SANAA, 11 Jul -- The opposition alliance, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) Sunday denounced the announcement of the General Peoples Congress (GPC) it was entering the next parliamentary elections alone and without the opposition.  A statement by the JMP said “this takes us back again to the zero point,” and “illustrates the flagrant breach of the February agreement signed with the GPC,” and described the announcement as “hasty and irresponsible,” adding “the regime is systematically trying to mix up the cards and hold the JMP responsible for its measures that hindered the implementation of the February agreement.”  “The regime and its ruling party are responsible for this gamble which holds the nation’s future hostage and drives it into the unknown,” added the opposition’s statement.

SANAA, 03 July -- In a paper entitled: “Human Security and Development in Yemen,” presented during a seminar organized on Saturday by the Yemeni Center for Historical Studies and Future Strategies, Sanaa University teacher Dr. Abdul-Malik al-Dari said “a number of security challenges over the past two decades have had negative impacts on the economic, social, political and cultural development in the country,” adding “the summer civil war of 1994 cost the national economy $17.0 billion dollars, slowed economic growth to 1.4 percent and caused inflation to skyrocket to 77 percent.”

ABYAN, 15 May -- During a visit to the southern region of Abyan, President Ali Abdullah Saleh Saturday called on the local authority to “endure along with the executive office in Abyan in facing the anti-unity forces,” stressing “endurance is not merely during military and security operations in mountainous regions but endurance is to face anti-unity forces culturally, politically and socially,” the state official Saba news agency reported.  “We are confident that our great people all over the country including in Abyan will face the southern movement and the culture of hate,” he said, adding “as far as I know, Abyan with all of its social and political slices are the security valve of the national unity,” and “there are a few individuals who have no effect but only harm the reputation of the people of Abyan however the majority of people are soldiers for the unity, development and stability.”  He urged local authority officials in the area to “bear their responsibility, exhibit self-esteem and not imitate weak-souled officials in Abyan and in other areas,” and called on “irresponsible officials,” to resign.  He appealed to people in Abyan to “endure, move forward, hold accountable those who hurt you, and those who cut roads and hijack trucks.”  “Those who talk in the media about just distribution of wealth, we ask them: Where is that wealth so that we can distribute it?

SANAA, 08 Dec -- Sanaa Penal Court Tuesday sentenced three al-Qaeda suspects to jail terms between four and seven years on charges of plots to target government and foreign facilities.  The court sentenced Osama Muhsen al-Saedi to seven years, Usam Ali Ghillan to four years and Monir Hassan al-Boni to four and a half years.