Free Republic

First came a single helicopter, flying low over the marshes around the river outside the village, then the rattle of automatic fire scattered the crowds gathered for the weekly market. Next came more helicopters, dropping troops off around the homes and cattle pens. The soldiers moved swiftly, ordering men into the centre of the village, gunning down those trying to escape. When some armed militants fired back, the shooting intensified. Soon at least 20 civilians and a dozen alleged members of an al-Qaida affiliated Islamist group, were dead. Over the next five days, hundreds more would die in the village...

In a decision that appears to flout Nevada election law, a Las Vegas judge has nullified the results of a Republican primary election. Jason Burke defeated Mack Miller by 122 votes in the June 12 primary for state Assembly District 5, but a judge declared Miller “the rightful winner of the election” because Burke did not file campaign finance reports in time. “This is certainly a novel case that I haven’t seen before,” said Las Vegas attorney Daniel Stewart, who specializes in Nevada election law. “But no two election contests are the same, and it seems like every election cycle...