SANAA, 30 Jul -- As the battered riyal continued to plunge to a record low of 243 for a single U.S. dollar on Friday, prices of basic commodities surged.  The drooping riyal has been on a slide against major currencies for the past three weeks as import demand ahead of Ramadan soared amid reports most retail shops have increased prices by more than 10 percent over the weekend.  The plummet has been more dramatic in some areas and the parallel exchange rate of $1.0 was 237.0 at the beginning of the month now it is 243.  The impact is being felt by the ordinary man in the street as goods and services are being priced according to rate speculations and consumers are facing higher prices for imported goods.

Armed members of the separatist Southern Movements take positions during clashes with security forces in the southern town of al-Habileen May 30, 2010. ADEN, 09 Jul -- A third power station in southern Yemen caught fire on Thursday just days after two others were engulfed in flames, Marib Press said.  Local sources said al-Hasoua power station in Aden caught fire causing blackouts in large parts of the city and sparking protests in the crowded neighbourhood of Kriter.  Sources said the fire was caused by an explosion but the power station manager, Muhsen Saed Thabet blamed what he said “a flaw in the connection between al-Hasoua thermal station and al-Mansoura station.”

Two convicted al-Qaida militants 23 years old Mubarak el-Shabawni, left and 18 years old Mansour Salem attend their trial session in a court house in San'a, Yemen, Wednesday, July 7, 2010 MARIB, 09 Jul -- Two days after Sanaa security court sentenced two al-Qaeda members of al-Shabwan tribes in Marib to death for killing eight soldiers and a civilian last year, fellow clan members attempted to blow up a section of the oil pipeline passing through al-Shabwan region in Marib, al-Masder Online said.  The ministry of interior said in a statement on its website “gunmen of al-Shabwan tribes excavated under the pipeline in Kilometer-48 in a bid to damage it but their attempt failed after security members tasked with protecting the pipeline forced them to flee,” adding “the pipeline was not damaged and the technicians put it back in place,” and vowed to “hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

SANAA, 01 June -- The Political Security Organization (PSO) arrested an Australian woman on May 16, a statement by Yemen’s Committee for Defending Human Rights and Freedoms (Hood) said.  The woman, Shyloh Giddins and her children were placed under house arrested on May 14 and their passports were confiscated.  She is being held on undefined charges after the cancellation of her Australian passport by Australian authorities amid reports she was arrested on terror charges.  The Australian Foreign Affairs Department said it has not been told what charges the woman faces or how long she is likely to be detained.  An Australian spokeswoman said consular officials have asked that her case be expedited because of concern about the welfare of her children.  The woman is believed to be from Sydney and she moved from Bankstown to Yemen in 2006 after converting to Islam.  An Ethiopian female friend of Giddins is now looking after the children, Omar 7 and Ameena, 5.

SANAA, 11 May -- A soldier was killed on Tuesday morning and three bystanders were wounded when gunmen trying to free accused arms dealer, Faris Manna fired on a convoy ferrying him from jail to a court in Sanaa, News Yemen said.  The gunmen stationed atop a 3-storey building and started opening fire at the convoy in a bid to free him.  Heavy security reinforcements were sent to the scene and helicopters hovered in the air to monitor the situation amid reports dozens of Manna’s supporters were rounded up.  Manna who led a government-sponsored negotiation committee with the Shiite rebels in north Yemen is in custody on charges of supplying the rebels with weapons and ammunition.  The court extended his detention for 25 days.  Meanwhile, witnesses said heavy gunfight erupted later on Tuesday outside the home of Manna’s brother and former governor of Sadaa, Hassan Manna.  The fight broke out as security laid siege to Manna’s home located in al-Hasba area demanding the hand over of several wanted suspects.

Abdul-Wahab Mahmoud (C), head of the supreme council of Yemen's main opposition group, the Joint Meeting Parties, addresses a news conference in Sanaa May 3, 2010 SANAA, 04 May -- An official at the secretarial of the ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) Tuesday mocked the leaders of the opposition Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) saying “their vain and repetitive press conferences benefit no one and infects followers with boredom and dullness,” adding “it is unfortunate but the JMP leaders went bankrupt and no longer think about their responsibilities or show respect for the constitution and law,” the GPC’s website, al-Motamar reported.  The official who was not identified said “everyone knows that it is the JMP that never respected any agreement and only use them to waste time so that it can create crises to harm the nation and make a living out of that,” adding “a number of sessions were held following the February agreement in a bid to come up with a mechanism to implement it but the leaders of the JMP continued to place obstacles and impossible conditions for the implementation.”  He accused the JMP of “seeking to hinder the upcoming parliamentary elections and push the country into a constitutional void,” adding “the JMP flatly lied when it said that the issue of releasing detainees is hindering the dialogue because GPC Assistant Secretary, Sultan al-Barakani told JMP chief, Abdul-Wahab Mahmoud that he would set up a meeting with the President to address this issue and get back to him.”  “It is our conviction, and the conviction of observers, and friends that the JMP is seeking to hamper out the parliamentary elections.”

SANAA, 11 March -- The United Nations (UN) said on Friday millions of Yemenis are starving while the international community is focusing on security issues and chasing al-Qaeda, News Yemen website reported.  The UN said vital deliveries of food and assistance have been cut due to a near-total absence of funding.

Deputy Prime Minister for economy, planning and international cooperation, Abdul-Karim al-Arhabi speaks to reporters in Riyadh February 27, 2010 SANAA, 02 March -- In a news statement, the Studies and Economic Press Center Tuesday expressed disappointment at the outcome of the conference held in the Saudi capital between Yemen and regional and international donors.  The meeting was held to review Yemen’s development needs and the center’s statement said “the fact that the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) declined to attend the meeting, the absence of higher representations from the Gulf and donor countries and the lack of a final communique from the conference made its results less than expected,” adding “postponing the discussion of Yemen’s request for $40.0 billion dollars until the next meeting of Yemen’s friends is a clear indication of the government’s inability to convince the donors, especially the GCC states, of the importance of more efforts and funds to support Yemen’s development process.”  The statement said the Yemeni government has made a number of proposals and alternatives for utilizing donor aid.

NEW YORK, 21 Dec -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) Monday demanded in a 53-page report the Yemeni government stops systematically arresting Ethiopian asylum seekers and forcibly returning them to Ethiopia, the independent website, Marib Press said.  The report called on the United Nations refugee agency to do more to press the Yemeni government to meet its obligations toward all asylum seekers and refugees saying “the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

KUWAIT, 13 Dec -- Foreign Minister Abu-Baker al-Qirbi Sunday said in a press conference in Kuwait that “some in Kuwait, Saudi and Bahrain are providing aid to the Houthis in north Yemen,” adding “we are not directly accusing

SANAA, 04 Dec -- A Spanish online newspaper Friday said Moroccan special forces trained on guerilla warfare are helping Saudi soldiers fight Yemeni Shiite insurgents.  Morocco has recently cut off diplomatic ties with Iran which is accused of arming the Houthi rebels in north Yemen and the paper quoted western intelligence sources as saying “Moroccan King Muhammad the Sixth has answered a call by Saudi King Abdullah for Moroccan forces,” adding “it is not surprising that Morocco has sent its elite forces to help Riyadh face the Tehran-backed Shiite expansion as Jordan has sent 2,000 of its special forces.”  The Spanish paper said “Saudi Arabia has the best modern military equipment but its soldiers lack training and determination to face the Houthi rebels,” adding “President Ali Abdullah Saleh is facing a fierce war without any help from the West which is accusing his regime of leniency in combating al-Qaeda network.”  The independent website, Almasder said “the Moroccan and Jordanian assistance shows the weak moral of the Saudi army which has grown accustomed to asking foreigners to fight its battles.”