Yemen 24: A Webblog about Yemen

By: Moneer Al-Omari As early as July, thousands of scholars held a grand gathering in Sana'a and aimed at promoting and establishing an authority for protecting virtue and combating vice in Yemen after they felt that virtue and morals were in danger. They authority was named Virtue Promotion and Vice Prohibition Authority.  Announcing the establishment of the authority was widely criticized by thinkers, journalists, intellectuals and women, especially when they considered this authority to be a watchdog on people. What is of concern here is the unhappiness of women.  Further, Parliament, on August 18, rejected a bill of controversial amendments to the election law, underscoring escalating tension between the ruling party – the General People Congress and opposition parties represented in Joint Meeting Parties (JMP). Women unsatisfied This attitude by the Virtue Authority and the disagreement am...

By: Moneer Al-Omari Prices of food staples in Yemen have increased over the last two years 40 percent more than  the international level increase, and these increases have overshadowed the lives of poor and limited-income citizens, according to a recent study. Statistics of the Central Statistics Organization for the period stretching between September 2006 (the time of the Presidential elections) and December 2007, surprisingly shows that there has been no change in the price of bread, while it is generally known that the bread loaf price doubled, as the loaf of bread became half in size of what it used to be in that period.  Months later, the price increased even more, while making the bread’s size bigger for the meantime. A loaf of bread bought in the past for YR 10 is bought now for YR 20 and fixed rates were assigned by the Ministry of Trade and Industry as for the weight and the price of bread in the c...