Three key ministers were sent on a three-day courting mission to Marib on Sunday, 28th of February, 1999. Mr. Hussain Arab, Minister of Interior, Mr. Mohammed Dhaifallah, Minister of Defence, and Mr. Mohammed Al-Khadim Al-Wajeeh, Minister of Oil, were in Marib in order to assess the needs of the people of Marib, Al-Jawf and Shabwah.
The group is to be joined today by Staff- Lt-Colonel Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, the regime's strongman.
The idea is to pacify the tribesmen of these regions by paying attention to their development needs. This is a wise step on the part of the authorities to bring more security and safety to the nation.

 

The Minister of Information has issued a decree to outlaw the issuance of Al-Shoura newspaper, mouthpiece of Ittihad Al-Qiwa Al-Sha'abiyah (Federation of Popular Forces). The reason quoted in the minister's decision was that there were two parties issuing the same newspaper under the same name.
"Until they agree, both have to stop coming out."
But that logic, the genuine group in the party complains, is an excuse to put their newspaper out of business. They further accuse the state of having masterminded and financed the issuance of the twin copy.
The editor of the real McCoy, Mr. Noman Kaied Saif, had been imprisoned by the authorities and was later released.

 

Mr. Showqi Abdul-Raqeeb Al-Qadhi is back in prison. The pastor of a mosque in Taiz, had been in the Political Security Organization's prison for three days last week, and was later released. He is now back in prison for criticizing the regime.
To add insult to injury, Showqi was actually kidnapped by three armed but unidentified men who were later found to work for the PSO.

 

Mr. Mohammed Al-Maqaleh, the well-known opposition columnist told the Yemen Times that an officer who works for the Political Security Organization (PSO) approached his family and left behind threats on the writer's life. "The man identified himself, and said that Mr. Al-Maqaleh will be eliminated in a well-planned car accident," he reported.

 

On Monday, February 22nd, the Henry Navigator, arrived at Saleef Harbor, carrying the second shipment of the equipment for the silos, milling plants, and other parts of the factory of the Yemen International Food Industries Company, an affiliate of the Al-Haj Ali Habbari & Sons Group of Companies.
The ship was carrying 436 containers and other large boxes in which many parts of the plant were packed. These include suction equipment, milling parts, and the bagging plant. All the machines were shipped by the German company Buhler.
An earlier shipment of 196 containers had brought the first shipment of the plant. The final shipment of the plant parts will arrive next April.

On February 16th, 1999, Mr. Yahia Ali Al-Habbari, Chairman, had signed a contract with the Arab Contractors National Company for ground levelling and civil engineering works on the site of the project, which takes up 173,600 square meters.
"We expect civil engineering work to be completed by December this year," disclosed Mr. Yahia Al-Habbari.
This giant project, located at Al-Salif Port, 62 kilometers north of Hodeidah, is expected to increase the food reserves and storage capacity of the Republic of Yemen.

 

A number of journalists are involved in a frenzied search for solutions to their predicament. The Journalists' Syndicate is in a fix, because of the inability of journalists to agree to hold their conference. Some are demanding corrective measures, since that there were major violations of the charter of the syndicate. This is because some parties are trying to control the syndicate.
As a result, a group is trying to create an alternative syndicate, free from the control of the ruling or opposition politicians.

 

The government is planning to phase out the final parts of the subsidy removal within the framework of the reform program which seeks to eliminate price distortions in the Yemen market. The two products to undergo price hikes as a result are diesel and wheat - both with far reaching impacts on the cost of living among the people.
Many observers believe these actions could lead to violence. Hence the desire of the state to introduce the measures over the Eid holidays, in one month.

 

On Saturday the 27th of Feb. The inauguration of the National Workshop for Information and Education on Population Growth took place. The workshop will continue to run until March 4th.
Yemen's population has a 3.7% annual growth rate and is expected to double in size every 19 years. Fertility levels are amongst the highest in the world, with 7-8 births per women, even though child mortality and deaths while giving birth are extremely high.

 

Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Soufan, Minister of Development and Planning, yesterday morning inaugurated, the Al-Jazeera Information Technology & Communication Exhibition 99, sponsored by Apollo.

The exhibition is taking place at the Expo exhibition center. The Expo exhibition center, which is the largest in the whole republic, is provided with facilities and enhancements that can match international standards.
28 company agents for 80 international specialized brand marks in Information Technology are participating in the exhibition, which will continue till the 4th of March 1999.

Mr. Tawfiq Al-Nihmi, the General Manager of Apollo International Exhibition Company, indicated that his company aims to make exhibitions like this one (JETCOM99) an annual event. He also mentioned that the exhibition will demonstrate the latest information technologies available today, especially now that the world is witnessing a boom in the fields of software and hardware. He also stressed that the exhibition is also expected to include the latest networking technologies for video conferencing, which will be shown for the first time ever in Yemen. Mr. Tawfiq concluded that this exhibition will be a milestone in the technology and exhibition businesses in Yemen, and will help Yemen prepare its technology for the next millennium.

Expo Center is considered the first exhibition center in the country to enable company agents to demonstrate their products through seminars. As a matter of fact, JETCOM99 will include a number of lectures and seminars, which will explain some company products and services along with universal technology problems such as the Y2K.

It is worth mentioning that Expo Center will continue to launch many other exhibitions aiming to revive the business movement in Yemen, and to introduce the latest various products to the Yemen public. This also is aimed at showing the world that the developments in Yemen are quite promising and the situation is stable in all aspects.
Future exhibitions planned to be held at the Apollo Expo Center include the International Health Exhibition for Medicine and Medical Equipment from 23rd to the 26th of May 1999, plus other international exhibitions.