly back home

san francisco

A famed dog that lost her snout and upper jaw saving two girls’ lives in the Philippines was released from a California hospital Monday, officials said.

The dog — named Kabang — will be headed back to its owner in the Philippines after treatment at the University of California, Davis veterinary hospital, said UC Davis veterinary professor Frank Verstraete. Doctors performed surgery to heal her wounds, though they could not reconstruct Kabang’s jaw or snout, Verstraete said.

“She’s a very, very happy, functional dog, and that is all that we were after,” Verstraete said.

Kabang had her snout and upper jaw sheared off in December 2011 when she jumped in front of a motorcycle, saving the lives of her owner’s daughter and niece, who were apparently in the path of the oncoming cycle.

Miss. man indicted in poisoned-letters case

jackson, miss.

A Mississippi man suspected of sending poison-laced letters to President Barack Obama and two other officials was charged in a five-count federal indictment made public Monday that could send him to prison for life if he’s convicted.

The indictment charges 41-year-old James Everett Dutschke with developing, producing and stockpiling the poison ricin, threatening the president and others and attempting to impede the investigation.

The indictment alleges that Dutschke mailed the letter in part to retaliate against a rival, who briefly became a suspect in the investigation.

Official: Obama to announce 3 nominees

washington

President Barack Obama plans to jointly name three nominees to the federal appeals court in Washington, a White House official said Monday, setting up a Senate battle with Republicans who say the influential court doesn’t need more judges.

The official said Obama plans to announce his nomination of Patricia Ann Millett, Cornelia Pillard and Robert Leon Wilkins today, a joint announcement that is part of an aggressive new push in a years-long partisan fight to make his imprint on the court.

Countries sign Arms Trade Treaty

united nations

More than 65 countries signed the landmark treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade Monday and the United States announced it will sign soon, giving a strong kickoff to the first major international campaign to stem the illicit trade in weapons that fuel conflicts and extremists.

The announcement by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the U.S. — the world’s largest arms dealer — will sign is critical, but the treaty’s ultimate strength rests on support by all major arms exporters and importers.

Associated Press