Thousands of Dahm tribesmen are gathering in Wadi Alyatmah, in Al-Gawf governorate near the Yemeni-Saudi borders. The Dahm tribe which includes Dho Heen, Bani Nawf and Hamdan tribes, demand compensation for the land that according to the Jedda treaty belongs to Saudi Arabia. Dahm tribesmen claim that the land belongs to their tribe and that nobody else has the right to deal with it.
Following the signing of the treaty between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, the tribe issued a statement rejecting any appropriation of their land, threatening that the tribe will defend its land
Clashes broke out between the tribe and forces from Brigade (14) which tried to disperse the crowded tribesmen last Monday and lasted for about 5 hours.
Tribal sources have affirmed that tribesmen were still on alert. In a telephone conversation Sheikh Yahya Al-Shaif said that he met with the President last Saturday but did not talk about what he had discussed at that meeting. Tribesmen demand compensation for their land and this does not necessarily mean that they are against the treaty, he added.
Yemeni Minister of Interior met last week with his Saudi counterpart and discussed ways of demarcation of borders. On the other hand, copies of the treaty were Saturday handed over to Mr. Kofi Annan UN Secretary General and Dr. Ismat Abdul Majeed, Arab League secretary general.

In a press conference held last Tuesday, Minister of oil and mineral wealth indicated that after signing the borders treaty between Yemen and Saudi Arabia a new oil map was drawn in which four oil fields were added in the 30,000 sq km northern area. By this the number of oil fields has increased to 63.
He declared that after signing the treaty many companies are sending offers to the ministry to obtain excavation concessions, while they used to turn down proposals when they were asked to do so, adding that the ministry will choose the best tender submitted.
"The ministry will draw up plans to make a mutual use of the fields located along the borderline. Late in August Western US Geo-physical Company will conduct seismic surveys in the first stage in the Arab Sea along Hadramout and Al-Mahrah shore up to Sukatrah over 80 thousand km2. In the second stage, the company will conduct the survey on the marine areas from Aden shore to Abyan and Shabwah. If the survey's results are positive, the area will be divided into blocks.
The overall production in the five fields is 492 thousand barrels per day and that there will be 30 thousand barrels which will be produced by the end of this year.
About metals he said that some companies had discovered gold, nickel, platinum in the country and that evaluations are made in order to announce reserves. In this context, the ministry will send representatives to South Africa to have an idea about agreements signed with companies on such occasions, the Minister added. Contracts with companies are expected to commence from the mid of next year.
On the subject of Aden refinery he pointed out that a thorough plan for its development had been outlined. The plan will be presented to the cabinet next month, he said.
He added that oil income raised to US$ 910 million in this year in comparison with US$ 495 million last year.

Dr. Faris al-Saqqaf had been elected coordinator to the Islamic National Convention for the Yemeni Arena (INCYA) with Dr. Mohammed al-Maqaleh as his deputy. A statement issued by Future Studies Center (FSC) said that INCYA members held a meeting last Wednesday, discussing current developments in Yemen and approved a working program for the coming period. The meeting was attended by distinguished political figures: Abdulwahab al-Aansi, Mohammed Qahtan, Jar-ullah Omer, Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, Abdulqadoos al-Midhwahi, Abdulkareem al-Khaiwani, Yehya Mansoor abu-Asbu' including al-Saqqaf and al-Maqaleh.
Islamic National Convention is headquartered in Beirut and groups Islamic dignitaries from various Arab countries.

Mr. Abdulwali Al-Bahr, Secretary General of the Social Green Party informed the "Yemen Times" that Political Parties' Affairs Commission had last Wednesday licensed to his party. "The Party's objectives are concentrated on a number of social services, social partnership, preservation of environment and cleanliness and taking care of trees as symbol of greenery, and rational population policies plus eradication of illiteracy," Mr. Bahr said.
So far 22 political parties are licensed to operate in Yemen as part of political pluralism.

Attended by of a number of local and foreign correspondents the Minister of Information, Abdulrehman Al-Akwa', last Monday bitterly attacked Sheikh Abdulmajeed Al-Zindani, Chairman of Al-Islah Shoora Council.
Speaking at a meeting at the Journalists' Union headquarters, the Minister said: "Zindani has not spared a single abusive and indecent word in his orations against my Ministry and myself as well as all media men." The Minister disclosed that his Ministry intends to file a legal suit against Zindani for his attacks against him personally and his Ministry.
The "Yemen Times" put three questions to the Information Minister. His reply to two questions were too short while he escaped the third question. In the first question the Minister was asked to elaborate reasons for the attacks which the official media have been hurling against the citizen: Al-Zindani; thus violating his rights. The second question was over his Ministry's attitude towards the legal cases filed against "Al-Nas" and "Al-Ahya Al-Arabi" newspapers for publishing news stories of "Al-Thaqafiyah" weekly trial. Through its third question, the "Yemen Times" wanted to know why there was not any independent media pluralism after ten years of Unification.
Most questions put to the Minister by the correspondents were on "infidelity" and media exchange of accusations between the ruling GPC and the YRC. However a specific question on the indulgence of Sheikh Omer Ahmed Saif as a party in the conflict was brushed off by the Minister.
The Minister looked as if trying to dominate over the meeting and win the favor of the attendants by offering himself as a man who can tackle all their problems. The attendants agreed among themselves to fix a date for meeting the Minister over their problems when he said:" We are not infallible because, after all, we are human beings."
Meanwhile, the Minister of Awkaf (Endowments) is to hold a similar meeting at the Journalists' headquarters.

A day-long camping was held last Tuesday at al-Rayed Camp for 100 Scouts and school girls from the Capital Secretariat schools. The program included setting fire, erection of tents, music, sports competition, drawing and handicrafts.
The activity was attended by local, Arab and foreign women scouts leaderships. Faten Hamood, Head of Yemeni Guides told the "Yemen Times" that the camping was aimed at instilling the spirit of command in the guides and teaching them collective work.
The Guides Association is understood to be preparing forums and arranging camps for students scheduled for the coming few days.

Official media, Radio, TV, Saba News Agency and all employees of the Ministry of Information have filed a suit against Sheikh Abdulmajeed Al-Zindani, Chairman of Al-Islah Shoora Council and Al-Eiman University following the strong attack which he launched against the Ministry and journalists in his last Friday Sermons. He described them as atheists and renegades.
To support their case, the plaintiffs have submitted a number of Zindani's recorded cassettes which contained several sermons delivered in the past.
Plaintiffs said that all Zindani's recorded sermons would be copied with the purpose of publishing them in form of a brochure. These recordings depict his stand towards the Constitution, Unification and other issues.

Official sources mentioned that a technical failure on board the floating tank "Safer" sailing in the Red Sea, offshore Ras Issa could have caused a huge fire had the fault not been detected in time. It is not known whether any damage has virtually occurred.
The sources said that the Minister of Oil & Mineral Resources, Mr. Mohammed al-Khadem, moved to the area together with Ministry and Hunt engineers to be close to the incident.
The floating tank which supplies fuel to ships has a loading capacity of 4 million barrels pumped from Safer in Marib to Ras Issa. Any defect could have been catastrophic.
The source further said that sale and pumping of oil was not effected ; but would not specify the size of loss, if any. It only said that the Minister issued his instructions for maintenance and provision of ancillary tanks.

Press and Publications Prosecution summoned last Saturday Mr. Mohammed Hussain Haitham, chief editor of Al-Hikmah Magazine to hear from him in connection with the case filed by Ministry of Information for publishing a story by Ahmad Ghaleb Al-Jormozi. It has been said to have contained insults against God's identity. Mr. Haitham will be produced before the Justice next Wednesday.

Held last week, the South West Court of the Capital Secretariat sentenced to death the killer of the Dutch expert, John Dairak Paul and the chairman of small enterprises, Mohammed Ali Haider, four months ago.
The killer, Abdulrahman Ibrahim Aljedi, has already confessed the murder during the sessions held in the court. The killer claimed to have had killed the two for the sake of 'Jehad' and that the Dutch expert was a disbeliever who used to spread infidel beliefs. However, he said that he killed the manager of the project as he did not heed his pieces of advice to return to Allah. Ridiculously enough, he called upon the judge to acquit him. However, the judge stated that the Islamic religion does not sanction the killing of non-Muslims living on Islamic territories.

Licensing of the GSM mobile phone project was signed here last Saturday (July 29) between Eng. Ahmed Al-Aansi, Minister of Telecommunications and Mr. Hameed Abdulla Al-Ahmer, Chairman of Sabaphone Management (SM). It is understood that SM is composed of Al-Ahmer Trade & Industry Complex, Egyptian Telecommunications Orascom Co., Hellenic Telecommunications Helascom and the Consolidated Contractors Company. It is expected that the service shall resume in Sana'a four months after the signing of the license. Initial year investment is $50m to reach $130m during the next four years.

Finally, Yemen's woman representative in the Lebanon chess championship was announced last Thursday to be Nadhmyah Abdul Salam after she outsmarted her opponent Adylah Raweh 2/1.
Following her victory, she announced that she would do her best to achieve good results in her first participation outside Yemen.

Yemeni Interior Minister, Hussain M. Arab and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Naif expressed total agreement to work as one team in the process of implementing the Yemeni-Saudi border treaty. That came after meetings in Jeddah last Tuesday. The two ministers had agreed on a time-table and practical steps to implement the border treaty signed between the two countries last June. A military committee has set up a time table for the relocation of troops deployed by both countries along the border. As for the technical committee it has specified the terms under which a firm would be selected to demarcate the border. It is to be mentioned that the border accord covers 1,500 km in land and sea borders.

Workers digging at the site of a new building found a well-packed and welded barrel which they believed to be holding a treasure. Security sources in the Capital Secretariat found the barrel to be containing a decomposed body of an unknown man. Investigations are going on with the residents of Al-Khair and Al-Sallam streets in Al-Sanina zone; particularly with the welders.
Meanwhile in Amran Province a father killed his son as a result of dispute on his marriage. The son beat his father who, in turn, stabbed him to death.
In Sanban area of Dhamar Province a person killed his father and two of his brothers in a dispute over land heirship. This month's crime statistics show a considerable rise in murder and accident cases in all governorates mainly in tribal areas.

On Wednesday July 26 a consultative meeting was held at RAY headquarters attended by leaderships of political parties and civilian and information organizations. Measures so far taken over the challenge submitted to the Constitutional Office of the Supreme Court on the recently issued Local Authority Law, were reviewed. Meeting also reviewed obstacles blocking the legal case. Participants had discussed means to activate political parties activities on this important and national issue in the forthcoming stage, no matter what the court judgment would be.
Dr. Ahmed Abdulla Al-Shaikh Abubakr, Rapporteur of the National Committee on Local Government(NCLG), Director of RAY head office, who chaired the meeting, told "Yemen Times" that after more than two hours of rational debate, the participants approved to continue with the legal procedures over the issue of Local Government. This should go along with activating opposition movement and avoiding discrepancies which appeared in the submission of the case at information, political and popular levels.
Attendants at the meeting affirmed the role of the NCLG as an authority to follow up this national issue. The Committee offered a unique example in its effective political work both from the view point of its formation and achievement of the National Project for Local Government.
Dr. Abubakr added that the participation of this huge and quantitative number of party leaderships and heads of civilian and information organizations in response to RAY's invitation, was a positive evidence that they were highly interested in that national issue. He added that differences in viewpoints among opposition organizations should not impede their full cooperation where consensus was needed.

Yemenia-Yemen airways have lately managed to sign an Advertisement & Publicity Agreement with the Office of Prince Naseem Hamed Kashmeem, the World Featherweight Champion, wherein, it has been agreed that Prince Naseem along with his companions will be wearing Yemenia Ad T-Shirts while entering the boxing arena and during and after the bout. Yemenia has also managed to reserve space for its advertisement on any one side bumper of the boxing ring arena in the bouts to take place during the course of one year. Advertisement and publicity through such grand events would seriously enhance and boost Yemenia's promotional activities worldwide.
Yemeni will get its first exposure into effect during the boxing event that will take place in the USA in August 2000.
Furthermore, Yemenia announced its off-lately renewal and updating of the fleet by relying mainly on the wide body modern aircrafts and also changed the strategic planning from depending on the historical market, into penetrating the international market potentials of carrying passengers from different points of the world by using special prorate agreements with international carriers besides carrying passengers via Sanaa to several destinations served by Yemenia. This policy has proven to be very successful and in return, Yemenia achieved almost 30% increase of traffic and sales during the 1st Quarter of the year 2000 as compared with the corresponding period of 1999.
Also Yemenia has lately added one more flight to Frankfurt and still following-up with the French authorities to add one more flight to Paris. Effective 21 August 2000, our operations to Damascus will be twice weekly and Yemenia is studying the possibility of increasing its flight numbers to Beirut as well as to resume operations to Kuwait as also to Far East mainly Bangkok and Jakarta.
In general, Yemenia is planning to have minimum 2 flights weekly to every destination in the network as well as to improve the standard of service and to keep up its 'on-time' performance. Hence, achieving a record number of operations, a record that has never ever been reached before.
It is worth mentioning that the increasing number of flights of Yemenia made it decide to increase the number of Yemen Times issues distributed to its passengers three folds and to further strengthen its unique relation with the number one English newspaper in Yemen, Yemen Times.
All the above achievements have been on the background of Yemenia's new young management team, whose members work in complete and perfect harmony.

A married woman in Marib Province last Thursday attempted a suicide by firing three shots into her chest. She is now admitted at the Military Hospital there and her condition has been described as very critical. The suicide attempt came following rejection by her husband to divorce her. Her application for divorce entered its second year.
Since 1994, seventy-four cases of suicide have been recorded in Marib, all resulting from social conditions in form of matrimonial or divorce problems.