In disguise, Nigeria militants kill scores

In disguise, Nigeria militants kill scores

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria

When men wearing military fatigues and carrying weapons showed up in pickup trucks, villagers thought Nigerian soldiers finally had come to protect them from Boko Haram.

But it was a disguise. The gunmen rounded up everyone in the village center and then started shooting.

Altogether, Boko Haram militants slaughtered hundreds of people in three villages in the far northeast corner of Nigeria, witnesses said Thursday, describing the latest attack by the Islamic extremist group that drew international attention for the kidnapping of more than 300 schoolgirls.

Navy mulls ban on tobacco sales

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.

Tobacco sales on Navy ships and in stores on Navy and Marine Corps bases would be a thing of the past under a plan being considered by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, but some congressional members are pushing back.

The Navy Department, which includes the Marine Corps, would be the first military department to prohibit tobacco sales.

Congress is considering a measure that would prevent Mabus from instituting a sales ban, with the prohibition’s opponents arguing it overreaches on a habit that is unhealthy but still legal.

Tobacco use costs the Defense Department an estimated $1.6 billion annually in medical costs and lost work time, said spokeswoman Joy Crabaugh.

Delaware to inspect all major bridges

WILMINGTON, Del.

Delaware’s transportation secretary ordered immediate inspections of major bridges in the state Thursday to see if they might have any problems similar to an interstate bypass that had to close in Wilmington.

Meanwhile, the extent of the damage that thousands of cars whizzed past daily before officials realized the bridge was tilting became clear: One of the concrete barriers separating the northbound and southbound lanes popped up 18 inches higher than the other. They are supposed to be the same height.

The bridge, which typically carries about 90,000 vehicles daily, has been closed since Monday, snarling traffic on the crucial north-south artery. It will be weeks, perhaps longer, before it reopens.

G-7: Putin faces clear choices

PARIS

Laying out clear conditions, President Barack Obama and Western allies opened a pathway for Russia to ease tensions in Ukraine on Thursday but pointedly warned Moscow it could face new sanctions within weeks if Vladimir Putin fails to go along.

The leaders, who were gathered in Brussels for a wealthy-nations summit, said the Russian president could avoid tougher penalties in part by recognizing the legitimacy of the new Ukrainian government and ending support for an insurgency in eastern cities that is widely believed to be backed by the Kremlin. There was no mention of rolling back Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea, which precipitated the European crisis.

Storms blamed for 3 deaths in South

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.

Strong winds and flooding led to the deaths of at least three people in the South on Thursday as powerful thunderstorms moved through several states.

In Arkansas, two people were killed as strong winds toppled trees. Craighead County Coroner Toby Emerson said one man died in Jonesboro when a tree fell on his home, while Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokesman Brandon Morris said another person was killed when a tree fell on a van in in the town of Black Rock.

Associated Press