Yesterday the PM Dr. Abdulkader Bajamal, inaugurated the Scientific Meeting Works which revolved on the Yemeni agricultural strategies in the twenty-first century. The meeting was held in Aden University Hall for Conferences on Sunday, September, 2001, in cooperation with the Minister of Agriculture. In a statement to YT, Dr. Abbas Bowazeer, the Dean of Naser College for Agricultural Sciences and the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee said that the participants had discussed 55 working papers through eight sessions. They participants have discussed the agricultural policies, food production, the current situation of agricultural development, investment and finance, the role of women in agricultural development, and agricultural instruction and research. As for companies and institutions, around 17 institutions participated in the meeting along with the two Ministers of Planning & Development and Agriculture.

Under the motto " for a Better Future" the activity of the National Day to support women was held in the Yemeni Women Union Hall in Taiz. This activity was organized by the Women's Integration Project in Development, the Society Development Center, and in cooperation with UNIFP. The symposium was attended by the National Manager of the Project. Dr. Mohammed Kahtan delivered a speech in which he placed a great stress on the role of women in economic development. At the same time, the female lawyer, Ishrak Al-Maktari delivered a lecture on women's situation in national legislation and international charters which Yemen ratified as the CEDAW agreement.

The Minister of the Human Rights in Yemen, Dr. Waheeba Farae, has positively reacted to what YT has published in its issue, 13/8/2001, concerning Abdullah Mohammed Al-Ahdal's complaint about his rights' infringement by a military man belonging to the Air Defense Forces. In this respect, the Minister has been informed of the case published in the weekly YT newspaper. She sent a letter along with other related documents to the Manager of the Legal Administration Affairs in the Ministry, the lawyer, Abdullah Hashem. Consequently, YT staff express their appreciation for this reaction by the Human Rights Ministry represented by Dr. Waheeba Farae in this respect.

A two-day bazaar began last Thursday by the Refuge Community Center of the Partners for Development (PAD). The bazaar has been an annual custom of PAD since 1996. Partners for Development is a Yemeni NGO based in Sana'a. It is a major implementing partner of the UNHCR. It provides assistance to refugees and to Yemeni beneficiaries through development programs such as health, education and training programs.
The bazaar covered a wide range of activities all day long, from 10.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. Activities included an art exhibition, traditional handicrafts, food from the Horn of Africa, henna painting, hair braiding, and an Ethiopian and Eritarian coffee ceremony that was presented during the day. Moreover, a children's corner was created and offered games and traditional story-telling. The bazaar included popular evening performances from the Somali Fan Band and the Ethiopian Cultural Dress Dance Show with new acts such as the Ethiopian choir and the famous Sudanese singer, Osama.
"The bazaar's objective is to provide an opportunity for refugees in Sana'a to earn additional income by selling their handicrafts and other goods," Cindy Isaac told the Yemen Times, adding that it also provides information about the very diverse refugee community in Yemen.
PAD has been quite active in organizing activities and events that serve the refugee community and introduce their customs and traditions to Yemeni people. PAD is currently conducting many activities, including refugee assistance upon arriving in Yemen, and counseling services. Social counselors directly assist refugees four days a week on an open-door basis. The main role of this social assistance program is to help refugees live in a new environment by assisting with day-to-day problems. Furthermore, PAD also provides specialized training and promotes utilization of skills of refugees. PAD is looking forward to expanding its activities and working with new agencies and partners in the development sector in Yemen.

The dialogue between government and the opposition about draft amendments to elections law is still going on amid indications of a breakthrough in some points of the discussions. Opposition sources told YT that the two sides are serious about the discussion and that they have agreed to conclude the dialogue by the 21st of this month, and then be endorsed by the parliament. The two sides have agreed that the Supreme Election Committee (SEC) would be formed by members of political parties, which was denied by the ruling party (PGC) in the beginning. But the sources said that Mr. Yahia Mutwakil, PGC Assistant Secretary General confirmed that PGC accepted the political parties representation in the SEC on the condition of some regulations to ensure the neutrality of SEC. He said members of SEC should resign from their parties in the SEC, which will ensure its neutrality and prevent the monopoly of any single party. But the opposition to the government has not agreed on the mechanism of this representation, whether it will be based on the number of votes each political party gets in election or not. Furthermore, the two sides have not agreed on the question of military men's place in voting, and because of the wide gap over this issue the PGC and the opposition decided to postpone the matter without giving a fixed date to resume talks on this issue.
The sources said opposition suggested that military men can vote only in two places, either their birthplace or their permanent place of residence. This suggestion was strongly opposed by PGC and said it aimed at abolishing their voting rights. But opposition said this would abolish the influence of the ruling party to vote for its candidates. The other alternative the opposition suggested was to abolish military men's rights in voting, as voting for political parties entails a sort of political affiliation which is forbidden among the military. The constitution forbids military people's affiliation to any political party.

The French Cultural Center (FCC) announced that it will be holding the exhibition "Yemeni contemporary paintings" in Sana'a during 17-30 September 2001. The exhibition will be open to the public five days a week (Saturday to Wednesday) on the 2nd floor of the French Cultural Center, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Six of the most famous artists in Yemen will present their new work on this unique occasion. Amnah Al Nassiri, Rima Kasim, Mazher Nizar and Talal Al Najar, the four members of the recently created studio "Atelier Sana'a," together with Yassin Ghaleb and Amin Nasher, have decided to give a fresh boost to the modern art movement to which they've all contributed for the last fifteen years. They resisted the temptation of pushing themselves forward individually, and as Amnah Al Nassiri puts it they will join their strength to "bring modern art to Yemeni society." Their various backgrounds and influences have inspired them. They have different styles, but still, they dedicate themselves to following a common line - continuously searching for new techniques and ideas, and at the same time referring to Yemen, its traditions and its folklore.
On this occasion, Marie Gal of the French Cultural Center said, "The French Cultural Center is proud to welcome those brilliant painters and is pleased to invite everybody to discover a series of paintings that have never before been presented to the public."

A meeting was held in Sana'a between the Agricultural Cooperative Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). During the meeting, issues pertaining to agricultural, rural development and food security were discussed. The meeting, which included Ali Mohammed al-Suraimi, Chairman of the Agricultural Cooperative Union, and Abdulrahman al-Olefi, Secretary-General of the Agricultural Cooperative Union, discussed what has been achieved in the previous years, particularly with issues related to institutionalizing the cooperative work in the Republic of Yemen in light of the outcomes of technical studies presented by some international experts and consultants in this field.

The Embassy of India in Sana'a, has received an Indian Exhibition entitled " My Land, My People," which is planned to be exhibited in different cities in the Republic of Yemen, including Sana'a, Aden, Taiz, and Hodeidah. This photo exhibition, crated by internationally renowned Indian photographer Mr. Raghu Rai, is from the collection of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in New Delhi. It consists of black and white framed photographs comprising award-winning works of eminent professional Indian photographers, depicting various lifestyles in different parts of India. The exhibition in Sana'a began at the embassy of India Saturday, 15th September and will continue until Wednesday, 19th September.

The Sana'a Health Institute concludes its training course on school health today, which is financed by the UNDP. Thirty five teachers from 35 different schools participated in the course, which lasted for 20 days.

The cabinet has approved the final accounts for the private and joint sector units for the fiscal year 2000. The cabinet has also discussed the report presented by the Ministry of Finance concerning the status of foreign debts which have dropped from USD 9.984000.000 in 1995 to 4.905.000.000 on 30-6-2001
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The General Authority for the Promotion and Development of Yemeni Islands is organizing a symposium on the development of the Yemeni Islands at the Police Officer's Club on September 22-23, 2001. Discussions will center on the current economic and social situation of the Yemeni islands, as well as pollution, effective administration of the coastal areas and islands, Red Sea coral reefs, etc.

The first seminar on depression and disorders, organized by the Yemeni Physicians and Pharmacists Syndicate in Sana'a concluded last Saturday.
Suicide's connection with depression, women and children's depression, etc., were discussed elaborately.
Discussions revealed that many Yemenis suffer from depression due to the deplorable economic condition of the country.

Preparations are underway at the Health & Population Office in Hadramaut, to establish a central pharmacy for providing medicines for incurable and chronic diseases. Dr. Salem Abdullah, Director-General of the Office, told the Yemen Times that the new trends of the Health & Population Office in Hadramaut aim at improving the quality standard of health services provided to the citizens. The ministry will focus on providing free medicine for the incurable and chronic diseases, due to their high prices which incur heavy burdens on people with low incomes.