A memorandum of understanding was signed Jan. 18 between the United Nations Development Programmed (UNDP), the European commission Technical Advisory Office (ECTAO), the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referenda (SCER) and the Ministry of Planning and Development (MOPD).
Signed at the SCER office, this agreement follows one signed on Dec. 10 between the UNDP and the European commission to support the Yemeni electoral process.
The EC is give Euro 455,000 to a UNDP electoral project toward the preparation of Yemen's 2003 parliamentary elections UNDP election work in Yemen.
The UNDP electoral support project, which was officially launched in May 2002, aims at developing and strengthening the capacity of the SCER to organize and deliver free, fair and participatory elections in 2003 and enhance the administration and management of the electoral process.
The main objectives for the initial phase of the project are to:
1)Provide expert technical assistance and advice to the SCER in the preparation and conduct of the2003 elections.
2)Support the professional development, institutional restricting and decentralization processes of the Yemeni society
3)Expand democratic participation in the electoral process, particularly for under-represented segments of the Yemeni society.
4)Ensure greater public information and awareness on the elections.

This is the first agreement concluded between UNDP and EC in the Republic of Yemen.
The memo was signed by Rainer Schierhorst, head of the European Commission technical advisory office, James W. Rawley, the UNDP resident representative, H.E Abdul Rahman Tarmoom, vice-minister of the Ministry of Planning and Development and H.E. Khaled Al- Sharif, the chairman of the Supreme Election Committee and Referendum.

The British company Capital Oil and Gas is to invest $25million in primary oil exploration stage in al-Mahara in Mareed and Damakhout areas, in the block sectors 37 and 39.
Yemen's Oil Minister, Abdu al-Malek Alama, signed a protocol for the exploration in al-Mahara governorate with Capital Oil and Gas executive manager Fred Pone on Jan. 28.
Pone said that he is happy to enter oil exploration in Yemen in the light of encouragement and facilities offered by Yemen's Oil Ministry.
He added that this agreement will support and strengthen mutual interests of the two countries.
He pointed out further that this is the first time that his company has entered in an oil investment deal in Yemen, but it's hoping to expand and cover more fields.
Robert Mackry, the executive manager for the company, and Nabeel al-Khameiri, the company agent in Yemen, attended the signing ceremony also.

The second round of a campaign to root out polio has come to an end in 153 districts across the country.
The round targeted more than 1.8 million children under the age of five.
Health officials have been saying that the round met the targets and has been successful in that field workers have given the children yet another round of the vaccine against polio, plus Vitamin A, needed for a stronger growth of children.

TAIZ - The Yemeni Bar Association in Taiz has condemned what it calls the heinous torture and abuse of Samee Yaseen al-Shargabi during a criminal investigation in Taiz.
Al-Shargabi was arrested last month and charged in the kidnapping and killing Ebraheem Mahuob Ahmed, of Taiz.
Abduallah Noman, head attorney, said that what al-Shargabi had been exposed to is considered a crime and indignity.
Yaseen al-Shargabi, Samee father, has asked for punishment of the officers and soldiers who took part in torturing his son. He has appealed to Yemen's President Saleh and Human Rights minister Dr. Waheeba Farea to interfere to get his son to a hospital.

According to Al-Hayat newspaper, statistics published by the World Bank show that 42 percent of the Yemeni population, which presently stands at 18.5 million, is living under the poverty line.
Yemen is one of the poorest counties of the world, whereby the local per capita average income does not exceed $460 per annum.
The local rate of unemployment is estimated at more than 25 percent.

A seminar has been organized Monday by the Mass Media Training & Qualifying Institute (MMTQI) centering on training and qualifying mediamen and media institutions.
The seminar aims basically at promoting and qualifying different information as well as media sectors. It also aims at getting acquainted with institutions needed for training programs during 2003 and finding mechanisms for the media needs.
The dean of MMTQI, Dr. Abduallah al-Zalab, pointed out that this seminar is a continuation of the recommendations of the former seminar held in May last year where media needs were discussed.
Al-Zalab pointed out that different working papers are to be presented by Saba News Agency, The Public Corporation for Radio & Television, the media institutions from health, population, agriculture, interior, and Election Supreme Commission for Election and Referendum.

Prime Minister Abdulkadir Bajamml emphasized the role assumed by the young people in the country as an essential means to national growth and advancement.
Appearing in the foundation conference of the General Yemeni youth union, the prime minister called participants to boost the spirit of dialogue tolerance and democratic principles among the young people and to augment the level of participation in various economic, social, political and educational activities in the country.
Meanwhile, Ba Jammal also launched the president's project of computer education among students and other social groups and also the provision of free Internet services to the public.
This has come during the opening ceremony of the first workshop organized by the Ministry of Communication on Information technology and its close relation to the ongoing process of national development.
Ba Jammal underscored the urgent need to embrace the latest scientific technology in the area of information, calling the younger generation to join hands with the government to achieve growth and keep pace with the rest of the world.

The committee for the National Youth Union held its periodical meeting Jan. 27 to discuss work to prepare for the institutional conference of the union.
In a press statement the committee confirmed its invitation to all youth organizations to take part in this conference. The committee also discussed union participation in the anti-war demonstration in Sana' a streets, refusing the continuous American threat and attack against Iraq and collaborating with the Palestinian people against the fierce Zionist attacks.
The committee encouraged the Yemeni people to be unified with their brothers and nations in continuing protests and similar demonstrations in all the governorates.
The committee discussed a number of other issues during its meeting.

Yemen's parliament is again discussing ways to control arms in the country.
On Jan. 29 during its ordinary session presided over by the deputy speaker Yahya Al Raai, MPs reviewed a draft proposal to amend the previous law on the carrying, trading and possession of arms.
The new draft bill will see a complete reorganization of the previous law in order to ensure tight control over arms and explosive in the possession of individuals.
According to the new bill, citizens will be allowed to possess machine guns and pistols only for legal defense purposes.

The Chairman of the board of Directors in the Kuwaiti Arab fund for Economic and Social development Abdullatif Alhamed and the accompanying delegation left Sana'a Friday concluding a several- day visit to our Yemen.
The visit was topped by a singing of agreement by which the fund will finance a project to transfer electricity power from Marib to the Capital Sana'a. The visiting delegation toured a number of governorates where understanding over a number of future economic and social projects to be financed by the Kuwaiti fund has been reached.

Yemeni engineers recently completed their first maintenance job for a private plane, a Boeing 200-727.
The maintenance and engineering department affiliated with Yemen Airways did the job on the Boeing plane of Ben Mahfoudh Airline.
The engineers checked weight and balance of the plane with modern computer programs.

As a contribution by the basic Education Expansion Project (BEEP) to put Yemen on the track to achieve education for all, the steering committee of BEEP recently endorsed the 2003 work plan which aims to increase enrollment of rural children especially girls, in basic education by building 317 new schools and renovating 244 school buildings in four governorates: Sana'a, Amran, Almahweet, and Al-Dale.
The work plan also aims to improve quality through service teacher training and continuing school supervision, where 20,000 teachers will be trained and 12,000 supervision visits to schools will be conducted.
Building capacities are also one of the main objectives of BEEP; the work plan support the establishment of community participation unit at the Ministry of Education as well as activities such as awareness campaigns and communities mobilization and training; conducting routine school survey, training MOE staff on planning and projects management and establishing management information system.
It is to point out that BEEP has been launched in 2001 where a pilot project was implemented in four districts of Sana'a governorate, included building of 55 schools along with quality improvement and building capacities programs. In addition to 2002 program which included 260 schools that are now under construction and a very comprehensive software program.

Al-Watan newspaper reported on an American aid plan to Yemen, labeled 416-B, to be carried out by the American Department of Agriculture.
This program began in 1999 and includes American funding of projects in public works, and development of welfare services in Yemen.
The program also includes funding the building of schools and public health centers, road paving, and developing a nationwide water system.
Total investment in the projects came to $70 million by 2002.
Some of the projects include the supply of food products like flour, soybeans, milk, and rice; the income from sale of these food products will be used to fund the agreement for American aid which was signed by the two governments in December 2002.

The Yemeni Documentation &Information Center, YDIC in collaboration with the Center Red Sea and the Horn of Africa is organizing in Sana'a on Monday a seminar centering on the negative impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks in US and their impact on the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
The September 11 attacks have not been experienced in the US history. The US reaction has been very strong and as a result it has sought to launch anti-terrorism war against countries that are thought be harboring terrorism.
It is worthwhile mentioning that a number of diplomats, experts, politicians, and those interested in such issues attend the seminar.

Tunisian Ambassador to Yemen Mr. Abduljaleel Azzooz organized last Monday, January 27, a special lunche in Sanaa with representatives of a number of prominent Yemeni newspapers. The meeting was aimed at introducing the editor-in-chiefs of Yemen's most important newspapers to the ambassador and creating a bridge of communication between the embassy and the Yemeni press.
"I personally believe that a good diplomat should give the media its due importance because in this globalizing world, having good relations with the press is essential for carrying out diplomatic missions efficiently."
The ambassador, who started his mission in Yemen a few months ago, expressed his desire to maintain good relations with the press, which he believes could consequently serve in promoting relations between Yemen and Tunisia.

In order to reach a proper and honest solution to realize fully the notions of the Islamic thought in a scientific and proper way deriving from the Islamic law, a forum titled the Hope Forum which is chaired by, Dr. Mohammed Asharafi, was held in Sana'a 28, January.
During the 2-day symposium, participants condemned terrorist acts where Yemen has been falling victim for a long time.
The Forum of Hope was held on the occasion of the International Day for Human Rights and in the memory of well-known Arab thinker, Mr. Mahmoud Mohammed Taha.
During the closing ceremony such acts were described as one of series that threaten the safety and security of the nation along with distorting Yemen's image, its democratic path, and its proper conventions.
Participants have also called for holding a symposium titled "Islamic Renewal" where a number of eminent professors in Islamic law from Yemen and the Islamic world will take part.
A number of eminent professors in the Islamic law took part in their working papers, scientific and intellectual discussions centering on human rights in Islam including, the right of thinking and jurisprudence.

A new book titled Globalization & Intellectual Property has been recently released by al-Afif Cultural Foundation.
The new publication has been written by Dr. Mohammed Ahmed al-Mekhlafi, an eminent lawyer in the political arena.
The new book deals with diverse notions of the intellectual property and the role played by the World Trade Organization in this regard.
It also centers around the law related to the intellectual right in Yemen, the right of author, the burdens of the intellectual property, and the problems of protection in Yemen.
The new release considers to be a valuable reference and the first of its kind dealing with the intellectual property for lawers, students and those who are interested in the Yemeni law.

Al-Saeed Foundation for Sciences & Culture is going to organize a book fair next May in Taiz.
Faisal Saeed Farea told the Yemen Times that the exhibition will be in the Sana'a International Book Exhibition, and will coincide with a ceremony for the distribution of Hail Saeed Anam prizes for science and culture.
"The award committees will hold a meeting and winners will be announced in March" he added.
The General Manager for SFSC confirmed that the al-Saeed administration fund council for scientific research has started its work and activities.
The fund aims at encouraging scientific research and Yemeni researchers in different fields.

U.S. ambassador Edmund Hull met Thursday with sheik Abdullah Bin Hussein al- Ahmar, speaker of parliament and head of the Islah party, to discuss democratic development in Yemen. Ambassador Hull stressed U.S. support for continued progress of the democratic process in Yemen. The two also discussed economic development efforts.
An American embassy press release on January 30 mentioned that during the meeting, Ambassador Hull and Sheik al Ahmar discussed the upcoming parliamentary elections. They agreed on the importance of avoiding violence and on conducting free and fair elections in Yemen.
The meeting is part of a continuing effort of the U.S. Embassy in Sana'a to support democratic development in Yemen by maintaining contacts with Yemeni political leaders and by following developments in the election campaign.

The consultative meeting for tourism work was concluded last Monday in Taiz with an endorsement of the Tourist Establishments Classification Project.
The project is aimed at classifying the existing tourist related establishments in the country into standardized levels and to ensure that they comply with the international laws and regulations of tourism. This project is seen as a step in implementing tourism in Yemen and as a reference in solving any disputes that could take place in this sector.
Deputy at the ministry of tourism and environment Mr. Mohammed M. Qaflah said: "the Classification Project is one of the main new legislation, and we hope that implementing this project would help organize the tourist activities and help the investors confirm the required standards before engaging in creating their projects, and also the existing projects to improve their standards."
Dr.Amen Gizelan from the tourist and environment office in Ibb confirms that "this project presents an important step in the future of tourism and must be conducted according to international standards"Abdulqadir Al-Shaibani editing secretary of Tourist Yemen magazine sees that this is: "it is a serious step concerning all the tourist establishments and founding bases for hotel structure and maintenance." And he adds saying :" we have 435 hotels out of which only 360 clearly classified."

Grant aids amounts to USD 40,959
Japan supports health services

An agreement to provide medical equipment to public Health Office of Maharah Governorate was signed Wednesday between Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali Bin Afreer, Public Health Office of Maharah Governorate and H.E. Mr. Masamitsu Oki, Ambassador of Japan in Sana'a.
In accordance with this agreement, the government of Japan will extend a grant aid amounting up to USD 40,959 under the Japanese scheme called "General Grant Aid for Grassroots Projects". This grant will be used to procure some medical equipment required by Ghaidah General Hospital in Maharah Governorate such as X-ray Machine, Ultra sound equipment and Indogastroscope to provide better health services to the citizens in Maharah Governorate.
The grant also comes in recognition to the good administration of the hospital and its keenness to provide better medical services for the people in the Governorate of Maharah.
It is worth mentioning that the above-mentioned scheme aims at supporting small scale community-based projects in basic human need fields, such as primary health care, basic education and public welfare in developing countries, in addition to other social development fields.