Yemen 24: A Webblog about Yemen

By: Moneer Al-Omari Several warships and launches are deployed to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean under the pretext of fighting the Somali pirates and protecting commercial ships that pass by.  Piracy activities have long been a headache for international navigation in the Gulf of Aden, which is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and connects Asia and Europe.  Ships and tankers sailing through the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait, passes by the lawless Somalia, which has been without an effective central government for the last 17 years. This situation helped pirates to work freely off Somali shores and in the international waters.  The Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau has recorded over 60 attacks by pirates during this year, the last of which was capturing a Ukrainian ship boarding heavy military hardware and tanks said to be shipped to the government o...

By: Moneer Al-Omari Qat badly affects health; however, there has been no systematic study into the risks of Qat on health. It was revealed recently that Qat treated with pesticides is a key factor in the increased numbers of cancer in Yemen.  Specialists reveal that there are over 20,000 cases of cancer in Yemen and the number is on the increase. Again, they could not deny that Qat is directly connected with new diseases that were unknown before, partly because of using hazardous pesticides to make speedy growth of Qat leaves.  However, this report relates to the Qat economies and how it badly affects the country's economic plans and water reserves, especially when over seven million Yemenis chew Qat and the number increases rapidly. New numbers of women and children join the list of Qat chewers. It is estimated that one third of Yemenis chew Qat and spend, on average, six hours per day. Similarly, an...