Round up
IOL: Yemen fires the governor of Sa’ada Hassan Manna after he says in an interview that his brother Faris’s arms sales were well within Yemeni legal guidelines. And considering that for years Faris Manna pushed an incredible amount of weapons all over the region, to the benefit of several top level Yemeni officials, it would seem so.
Saba: Hundreds of African have obtained Yemen IDs fraudulently, may impact elections. No mention of the hundreds of terrorists convicted of document fraud over the last years. There is no legal sanction for jihad abroad, so when terrorists are snagged overseas, they all get three years for fake IDs.
WaPo: AQAP calls for blockade of Red Sea by Somali and Yemeni al Qaeda, and a regional jihad. Oct 2008, AQ spokesman said an event near Somalia would preceed an attack on the US. While on the topic, we should note that AQAP repeatedly published statements on the use of unconventional weapons against the US.
Guardian : Can the Gulf States Help Yemen? Not that much.
CNN: Yemen obstructs Houthi peace initiative. (The three prior negotiated settlements failed when the military broke the peace accords.) Khaleej: Saudis increase airstrikes. al Motamar Yahya al Houthi sentenced to 15 years for, among other things, “broadcasting prejudiced news for disturbing the public peace and security.”
CBS Abulmatallab and Anwar Awlaki agree they met. Awlaki says the Nigerian was his student but he didn’t issue a fatwa authorizing the Christmas day attack. Do they need a new fatwa? I think there’s several in play already.
Bernama: Experts note growing piracy threat. All fail to note donor aid toYemeni CG diverted to private sector with approval of Yemen govt.
Gulf Times: UN cuts food aid to starving children due to lack of funding as US and EU increase military support. Refugees sell food aid to pay rent.
Buffalo News: Yemeni-American FBI most wanted Jaber Elbaneh back in custody. Words fail me.
Yemen Times: 46% of girls never start school or drop out after fourth grade.
Al Motamar: Yemen and Syria cozy. One of the Yemen’s more interesting foreign alliances and illegal trading partners.
