Two major projects in Aden were inaugurated last week. The two projects were financed by the Government of Japan. The first is the Aden Telephone Network Expansion, which will cost 6,969 million yen (roughly US$ 56 million), will add 49,200 new telephone lines to the city, and will enhance performance of existing lines. The second project is the Upgrading of Broadcasting Equipment at Aden TV station which will cost 947 million yen (some US$ 7.6 million), and will improve the quality and increase the programs. 

The European Union has agreed to provide Yemen with 6.7 million Euro (about $7 m). The agreement signed in Brussels by Yemeni Ambassador Gazem Al-Aghbari, Ambassador, and Mr. Manuel Marin, Vice President of the European Commission, on May 10th. The money will go to support health sector reform. 
The EU is one of Yemen's major aid partners. 

The Yemeni Congregation for Reform Party (Islah), Taiz branch, held a conference on 19-20 May to discuss the problems of the party in Taiz. It then elected a new party leadership for Taiz. 

The Environmental Protection Council (EPC) plans to commemorate the 5th of June - the World's Environmental Day. For the same purpose, on June 4th, a television roundtable panel will bring a number of specialists and media personalities to discuss some pertinent local and international issues. 

Judge Mohammed Ali Luqman, wrote to President Ali Abdullah Saleh was subjected to a house siege by Officer Hameed Ad-Dahyani and twelve of his soldiers in Sanaa on 16th May. "They want to dictate the way I pass sentences or else," the judge said. The officer and his men were asked to please leave the judge alone by security forces summoned to the site. 

Prime Minister Abdul Karim Al-Iriani inaugurated on May 23 the "Media Pharm Yemen" which will go on till 26 at the Expo Center in Sanaa. Representatives of 150 local and foreign companies and agencies participate in the fair. 

Yemenia embarked on a comprehensive assessment program of local agents. This program also calls on the company to provide local agents with multi-purpose training and qualifying programs. 
Yemenia kicked off implementation of the program with a meeting with agents on Thursday May 20th 1999 at the Taj Sheba Hotel. Forty local agents attended the meeting, which focused on discussing the coming conference of Arab Ministers of Tourism due to beheld in Sanaa in mid June. The conference is an indicator of the rising government concern with tourism. "Yemenia, a key partner in the effort, is collaborating with the Interior and Foreign Ministries on reception procedures of the guests, and with the Ministry of Tourism on the program," said Captain Abdul-Khaleq Al-Qadhi, Chairman of the company. 

He called on the ticketing agents to effectively cooperate to make the event a success. The meeting also addressed a number of problems existing between the airline and the agents. The agents raised such issues as unequal payments of commissions, non-professionalism of some agents, and problems with reservations. Yemenia promised to look into those complaints. 
At the end of the meeting, the company officials and agents expressed satisfaction with what was achieved, and called for more meetings in the future. 

By Yusuf Sherif, Yemen Times 

"We are now looking into various designs to construct our embassy in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti authorities have assigned a plot of land, according to their specifications for this purpose," said Mr. Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. 
He also said that Mr. Abdullah Al-Mikhlafy is serving as a care-taker diplomat until an ambassador is appointed in the very near future.

Hosted at the Yemeni Cultural Center, the European Film Festival, 5-9/6/1999, promises to be a big social event. 
The films scheduled are: 
5 June: British: 24:7; 
6 June: Italian: The Wide Oak; 
7 June: German: Knocking on Heaven's Door; 
8 June: French: Western; 
9 June: Dutch: Amsterdamned 
This annual event has proven to be extremely successful among the local population. The film-shows are open to the general public.