In brief: At least 55 dead in suicide bombings

LAGOS, Nigeria – Suicide bombings in northeastern Nigeria killed at least 55 people and injured 100 others, the local civil defense leader reported Saturday.

Several women blew themselves up in crowds that had gathered in the village of Zabarmari on Friday, shortly after an attack by members of Boko Haram, according to reports.

The local leader said the death toll could rise, as a number of people were dismembered in the explosions, leaving the exact number of bodies difficult to ascertain. Children are believed among the dead.

Police meanwhile found unexploded bombs at the scene Saturday, which were disabled.

Zabarmari is near the city of Maiduguri, which is considered a Boko Haram stronghold. There have been a number of suicide attacks in the region, increasingly committed by women.

On Thursday, two female suicide bombers killed 11 people in villages in Borno state, while about 150 people were killed in Borno villages earlier in the week.

IS video shows troops’ deaths in Syria

BEIRUT – A video posted online Saturday by the Islamic State group purportedly shows Islamic State fighters killing about 25 Syrian government soldiers in the historic town of Palmyra in central Syria.

The video showed the soldiers being taken in pickup trucks from the town’s notorious Tadmur prison to the amphitheater. At the theater, they were shot dead by young IS members armed with pistols. Hundreds of people were seen watching the killings.

The video did not indicate when the killings took place. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said theshootings took place May 27.

The Associated Press reported in May that scores of Syrian troops and state employees were killed in the days after the Islamic State group captured the town May 27.

Palmyra is a UNESCO world heritage site famous for its 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, other ruins and priceless artifacts.

On Thursday, IS said its militants had destroyed six archaeological pieces from Palmyra that were confiscated from a smuggler.

19 dead, dozens wounded in bombings

BAGHDAD – A series of attacks, mainly car bombs, in Iraq killed at least 19 people and wounded dozens Saturday, authorities said.

Police officials said the deadliest attack occurred Saturday night when a car bomb exploded on a commercial street in Baghdad’s western neighborhood of Amil, killing nine people and wounding 24 others. Several shops and cars were damaged.

Earlier, police said a car bomb blast near a bus stop killed three people and wounded 15 in southern Baghdad. A bomb explosion near an outdoor market killed three people in Mhamoudiya town, just south of Baghdad.

Another car bomb went off near a row of restaurants in the Shiite town of Balad Ruz, killing four and wounding 14. Balad Ruz is 45 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualties from all the attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to reporters. Nobody claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Texas wants its gold back in its borders

AUSTIN, Texas – Forget Fort Knox or the Federal Reserve.

Texas has decided to keep its gold holdings within its own borders. But what makes sense politically in such a sovereignty-loving place is creating a logistical conundrum.

Texas is the only state that owns an actual stockpile of gold. That’s not just gold futures, but about 5,600 gold bars worth about $650 million. It’s currently stored at a New York bank.

The Legislature’s decision to bring its gold cache home was hailed by many conservatives who are suspicious of national government.

But the Texas comptroller’s office is now trying to figure out how to create a depository, for which no funding was appropriated. The bill’s sponsor said he hopes private companies will offer to open one in exchange for charging storage fees.

Tunisia in national state of emergency

TUNIS, Tunisia – Tunisia’s president says the country is “not safe” from further extremist attacks and has declared a national state of emergency to avoid what he says is a risk of collapse.

President Beji Caid Essebsi’s speech Saturday came just over a week after a gunman at the popular beach resort of Sousse attacked foreign tourists, killing 38 people.

Essebsi said the state of emergency would last 30 days.

Tunisia was previously under a state of emergency from January 2011, at the outbreak of the Arab Spring, until March 2014.