More than 40 people killed by suicide bombers in northeastern Nigeria
More than 40 people killed by suicide bombers in northeastern Nigeria
BAUCHI, Nigeria — The teenage girls entered the busy marketplace separately Tuesday, their vests of explosives hidden beneath their full hijabs.
The first detonated her bomb, killing three women. As rescuers rushed in, the second girl screamed and set off her explosives, killing dozens more, according to witnesses and authorities.
More than 40 people died in the double suicide bombing in Maiduguri, a provincial capital in northeastern Nigeria, according to Haruna Issa, a hospital volunteer in the city.
Suspicion immediately fell on the insurgents from the Islamic militant group Boko Haram, which controls a large part of northeastern Nigeria and is blamed for the deaths this year of at least 1,500 people in Africa’s most populous country.
In its campaign of violence, Boko Haram has used car bombs and men wearing vests of explosives. It also has begun using women who can cover the explosives with their hijabs, and the recruits appear to have gotten younger, with several instances of teenage attackers earlier this year.
Facing health law hikes, consumers mull options
WASHINGTON — Consumers across most of America will see their health insurance premiums go up next year for popular plans under President Barack Obama’s health care law.
But it will take time for families to figure out the best bang for their budgets — even as a bigger political battle brews over the program’s future.
For many people, government subsidies will cushion the hit. And there’s a new factor: Returning customers who are savvy about health insurance and prepared to shop for a better deal.
Scott Joens of St. George, Utah, said he and his wife are facing premium increases of about 18 percent for 2015. But instead of agonizing, he’s looking for a plan with a higher deductible, which is the amount of medical expenses consumers are responsible for each year before insurance kicks in. By switching, he could lower his monthly premiums.
Experts say numbers alone don’t tell the story.
“How all this shakes out will depend on one big wild card,” said Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “Will current enrollees become savvy shoppers or just sit back and stay in their current plans? This is a new program with no precedent, so there’s no way to predict exactly what will happen.”
Iran nuke talks face obstacles even with more time
VIENNA — The United States and Iran say a new deadline in nuclear talks could allow them to finally reach a deal. But Tehran’s apparent reluctance to compromise may soon leave U.S. negotiators running out of ideas on how to reduce Iran’s capacity to make nuclear arms.
Western diplomats familiar with the talks said Tuesday they have agreed on little more than to keep talking until June 30, after failing to substantially narrow differences by Monday’s deadline in Vienna.
Based on information from the diplomats, progress made so far has mostly stemmed from the U.S. and its allies revising positions closer to the minimum of what they may be able to accept. Iran’s demands, in contrast, have changed less — and the country may be digging in as the next round approaches.
While Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has backed the nuclear negotiations, he signaled on Tuesday his country would stand firm, saying Washington and its European allies will be unable “to bring the Islamic Republic to its knees.”
By wire sources