Girl bomber kills 5

Girl bomber kills 5

POTISKUM, Nigeria

A girl as young as 10 blew herself up in a busy market in northeastern Nigeria, killing herself and four others and fueling fears Islamic extremists are using kidnapped girls as suicide bombers.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack Sunday, which also seriously wounded 46 people, but it bore the hallmarks of Nigeria’s homegrown extremist group, Boko Haram.

US-Iran nuke deal making progress

GENEVA

Edging toward a historic compromise, the U.S. and Iran reported progress Monday on a deal that would clamp down on Tehran’s nuclear activities for at least 10 years but then slowly ease restrictions on programs that could be used to make atomic arms.

Officials said there still were obstacles to overcome before a March 31 deadline, and any deal will face harsh opposition in both countries. It also would be sure to further strain already-tense U.S. relations with Israel, whose leaders oppose any agreement that doesn’t end Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to strongly criticize the deal in an address before Congress next week.

Doctors separate conjoined girls

HOUSTON

Doctors in Houston are optimistic that 10-month-old formerly conjoined twin girls will survive after a recent surgery that separated them.

It took 26 hours last week to separate the girls, Knatalyne Hope Mata and Adeline Faith, who shared a chest wall, lungs, a part of their heart lining, diaphragm, liver, colon, intestines and pelvic area, according to lead surgeon Dr. Darrell Cass. The surgery, which took place at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, had been planned since before they were born last April.

The girls were in stable but critical condition, will be on ventilators for the next week and are expected to be in intensive care for a couple of months, then have more surgery later.

Ebola drug shows promise in 1st tests

SEATTLE

An experimental antiviral drug shows some early, encouraging signs of effectiveness in its first human test against Ebola in West Africa, but only if patients get it when their symptoms first appear.

A study of the drug, favipiravir, is still in early stages in West Africa, and too few people have been treated to really know whether the drug helps.

Results for the first 69 adults and teens in Guinea were released Monday. Among those who got the drug when virus levels were still low, survival was 85 percent. That seems better than the roughly 70 percent survival for patients treated in the same clinics two months before the study began, researchers said at the Retrovirus Conference in Seattle.

Single mother of 4 claims Powerball

RALEIGH, N.C.

A single mother of four from a small North Carolina town came forward Monday as one of three winners in a huge Powerball jackpot drawn earlier this month.

For Marie Holmes, the best thing about the lucky ticket in the $564 million jackpot is that she’ll be able to provide for her children, she said at a news conference. All are under age 7 — three daughters and a son with cerebral palsy.

Holmes said she’ll take the lump-sum payment option of $127 million, which will total about $88 million after taxes. She said she’ll tithe a percentage of the money to her church and charities.

Associated Press