Yemen Fox

Nadal out of Australian Open

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 01:27:54 +0300

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Australian Open on Friday, claiming he was still suffering from the stomach virus which caused him to cancel his return to action in the Gulf this week after a six-month absence. Nadal, an 11-time Grand Slam title winner, has also withdrawn from the Qatar Open which starts on Monday and where he was due to play his first official tournament since losing in the second round at Wimbledon in June. The Spaniard, who has been sidelined with a crippling knee injury, had already missed the Olympics, the US Open and Davis Cup final. Safety first "My knee is much better and the rehabilitation process has gone well as predicted by the doctors, but this virus didn't allow me to practice this past week and therefore I am sorry to announce that I will not play in Doha and the Australian Open, as we had initially scheduled," the 26-year-old, world number four said in a press release. "As my team and doctors say, the safest thing to do is to do things well and this virus has delayed my plans of playing these weeks. "I will have to wait until the Acapulco tournament (in February) to compete again although I could consider to play before at any other ATP event. "I always said that my return to competition will be when I am in the right conditions to play and after all this time away from the courts I would rather not accelerate the comeback and prefer to do things well." Nadal, the record-breaking seven-time French Open champion and who had been due to make his comeback in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi this week, will also face a drop in the rankings having been runner-up to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final in 2012. But doctors have told him that the gastroenteritis which left him with a high fever for five days requires a week's break from sport. His medical team claim that would leave him with insufficient time to prepare for the season's first Grand Slam event which gets underway on January 14. Rigours Toni Nadal, the player's uncle and coach, said his nephew would be unable to stand the rigours of five-set matches at the Australian Open. "We consider it not appropriate to play the Australian Open since we will not have enough preparation for a great competition like a Grand Slam tournament," he said. "It is simply not conceivable that his first event is a best of five sets tournament, he wouldn't be ready for that. It is true we have been quite unlucky with this but there is nothing we can do. "After all this time it is better to do things well and the most professional thing to do is to start when we are ready." World number one Djokovic, who is playing in the Abu Dhabi tournament, said he was sad to hear that his rival's return had been delayed. "I was eager to see him play. He has been off the tour for the past six months and I am sure that all tennis fans and all sports fans want to see him back on the court, healthy and fit. I wish him, as a colleague, a fast recovery," said the Serb. Source: AFP

UN senior officials to visit Yemen soon

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 01:47:22 +0300

(Saba) - Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Mothana met here on Monday with UN resident coordinator and UNDP resident representative in Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. Mothana and Ahmed reviewed the underway arrangements for the visit of UN assistant secretary general for peacebuilding support office and UN office's financial assistant to Yemen expectant to be paid next Thursday. During the visit, the UN officials will discuss with senior officials in the government the assistance the UN peacebuilding support office can present to Yemen. Moreover, they discussed the preparations for the visit of the UN special representative on children and armed conflict to Yemen late in November to discuss with the government, civil society organizations and UN organizations working in Yemen the means to carry out the UN Security Council's resolution 1612 on children and armed conflicts in addition to paying visits to the affected areas.

Assad�s safe exit �could be arranged,� British PM Cameron says

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:30:01 +0300

A safe exit and possible immunity from prosecution for President Bashar al-Assad “could be arranged” if it would end Syria’s increasingly bloody conflict, British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday before a visit to Saudi Arabia. Some 32,000 people have been killed in Syria during a revolt against Assad that began with peaceful protests in March 2011 but became an armed rebellion after a deadly military crackdown. “Done. Anything, anything, to get that man out of the country and to have a safe transition in Syria,” Cameron told the Al Arabiya news network in Abu Dhabi when asked about offering Assad safe passage. “Of course I would favor him facing the full force of international law and justice for what he’s done. I am certainly not offering him an exit plan to Britain but if he wants to leave he could leave, that could be arranged,” he said. The British Prime Minister said there are legal restrictions with the UK providing Syrian opposition with arms and weapons. “We are a government under international law and we obey the law, so there are restrictions there, but we have helped the opposition with non-lethal equipment,” said Cameron. Cameron said he fears the violence may prolong and may bring instability to the region. “A future without Assad, but a future where rights of minorities including Christians should be safe guarded and a future where you have a Syria that is at peace with its neighbours that’s what we all want and so there are great dangers if the situations is allowed to continue,” said Cameron. He added he believe Britain has played its part enough. “We played our part in helping the refugees at the border, helping with the opposition, pushing at the United Nation for the strongest possible resolutions, but we are prevented frankly by some of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Russia and China that don’t want us to go as far as we should,” said Cameron. Cameron said that Britain’s help in Libya had nothing to do with oil and that Syria’s position is complicated. The British Prime Minister said he is meeting with Arab leaders to discuss a transition for Syria. “All of us are coming together wanting to see this transition in Syria, wanting to see Assad go,” said Cameron. “I am certainly not offering him an exit plan to Britain but if he wants to leave he can leave in a way that could be arranged.” It was unclear if Cameron had spoken to other U.N. Security Council members about the idea - which could involve offering Assad immunity from prosecution if he accepted asylum in a third country. Nor was it clear what nation would take him.

U.S. renews sanctions, Sudan criticizes decision

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 01:24:29 +0300

President Barack Obama renewed U.S. sanctions on Sudan on Friday, acknowledging Khartoum had resolved disputes with South Sudan but warning that Darfur and other conflicts still impeded normal ties, the State Department said. Khartoum reacted by accusing the United States of “double standards”. The order maintains several sets of U.S. sanctions imposed since 1997 that restrict U.S. trade and investment with Sudan and block the assets of the Sudanese government and certain officials. Conflicts in Sudan’s South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, which border South Sudan, threaten regional stability and the lack of humanitarian access to the regions remains “very serious”, the State Department said in a statement. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states since clashes between government forces and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) broke out more than a year ago. Sudan and South Sudan, which broke away last year under a peace deal that ended a decades-long civil war, signed deals in September to resolve border and security issues left over from their partition. But issues such as the status of the contested Abyei region also posed a threat to security, the State Department said. “Addressing these concerns is necessary for a peaceful Sudan and would enable the United States and Sudan to move towards a normalized relationship,” it said. Khartoum criticized the sanctions decision which it said was aimed at stymieing development in the country and pressuring Sudan to make concessions to American interests in the region. “The American administration has acknowledged more than once that Sudan has honored its commitments but the American administration, time and again, has withdrawn from its promises ... to lift the sanctions,” the foreign ministry said. Many Sudanese officials expected the United States to take steps to normalize relations with Khartoum after the South seceded peacefully last year, and have been disappointed by the renewal of the trade sanctions. More than 2 million people died in Sudan’s civil war, fought between north and south for most years between 1955 and 2005 over religion, ideology, ethnicity and oil.

Rebel attacks kill 28 Syrian soldiers from Damascus to Aleppo

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 01:15:14 +0300

AFP Syrian rebels killed 28 soldiers in attacks on three army checkpoints on the main road from Damascus to the embattled city of Aleppo Thursday, a watchdog said. Five rebels were also killed in the attacks near the city of Saraqeb in Syria’s northwest, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The rebels did not capture the checkpoints, where they would be exposed to regime air strikes, but did seize several armored vehicles, said the Observatory. Syria’s northwestern Idlib province has become a key battleground in the country’s conflict, especially after rebel forces seized the town of Maaret al-Numan on the Damascus-Aleppo road early last month. Fighting has since raged at the Wadi Deif army base near Maaret al-Numan, where rebel forces have laid siege to regime troops.

Public satisfaction with Mursi at 51.6% after 90 days in office

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 01:46:13 +0300

Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has won 51.6 percent of people’s satisfaction after 90 days in office, the government’s Information and Decision Support Center has reported. The public satisfaction in urban areas stood at about 54.7 percent, slightly higher than the satisfaction in coastal areas, 52.4 percent. In rural and tribal areas the satisfaction was 48.8 low. The general public satisfaction for his presidential program was rated at almost 60 percent. But Only close to 27 percent actually understood how the Mursi’s program was being implemented by the government. About 61 percent were satisfied with fuel prices and a little over 52 percent were satisfied with the security situation. The majority of people, however, (More than 54 percent) are not satisfied with the public cleanliness. The image of the bespectacled civil engineer as Egypt’s “accidental president,” forced into the election by the disqualification of the Muslim Brotherhood’s preferred choice, has faded as the self-imposed deadline approaches. Major tests have included managing the aftermath of violent protests at the U.S. embassy in September triggered by a film that denigrated Islam. Diplomats felt his response was slow, but it was apparently effective - damage to ties with Egypt’s biggest benefactor was minimal while Mursi earned credibility at home for appearing sensitive to popular anger. Mursi has also mostly avoided getting bogged down in contentious issues such as the role Islamic law will play in the government and laws of post-Mubarak Egypt. That debate, which pitches secular-minded Egyptians against Islamists, is going on within the body writing a new constitution. But Mursi’s successes have often been overshadowed in the Egyptian media by domestic problems, including industrial action that has served as a reminder of the deep economic problems that fuelled the uprising against predecessor President Hosni Mubarak. In the past three months, Egypt has experienced increased power cuts that sometimes last for hours, while a fuel and diesel crisis has at times paralyzed the country, with mile-long queues forming outside petrol stations. Prices for gas canisters -- used in many homes for cooking and heating -- have spiked. The Mursi Meter website said the president had failed to address the bread problem and the independent Al-Shorouk daily said that five people were killed in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria as they fought to get to the front of the bread queue.

Yemeni students face shortage of books as school year starts

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 02:14:14 +0300

Reuters - Yemen’s school children have begun a new educational year facing a new shortage - school text books. About five million Yemeni children started the new school year, with 600,000 new students entering the first class of primary school, according to the Ministry of Education. But for many of those children, their learning is being hampered by a lack of text books. High school student Ekhlas al-Baidhani says she couldn’t prepare for the New Year. “Receiving the scheduled books on time is important. I should be receiving the books before I start the school year. In fact, I should receive the books scheduled for the year ahead before the end of the old year so I can establish some background knowledge and prepare myself for the new school year and this would, in return, improve my school work.” Since last year's revolt against 33 years of rule by Ali Abdullah Saleh, when state control in outlying regions broke down as the army split into pro- and anti-Saleh factions and al Qaeda militants occupied some areas, Yemen has been in turmoil. The unrest has not only affected the country’s political situation, but has also worsened its already weak economic and financial situation. The protests paralyzed the Yemeni government; the humanitarian situation has deteriorated and poverty and food shortages have increased, with up to half of all Yemenis going hungry. Mother of two school students Um Saddam said that she couldn’t supply her children with the textbooks and was worried how it would impact on their educational attainment. “They have just handed over books to my two children, who are twins, only four books each, and as for the other books we will have to follow-up until we get them. I do not know when we will get them, or when the children will learn. Half term will probably near before children are able to learn anything.” The Yemeni Ministry of Education aims to provide 50 percent of school textbooks for the majority of schools in the country. But Sana’a teacher Abdul Kaliq al-Suraihi says the lack of books was affecting learning. “A lot of students use the excuse of having no textbook to justify not doing their homework, they say how can we write the homework, teacher? This is a major problem we suffer from in this academic year.” Some state schools administrations have tried to reuse textbooks, distributing them again amongst students to cover shortages, but they can't reuse textbooks for elementary school students, which have already been written in. “We can cover nearly 50 percent of our books shortage, but there are levels that cannot be covered, such as the first and the second and third (primary education), these levels cannot be covered with old books because the new student cannot use an already used book which old students have written on it. Also, it is difficult for young primary students to keep their books in good conditions, they often get ripped,” said Head teacher Inas Taher. An official at the Yemeni ministry of Education said the political and financial crisis of the past two years has affected educational textbook production. Abdullah Abu Huriah, the Director General of Press textbook, said the company had printed almost 70 percent of school texts to date and hoped to have the rest ready during October. “So far, we have processed about 60 to 70 percent of textbooks for this academic year. The rest of the books, God willing, will be printed during the month of October.” Normal production levels in times of stability were between 45 to 50 million textbook a year, Huriah said. But a lack of power had affected supply over the past 18 months. “As you know, electricity was out of service at a rate ranging from 70 to 80 percent during the past year and a half and this has, in return, affected our production at our three branches in Sana'a, Aden and Mukalla. It was one of the main obstacles to our printing machine for a long period of time.” Restoring stability to Yemen has become an international priority due to fears that al Qaeda and other Islamist militants could become entrenched in a country which neighbors oil producer Saudi Arabia and lies on major shipping lanes. Saleh was forced to stand down in February after over 2,000 people died. Came said there were now 500,000 internally displaced Yemenis after the fight with militants in the south and Saleh’s 2009/10 war against Shi'ite Islamists known as Houthis north of Sanaa. International donors pledged $1.46 billion in aid to the country of 24 million at a meeting in New York on Thursday (September 27) attended by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who said the pledge would help Yemen avoid a civil war.

President meets NESA director

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 01:35:23 +0300

President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi met in his residence in Washington on Sunday with director of the Near East South Asia (NESA) Center for Strategic Studies James Larocco. During the meeting, President Hadi welcomed the efforts of cooperation and partnership between Yemen and the USA, which are enhanced by the centers and institutes' efforts. Hadi stressed the importance of the role NESA plays in qualifying and develop Yemenis' capabilities. He reviewed of the growing cooperation areas between Yemen and the USA in various aspects aiming to strengthen the partnership by encountering the challenges facing the two countries and to achieve the local, regional and international interests and the global security and stability. Larocco praised the recent developments in Yemen that confirm its right approach to meet the challenges and achieve the desired progress, stability and security.Saba

Lebanon asks Iran to explain Revolutionary Guards� presence

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 01:58:03 +0300

AFP - Iran should provide an an official explanation as to why members of its Revolutionary Guards have been sent to Lebanon, President Michel Sleiman demanded on Monday. On Sunday, the Guards commander said members of his elite special operations unit, the Quds Force, were in Syria and Lebanon but only to provide “counsel.” “President Sleiman asked for an official explanation from the relevant Iranian authorities,” his office said. Lebanon is divided into two political camps – one supported by Syria and Iran, the other backed by the West. Iran provides political and military support to the powerful Shiite group Hezbollah, which plays a central role in the current Lebanese government, and to its militia. Hezbollah was created in 1982 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards during the Israeli invasion. General Mohammed Ali Jafari, commander of the Guards, said on Sunday that “a number of Quds Force members are present in Syria and Lebanon... We provide (these countries) with counsel and advice, and transfer experience to them.” “But it does not mean that we have a military presence there,” he added. The Quds Force is tasked with carrying out operations outside Iran – official and clandestine. It has several thousand members, and it is especially active in the Middle East, according to Western analysts. If Syria were attacked militarily however, Jafari said, his troops will provide support, although he did not provide any further details. Jafari told reporters, "We are proud to defend Syria, which constitutes a resistance to the Zionist entity," adding that Iran provides advice based on its expertise, while other countries support terror organizations. He noted again that members of the Quds Force will intervene militarily, and provide military assistance to Syria "according to the circumstances."

Al-Qaeda leader Zawahiri confirms death of Abu Yahya al-Libi

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 01:35:17 +0300

Al-Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri confirmed in a video recording the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi, a veteran militant said to have been a leader of the group’s operations, and who had survived previous U.S. attacks. The U.S. government said in June that a drone strike in Pakistan had killed Libi, dealing the biggest in a series of blows to the militant group since the raid that killed Osama bin Laden last year. “I proudly announce to the Muslim umma and to the mujdahideen (holy fighters) the news of the martyrdom of Libya’s lion Sheikh Hassan Mohammed Qaed,” Zawahiri said in the video.

Egypt detains last Mubarak PM

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 01:35:15 +0300

Egyptian authorities ordered the arrest of ousted strongman Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq on Tuesday on suspicion of corruption, judicial sources said. Shafiq, who has been living abroad in the United Arab Emirates since narrowly losing the first post-Mubarak elections to Islamist incumbent Mohamed Morsi in June, has been barred from travel using his Egyptian passport since last month.

Defense Minister meets UN envoy to Yemen

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 02:02:08 +0300

(Saba) - Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed met here on Sunday with UN envoy to Yemen Jamal bin Omar. The minister reviewed with the UN official the developments and several issues concerning the implementation of the Gulf initiative, topped by the armed forces reconstruction. Ahmed pointed to the military affairs committee's achievements in this regard and in removing the sources of tension and restoring security and stability in the country. He valued the UN envoy's continuous efforts and follow-up to the progress of the settlement deal in Yemen. Omar asserted that the UN closely watches the Gulf initiative's implementation and will not allow deterring its progress, hailing the efforts of the military affairs committee to remove the tension and achieve stability in the country.

Houthis execute citizen on US-spy charge

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 02:00:19 +0300

Yemeni MP: execute Houthi leaders for spying for Iran A Yemeni MP called for executing all active Houthi leaders in the northern province of Sa'ada on charges of spying for Iran, after the group had executed a Yemeni citizen in Amran whom they accused of spying for the U.S. and Israel. The independent MP Ali al-Mamari demanded the Parliament on Wednesday to adopt a draft of law incriminating loyalty to any foreign country, accusing Houthi group of spying for Iran. On Tuesday, Houthi group executed a worker from Taiz in Qaflat Othar of Amran on charge of spying for the U.S. and Israel. "If Houthis killed the citizen on charge of spy, all leaders of Houthis should be killed for spying for Iran," Mamari stated according to the Parliament observatory. He called Houthis to engage in the political process, or they "should be dealt with as murderers like al-Qaeda" fighters. On a broader context, MP Nabil al-Basha called for chiefs of intelligence and security services, concerned in coordinating with Americans, to be questioned about all air raids carried out by the US drones against al-Qaeda in Yemen. MP Abdul-Aziz Jubari, in an inquiry directed to Prime Minister Mohamed Basidnwa, demanded that the results of investigations into the attack on Interior Ministry should be revealed along with those behind. He also asked for clarification on reports circulated by media outlets that the attack against Ministry of Defense was an attempted coup against constitutional legitimacy. Another question was directed by Mr. Jubari to the Prime Minister about security and diplomatic measures taken by the government. "How authentic are the reports that a number of politicians have been recruited to work for Iran? If so, why those found involved were not made known and referred to security apparatus?" he wondered.

Spanish Ambassador: Yemeni people real victim of Qaeda

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 03:09:44 +0300

Spanish Ambassador to Yemen Javier Hergueta The Spanish Ambassador to Yemen said that al Qaeda is making a terrible damage to Yemen and the real victim of al-Qaeda is Yemeni people. Mr. Javier Hergueta spoke highly about the wisdom of the Yemeni people and their leaders, and said that so far everything is going very well. "I am very optimistic, because I can really feel the change in the situation in Yemen due to the fact that Yemen is a different from other countries in terms of it has a political transition plan," he added. He said that once security problem is solved, Yemen will be a very prosperous country, where there are a lot of fields which Yemen could do very well. "Yemen would be a country as prosperous as Oman or more, because Yemen has more things than its neighbors." In an interview, he told Yemen Fox that the political process in Yemen is very positive, because all can participate. So it is very bad if somebody tries to undermine it, because this is a very generous process. Commenting on the National Dialogue, Javier Hergueta said that "I think it is very positive because everyone is willing to participate.

SM leader calls for unity

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 03:22:36 +0300

Hasan Ba'Oum, head of the Peaceful Southern Movement's Supreme Council, called on Wednesday for unity and denouncing division. The prominent leader met with a number of the national Southern Movement (SM) leaders, political activists and journalists. At the meeting, Ba'Oum stressed the need to seek for unity, to stand one line and to reject scattering. "Throughout years of the peaceful struggle, the South have made progress in its just issue," he added. The meeting was attended by Qasem Dawood, Qasem Abdul Rabb, Feras Yafei, Qasem Abdul Rahman and a number of SM leaders and activists.

Saada people reject (Houthi) as NDC representative

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 04:27:18 +0300

Hundreds of Saada people staged Tuesday a protest in front of the house of President Hadi, to demand equitable representation of Saada Province in the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) and to denounce Houthis violations against people. A number of tribal sheikhs and notable figures of Saada, took place at the protest, chanting slogans demanding the stop of Houthi violations, while expressing surprise of allegations that Houthi is the sole representative of Saada in the NDC. "Saada people demand dealing with their issue militarily or security but not politically, where residents are living out of the state sovereignty, but under brunt of Houthi militias," said a statement issued by participants. The statement stressed the need to open a comprehensive investigation about events and war circumstances and announcing the results to public to develop appropriate solutions for Saada Province and people. Saada people are living under difficult conditions as a result of Houthi practices and multiple violations to human rights in Saada, as well as igniting sectarian war in more than a place.

Saada people reject (Houthi) as NDC representative

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 04:27:12 +0300

Tribal source: Two killed, others injured at Dhamar checkpoint

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 03:32:43 +0300

Tribal source said that two persons were killed and others injured Wednesday, as tribesmen fired at a car (bus) at Maifa'a District of Ans, Dhamar Province. Conflicts between sons of prominent business men in Dhammar likely to be behind the incident, said the source. The source stated that armed tribesmen reestablished a checkpoint near security building of A'ns District on Dhammar-Bayda road and fired at a bus packed with people led to the death of two and injury of others.

Former premier: Saleh has yet to leave power

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:36:16 +0300

Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas said ex-president Saleh has not stepped down, noting that he and his sons and aides still have control over power through military units and substantial portion of oil and fishery resources. "While he was deposed by the youth revolution as a president, Saleh unfortunately continues to exist in power," former Yemeni Prime Minister al-Attas told the Saudi al-Medina daily in an interview. He stated that Saleh is deliberately creating security vacuum "to show the World that Yemen needs him". The exiled Southern Movement's leading figure called on "opposition parties to allow the 'genuine' revolution to keep on, since the youths will stay at square until the south issue is solved", adding that if the uprising "does not achieve all goals, the south question will remain pending and explosion will be largely imminent". "The current government is running the political process temporarily, and it is not in a position to solve any issue," he added noting that the Houthi issue should be settled, "after the south one, through intra-dialogue; Houthis with Houthis." "Houthis, unfortunately, have relations with Iran, because Saleh sought help of Iran to have a significant presence in south of Yemen. Indications show that there is a strong Iranian presence in Yemen." Still, the cause behind the resurgence of al-Qaeda in Yemen is Saleh, who provided the group with material and military support. "An evidence of this is that, when the new President Hadi issued a decision to dismiss the Southern Military Region's commander, an aide of Saleh, he [ousted officer] handed the region over to al-Qaeda elements under directives from Saleh," according to Mr. al-Attas. The Yemeni socialist prominent leader said the GCC initiative spared Yemen the trouble of sliding into civil war. But he added that "it did not put forth the right ways out of other issues, most important the southern one."

Aden Governor, restoring security priority of coming phase

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:09:24 +0300

Aden Governor Waheed Ali Rasheed asserted that the coming phase will witness condensed efforts for establishing security and stability in the Governorate, providing public services in front of which education, health and finding solutions for all problems that face development process. The Governor mentioned that the new security leadership in the Governorate concerns with defined security tasks exemplified in establishing security and stability, preventing armed aspects in the town and to manipulate the negative phenomena the affect the development. Mr. Waheed asked citizens to assist the security apparatuses in diffusing enlightenments among community for preventing the negative phenomena, hoping all efforts are to be united for upgrading the services and to achieve the public serenity. aThe Governor Waheed asserted the importance of doubling the efforts for implementing the activities and services for gaining the required successes specifically the Governorate is distinguished with economic importance to be depended on for upgrading the national economy.