YEMEN: Security forces kill 15 protesters.
At least 15 demonstrators were killed Monday in the southern city of Taiz when security forces opened fire, some from rooftops. Some protesters were shot to death, and others were trampled as the crowd scattered in panic. President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been in power 32 years and is a U.S. ally in the struggle against al-Qaeda, has rejected demands to resign as the West looks for a peaceful solution.
LIBYA: Accuser’s freedom in question.
A woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel to tell journalists she was gang-raped by Moammar Gadhafi’s troops was quoted by news media Monday as saying she is not in custody.
Iman al-Obeidi made headlines Saturday when she was dragged from the hotel by government officials.
On Sunday and Monday, she did telephone interviews with two TV networks, but she was not seen. So it was not certain whether she was, in fact, free from government custody, because there was no way to confirm that the caller was al-Obeidi.
UNITED STATES: Sanctions lifted against Libyan defector.
The Obama administration is lifting financial and travel sanctions imposed last month on Libya’s foreign minister, who has since defected and broken ties with Moammar Gadhafi. The White House said it took the step to reward Moussa Koussa for his decision last week to defect.
Denver Post wire services
