LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY “As a Libyan citizen, I absolutely cannot be quiet about these crimes.”Abdel-Monem al-Houni, Libya’s former Arab League representative, who quit to join the revolt in the country Article, 1A
After week, banks reopen in Egypt
CAIRO - Banks across Egypt threw open their doors Sunday, returning to business after an almost week-long closure mandated by the central bank because of strikes and labor protests that have hampered efforts to reboot the nation’s economy.
It marked the second time in three weeks that Egypt’s banks have reopened after a state-ordered closure, more than a week after mass demonstrations toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak. An earlier attempt to open the banks and establish a semblance of normality during the height of the anti-government protests lasted only a week before the lenders were ordered shut.
Egypt’s economy has been badly hit by the 18 days of unrest that ended with the military takeover Feb. 11. The government has estimated the total losses during the unrest at more than $1.7 billion, with more than half of that linked to the vital tourism sector.
Keeping the banks shuttered, aside from impeding daily business for Egyptian companies, had also further undercut investor sentiment in the Arab world’s mostpopulous nation. Rebuilding that confidence will be one of the military’s top priorities, along with ensuring security and stability.
6 foreign militants among Somali toll
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Officials in Somalia said six al-Qaida-connected foreign fighters and two African Union soldiers are among 16 people killed in two days of fighting in the capital.
Battles between Islamist militants and government forces broke out Saturday and continued Sunday.
Mogadishu ambulance service chief Ali Muse said his workers collected eight bodies. Muse said 40 people were wounded in the fighting, which saw mortar shells slam residential neighborhoods.
Militants from al-Shabab paraded the bodies of two troops: one Somali soldier and one from the African Union.
The African Union said six al-Qaida-connected commanders had been killed. It confirmed the deaths of two government-aligned soldiers.
Somalia has been torn apart by civil war for 20 years.
Warship trailing yacht, pirate says
MOGADISHU, Somalia - A warship is shadowing a yacht with four Americans onboard that was hijacked by Somali pirates, a pirate said Sunday, as the vessel was reported to be moving closer to the Somali coast.
The yacht Quest was hijacked Friday off the coast of Oman, but is now in the waters between Yemen and northern Somalia, two pirates and a Somali government official said.
One pirate who gave his name only as Hassan said a warship with a helicopter on its deck is near the Quest.
The pirate’s claim could not be independently verified, and U.S. officials Sunday did not release any information about the yacht.
In New York, the first secretary of Somalia’s U.N.
mission, Omar Jamal, said he had received reports from Somalia that the boat was expected to make landfall late Sunday.
The Quest is owned by Scott and Jean Adam, a couple from California. Organizers of the Blue Water Rally yacht race identified the other two Americans onboard as Phyllis Mackay and Bob Riggle.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 02/21/2011