Nigerian forces clash with Boko Haram

Nigerian forces clash with Boko Haram

BAUCHI, Nigeria

Nigerian military officials say they killed about 70 Boko Haram fighters when the Islamic extremists attacked the northeastern town of Bama on Monday morning.

The militants arrived Monday morning in armored tanks and trucks and tried to take over the town, said the officials, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

“#Bama attack is being repelled,” tweeted Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters in Abuja. “We cannot state casualty situation/figures now. Everything necessary will be done to contain the Terrorists.”

Electorate poised to ‘keep the bums in’

WASHINGTON

A surly electorate that holds Congress in even lower regard than unpopular President Barack Obama is willing to “keep the bums in,” with at least 365 incumbents in the 435-member House and 18 of 28 senators on a glide path to another term when ballots are counted Nov. 4.

With less than 10 weeks to the elections, Republicans and Democrats who assess this fall’s midterm contests say the power of incumbency — the decennial process of reconfiguring congressional maps and hefty fundraising — trumps the sour public mood and antipathy toward gridlocked Washington.

US military targets Somali extremists

WASHINGTON

U.S. military forces targeted the Islamic extremist al-Shabab network in an operation Monday in Somalia, the Pentagon said.

Spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said the U.S. was assessing the results and would provide more information when appropriate. No further details were available.

The U.S. action comes after Somalia’s government forces regained control of a high-security prison in the capital that was attacked Sunday by seven heavily armed suspected Islamic militants who attempted to free other extremists held there. The Pentagon statement did not indicate whether the U.S. action was related to the prison attack.

6 die after speeding car slams into tree

DALLAS

A speeding car slammed into a tree after losing control along a Dallas roadway, killing all six people inside, police said Monday

The crash occurred Sunday night in a southeast Dallas residential area, said Dallas police officer Monica Cordova.

The victims were two teenage boys, two men and two women ranging in age from 15 to 23.

The Dallas school district said three of those killed were high-school students.

The 20-year-old driver lost control after the back passenger-side tire of the Chevrolet Impala hit a curb, Cordova said. The vehicle slid across three lanes before hitting a tree in the median.

Investigators said four people died at the scene, while two others died at a hospital.

Speed was a major contributing factor in the crash, but not alcohol, Cordova said.

Iran president urges tolerance of Internet

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran’s president urged the country’s clerics Monday to be more tolerant of the Internet and new technologies, which often are the target of criticism by influential hard-liners in the Islamic Republic.

Hassan Rouhani made the appeal during a meeting with clerics in Tehran, where he said that the Internet is important for aspiring students and experts trying to access new knowledge and science.

Associated Press