SANAA, 10 Jul -- Director of the Social and Labor Office in the governorate of Hajja, Hitham al-Jabri Saturday told the government weekly, al-Wahda newspaper that 923 Yemeni children were smuggled into neighboring countries during the first half of 2010 including two girls younger than 18.  He said 30 child traffickers were arrested during the same period and referred to the prosecution office and later to the judiciary.  A recent Saudi study said that 3,500 Yemeni smuggled children are caught by Saudi authorities every month, adding “more than 100 thousand children are begging in the streets of the Kingdom, most of them from Yemen.”

SANAA, 06 Jul -- European Union Ambassador in Yemen, Michele Cervone d’Urso Tuesday said the EU delegation in Yemen “will work in the coming period to strengthen cooperation with the Yemeni government,” al-Masder Online said.  d’Urso who speaking at a press conference said “the EU’s priorities in Yemen at this stage are encouraging political dialogue, political and economic reforms, participating in mitigating the humanitarian suffering in Sadaa, cooperation in the human rights field, supporting development and security cooperation with the Yemeni government,” adding “the EU encourages political dialogue in the country,” and described President Saleh’s call for dialogue as “positive and important and I hope it will move forward.”

SANAA, 06 Jul -- According to a report by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, 365 mothers die in Yemen in every 100 thousand births at an annual average of 2,000 mortalities or 7 per day, the government official daily, al-Thawra said.  There are many reasons behind the high maternal mortality rate (MMR) in the country but five main reasons were quoted for 70 percent of MMRs: 22% are caused by bleeding, 8% by childbed fever, 14% by abortion and its complications, 11% by spasm and increased blood pressure while 8% are caused by dystocia.

AMRAN, 05 Jul -- Shiite rebel leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi Monday warned of a seventh round of war with the government forces saying “the regime is still insisting on the choice of war to satisfy foreign parties and meet the desires of war lords,” Marib Press reported.  He said “since the last aggression against us was halted, we have made clear our commitment to peace and stability and made positive field steps but the state declined to release our detainees despite the President’s amnesty on the eve of the national day,” adding “we urge the regime to seek peace.”

SANAA, 17 May -- Al-Qaeda military commander in Yemen Qasim al-Rimi said “by killing Jamil Naser Abdullah al-Ambari, Washington has given us 1,000 reasons to strike the US mainland.”  Jamil al-Ambri was killed in March by Yemeni forces and al-Rimi mourned in an audio message released on Monday al-Qaeda militant Naif Bin Muhammad al-Qahtani saying “al-Qahtani established the media arm of the network.”  It was the first time that AQAP admits the killing of Ambari, 25, who headed its cell in the southern province of Abyan and figured on a Yemeni government list of most wanted militants.  Al-Rimi said a second militant was killed with Ambari in an air raid in Abyan on March 15, naming him as Amin al-Maqalih.  In other news, the father of US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awalki Monday told the Saudi Akhad newspaper his son “is not protected by al-Qaeda but by his tribes,” adding “we reject al-Qaeda’s announcement it would protect my son.  He is protected by the men of al-Awalk for he is their son.”  Meanwhile, Sheik Farid Abu-Baker al-Awalki Monday said “Anwar al-Awalki is living in the district of al-Saed in Shabwa and our tribe supports his arrest because he is a threat to the interests of the Yemeni people.”

SANAA, 16 May -- President Ali Abdullah Saleh Sunday said “those who commit acts of violence, cut off roads and attack citizens are outlaws who harbor rancor against development and stability,” adding “those outlaws won’t escape punishment in front of justice and answering them is through more development and construction.”  The President who was speaking to a group of clerics, politicians and social dignitaries in the southern city of Taiz called on “citizens who are living in areas where outlaws exist to cooperate with security services so that they can chase and deter them,” adding “their acts harm the people of those regions, their history and struggle be them in Radfan or al-Dhala.”