INTERNATIONAL
Yemenis continue anti-government protests to oust president
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Thousands of protesters defied appeals for calm from the military, and the country’s most influential Islamic cleric and marched in cities across Yemen on Thursday, pressing on with their campaign to oust the U.S.-allied president.
In the capital Sanaa, protesters fought off attacks by police and government supporters swinging batons and daggers. Municipal vehicles ferried sticks and stones to the pro-government side, witnesses said.
King Tut’s stolen dad found, Egypt historical sites to open to tourism
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt said it will reopen historical sites to tourism on Sunday as it sought to revive a key industry shattered in the turmoil that ousted President Hosni Mubarak. Archaeologists were cheered by the recovery of the most important artifact stolen from Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, a rare statue of King Tut’s father.
A 16-year-old anti-government protester found the statue of the Pharaoh Akhenaten next to a garbage can and his family returned it, the antiquities ministry said.
Bahrain locked down after 5 anti-government protesters killed
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahrain’s leaders banned public gatherings and sent tanks into the streets Thursday, intensifying a crackdown that killed five anti-government protesters, wounded more than 200 and turned a hospital into a cauldron of anguish and rage against the monarchy.
Thousands defied authorities by marching in cities in Libya and Yemen as political unrest continued in the wake of uprisings that toppled leaders in Egypt and Tunisia.
NATIONAL
War troops to undergo mandatory ‘don’t ask’ repeal classes
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — Marines fighting in Afghanistan will begin undergoing training to prepare for the repeal of the military’s ban on openly gay troops, and most will have participated in the mandatory classes before they return home, a senior U.S. Marine general in the country said Thursday.
Maj. Gen. Richard Mills told reporters in a teleconference call that Marines coming off the battlefield will undergo formal classes, discussion groups and “extensive” training to make sure each individual understands the new rules.
US seeks to avoid UN Security Council vote on Israeli settlements
WASHINGTON (AP) — Stuck in a diplomatic bind, the Obama administration scrambled Thursday to avert a difficult U.N. Security Council vote on a Palestinian-backed resolution condemning Israeli settlements. President Barack Obama raised the subject in a call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after other attempts to sway him failed.
Though Israel’s closest ally, the United States has opposed new settlements, saying they are an impediment to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
STATE/LOCAL
Regulators award last riverboat casino license to Lake Charles
(AP) — State gambling regulators on Thursday unanimously chose the biggest-ticket applicant to receive Louisiana’s 15th and last available riverboat casino license: the $400 million Mojito Pointe casino proposed for Lake Charles.
The winning project, selected by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, is led by Creative Casinos LLC, owned by former Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. Chairman Daniel Lee.
“We’re going to build a beautiful resort for that property. It’ll be a great asset for the state,” Lee said in an interview after the vote. “Now, the real work begins.”
Reality show booted from mansion following neighborhood complaints
KENNER (AP) — After neighbors in an upscale suburban New Orleans neighborhood complained, Kenner officials determined that city ordinances prohibited the unscripted reality-television show, “Bad Girls Boot Camp,” from taping at a mansion in the Chateau Estates subdivision.
The Times-Picayune reported that the production company was notified, and Kenner’s city attorney says it is expected to comply.