In Brief [Archives:2008/1155/Local News]

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May 15 2008

TAIZ

– Workshop on management skills held in Taiz

A training workshop has began in Taiz province for training 18 employees of private sector in administration field.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Taiz Mufid Saeef said that the workshop that organized in cooperation with the World Bank aims to train the employees management and marketing skills.

– Parliament approves loan agreement to carry out Taiz flood protection project

The Parliament approved on its Sunday's session the loan agreement of funding Taiz Municipal Development and Flood Protection Project.

The loan agreement was signed between Yemen's government and International Development Association of the World Bank at sum of $20 million. The project aims at helping Taiz local government develop its capacity to carry out a major part of their responsibilities under the country's new Local Authorities Law, to protect city residents, businesses and infrastructure from seasonal destructive flash flooding, and initiate support for Yemen's decentralization program.

– IQCHR, IFES enlighten youth on human rights

Information and Qualification Center for Human Rights (IQCHR), in cooperation with International Foundation for Elections Systems (IFES), organizes on Tuesday enlightenment course for promoting human rights consciences among youth in Taiz University.

IQCHR's Executive Director Abdul-Qawi al-Ariqi told Saba that the course, which last for four days, aims at enlightening 20 young participants from different colleges of the university on civil rights and importance of social partnership.

He added that the course, which is the second the IQCHR carries out to young people in Taiz, includes lectures in fields of international law for human rights, youth social partnership, planning and strategic work, human communication, problem solving, human rights in times of peace and war and on voluntary work.

SANA'A

– Artifacts seized at checkpoint on road to Sana'a

The security forces have seized an ancient manuscript along with priceless copper artifacts, that date back hundreds of years, at the Yasleh checkpoint on the road to Sana'a from the eastern and southern provinces of Yemen.

The state-run 26sep.net quoted security sources as saying the manuscript piece is a book contains poems of one of the ancient Yemeni poets called Abdullah Bin Alwan from the city of Zabeed. The seized items included five copper plates and a thurible.

The Yemeni authorities arrested a French man, who woks for an oil company in the country, with 32 priceless artifacts for resale outside Yemen. These antiquities included a bronze statue and ancient currencies.

The French man was freed on bail and the antiquities were sent to the Archaeology College in the Sana'a University for analysis. The initial analysis showed that the seized artifacts with the man were fake except one and for this reason they have been re-examined.

Recently most of the Yemeni archaeological sites have suffered from looting and blundering operations and in response the authorities began to tighten security measures at the sites.

Yemen has many artifacts and most ancient antiquities predating the Sheba kingdom; however, the measures to protect its ancient antiquities wealth are falling short.

– Yemen to appoint four women as district managers

Local Administration Minister Abdul-Qater Hilal said that four women would be appointed in the positions of district managers in four provinces.

Hilal added that women managers of the four districts would be the first step to expand this policy in other provinces of the country, pointing that the appointments would be in the capital Sana'a and

Aden, Taiz, Hodeidah and Ibb provinces.

He affirmed this experiment aims at strengthening the effective participation of women in political and administrative life and decision-making positions, adding that this step would contribute to

arguing the society to accept woman's access to the post of governor in future.

– Court rules to execute four al-Houthi loyalists

The State Security Court ruled on Monday to execute four of the loyalists of the rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi charged with taking part in a gang to kill pro-government people.

The ruling is to be implemented on one of the four who is now in jail and deemed in absentia for the three others who are still at large.

The four were found guilty of hailing a car, at the district of Dahesh, with bullets killing major Ahmed Abdullah Fadhil and Ali Dhaif Allah Jaze Jamil and wounding two others.

The incident allegedly took place under the orders of the rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

The four were named as Ali Dhaif Allah Shaathan Muhawish (arrested), Mahdi Dhaif Allah Shaathan Muhawish, Hamdi Ali Shaathan and Salman Ahmed Hassan ( at large).

ADEN

– IFC delegation briefed on AFZ investment opportunities

A Delegation from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), affiliated to the World Bank, was introduced on Monday to the potential investment opportunities in the Aden Free Zone (AFZ).

The vice chairman of Yemen Free Zones Public Authority (YFZPA) the chairman of the AFZ Abdul Jalil al-Shu'aibi met with the IFC's delegation presided by the Executive Director of the WB in the U.S. Whitney Debevoise and briefed them also on the investment facilitations and merits including in the free zones law No. 4 for 1993.

Al-Shu'aibi asserted the AFZ's commitment to provide the appropriate environment for various kinds of investments that would serve the Yemen's interests.

DALE'

– Government bans drilling new water wells in Dale'

The government stressed in its cabinet meeting held on Tuesday on banning any new water well diggings or well deepening in Dale' governorate.

Earlier, the cabinet approved a draft law presented by minister of water and environment over defining water basin and protecting drinking water in Hajar area in the governorate and asserted on ministers of water and environment and agriculture and irrigation and Dale' governor to take all legal actions for implementing measures of protecting water resources.
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