The Empty Quarter

Traveled to the U.S. with his mother in 1995. Recruited by an ‘Amr Muhsen Hassan al-Mahfli al-Raimi. He was previously wanted and was included in Yemen’s 161 most wanted list…

Al-Ayyam is reporting on the name confusion of the suicide bomber that killed four Korean tourists and their Yemeni guide last Sunday. Apparently, the bomber had a fake I.D. on him…

The United Jewish Communities is working with the US State Department, local federations and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society to implement the evacuation and help finance the $800,000 expense of absorbing the 110 Yemenite Jews, who represent more than a third of the roughly 280-strong community…

Sixteen suspected members of an Al-Qaeda cell on trial in Yemen said they have started a hunger strike in protest at being tortured and refused to talk at a court hearing on Tuesday…

HEAVILY UPDATED: Another suicide bomber has struck in Yemen near Sana’a airport. This time, it appears that the Korean delegation headed by the korean ambassador was the target. The bomber blew himself up as the delegation convoy passed en route to the airport. Apparently, a car window was smashed but nobody was injured…

Korean news has been running video of the bombing site in Shibam, Hadramout. It is somewhat gruesome, as it shows a burned blood-stained spot – but not too bad. The report also shows victims returning to South Korea…

A security source at the Ministry of Interior has told al-Hayat that Yemeni security forces are tracking 50 Saudis spread throughout Yemen. The source told the paper that the names will be submitted to Interpol…

UPDATED: He asked to pose with the Koreans before blasting his body parts over a kilometer away. A witness at the scene says that the boy, who was high on qat, was with an older man in his 40s. News Yemen has also published the names of the victims…

The U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan is in Sana’a where he met with President Saleh over the fate of Yemen’s Guantanamo detainees. Thus far, Yemeni press has reported the meeting as part of a “continuing dialogue” on the matter, although the reality of the U.S. position – the hesitancy to repatriate many Yemeni detainees – has now come out…

UPDATED: The bombing that killed four South Korean tourists and a Yemeni guide in south-eastern Yemen on Sunday was a suicide attack by a young al-Qaeda operative, security sources said on Monday…

Security forces captured Saudi national Abdullah al-Harbi, named on the lists of Saudi Arabia’s 85 and Yemen’s 116 most wanted, in the governorate of Taiz on Sunday, March 15. Over the past few days a number of al-Qaeda operatives apparently surrendered to security forces in Abyan as well…

In Yemen’s region of Marib, capital of the mythical kingdom of the Queen of Sheba, the followers of Al-Qaeda might well outnumber tourists these days…

The strike is entering into its second day. Ten people were arrested in Aden for inciting a strike and disrupting the public interest. The leader of the movement called for their release and denied reports that an agreement with the government has been reached…

Al-Watan’s sources expect the announcement to include at least ten new ministers to take positions in the ministries of education, local government, transport, health, industry, sports, social affairs and endowments, the civil service and interior…

UPDATED: The international community should work with Yemen to stop its people supplying Somali pirates who are disrupting lucrative international shipping routes, a senior U.S. admiral said on Monday…

…The EU ambassadors have affirmed their understanding of the decision of the two-year extension of the parliament term and postponement of the elections. They also affirmed their countries continuation in supporting the approach of democracy and success of its course as well as the support for all economic and political aspects of it…

Yemen Online is saying that mediation has succeeded in ending the clashes that were reported yesterday. I am still looking for confirmation of this…

The al-Houthi’s have taken control of a mountain and battled with security forces for 20 hours…it seems to me this may now be the sixth outbreak in everything but name only…

Asharq al-Awsat has put together a good update on the current status of the child marriage debate in Yemen. MP Abdul Bari Dogheish, a GPC representative from Dar Sa’d, Aden, says he thinks it is unlikely that the law will be revisited…

UPDATED: Speaking with his students at al-Iman University, the famous sheikh said that the international court’s decision to arrest al-Bashir was an international plot to colonize the Sudan for its oil reserves in the Darfur region…

Traveled to the U.S. with his mother in 1995. Recruited by an ‘Amr Muhsen Hassan al-Mahfli al-Raimi. He was previously wanted and was included in Yemen’s 161 most wanted list…

Yemen’s top terror buster, Interior Minister Mutahar Rashad al-Masri has publicly denounce Yemeni judges for being lenient on terrorists. It should be noted that the call for harsher punishment comes after a judge ordered investigation of the treatment of members of an accused al-Qaeda cell who complained of torture by security agencies…

This Korean news report has a pretty cool computer generated re-enactment of of the bombing. You get a really good idea of how it was carried out…

UPDATED

Korean news has been running video of the bombing site in Shibam, Hadramout. It is somewhat gruesome, as it shows a burned blood-stained spot – but not too bad. The report also shows victims returning to South Korea…

Strange that the name changed. Perhaps the ID card found was not that of the bomber. It is also unclear whether this article is saying the bomber was a Somali immigrant or Yemeni…

The U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan is in Sana’a where he met with President Saleh over the fate of Yemen’s Guantanamo detainees. Thus far, Yemeni press has reported the meeting as part of a “continuing dialogue” on the matter, although the reality of the U.S. position – the hesitancy to repatriate many Yemeni detainees – has now come out…

News reports have it that the U.S. is considering releasing Yemeni detainees at Gitmo to Saudi Arabia instead of Yemen. Although not here, I have argued in the past that this is most likely what the U.S. would end up doing with that class of prisoners it doesn’t want to see returned into Yemen’s general population right away – which will be ALL returnees to Yemen…

UPDATED: What seems to be known: Four South Korean tourists, two men and two women, were killed after a bombing incident around sunset Sunday evening in the area of Shibam in the governorate of Hadhramout. Information beyond those details seems to be mixed between reports…

The Yemeni government are taking precautionary measures to confront any Israeli attempt to transfer the remaining Yemen Jews to Israel, in particular after one of the Yemeni-Jewish family was transferred to Israel last month, sources reported to Nabanews…

Yemen’s Ministry of Interior released the names and pictures of the country’s 116 most wanted. The ministry has asked for increased vigilance and caution in the capture of those on the list…

Al-Houthi gave a statement warning the government that ” If you plan a new attack, your loss and defeat will be much greater than ever.” He criticized American forces in the Gulf and Red Sea, saying that the “fleets do not scare us, and we are prepared for confrontation at home and abroad”…

Sort of. We have confirmation that a mediation effort has taken place – although no report of success like in the Yemen Online article. Sort of. We have confirmation that a mediation effort has taken place – although no report of success like in the Yemen Online article…

Saudi authorities say they have broken up four big drug smuggling operations and arrested 35 suspected drug dealers. Security forces seized more than 1,760kg of cannabis resin and more than 3m amphetamine tablets in raids across the country, officials said…

The report indicates a lack of accord among the parties which sought to cast doubt from the onset about the impartiality and independence of the Supreme Commission for Elections and Referenda (SCER) given the process by which it was established and the composition of its members…

The source says the government is considering the ban on Mawlid celebrations “in order to preserve the safety and lives of the people in the areas within the governorate of Sa’dah”…

UPDATED: Speaking with his students at al-Iman University, the famous sheikh said that the international court’s decision to arrest al-Bashir was an international plot to colonize the Sudan for its oil reserves in the Darfur region…

An official source at the General Secretariat of the General People’s Congress GPC on Wednesday expressed surprise over a statement made by deputy spokesman for the US State Department on the agreement reached by all political forces in Yemen on a two-year extension of Yemeni parliament tenure…

The Public Prosecution is interrogating MS who was arrested by police for luring and recruiting youths to fight Jihad against the foreign forces in Afghanistan, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting knowledgeable security sources…

So, I was reading an article today about the recent fiasco over the Marine One specs found on a P2P network source in Iran, when I came across this statement by the President of the company that made the discovery:…

A security source at the Ministry of Interior has told al-Hayat that Yemeni security forces are tracking 50 Saudis spread throughout Yemen. The source told the paper that the names will be submitted to Interpol…

Security forces captured Saudi national Abdullah al-Harbi, named on the lists of Saudi Arabia’s 85 and Yemen’s 116 most wanted, in the governorate of Taiz on Sunday, March 15. Over the past few days a number of al-Qaeda operatives apparently surrendered to security forces in Abyan as well…

I heard a really interesting report on PRI’s The World program today on NPR discussing the state of Saudi literature and novels. Apparently there has been quite a boom lately. Really worth a listen…

al-Ghad has it from “reliable sources” that a one-year truce has been agreed upon by the Yemeni government and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQ-AP) and its leader ‘Abu Basir’ Nasser al-Wahayshi. The agreement was apparently reached via the government’s jihadist middleman Tariq al-Fadhli…

In three parts with subtitles…

Abu Nasar Al-Haweshi from Yemen has been nominated as Al-Qaeda’s leader for Gulf Region, TheNation learnt through highly-placed reliable sources on Sunday…

This really needs some confirmation – there is a whole lot here that just doesn’t add up…

A spokesman for the Saudi Interior ministry has denied reports that seven Saudi terrorism suspects were arrested in Yemen who received trainings in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Major General Mansour al-Turkey said Yemeni officials had told him the reports were untrue…

Ali Jaber al-Shihri has made a public plea to his son, Sa’id Ali al-Shihri, to hand himself in and return to the homeland. The appeal comes following the recent return of al-Qaeda Field Commander Mohammad al-Awfi…

NUCLEAR power is the best option for the Gulf states to meet their growing energy demands, but the key is to produce it collectively, experts said yesterday…

Dr. Ghais Bin Abdul Lateef Aal Al-Sheikh, member of the Council of Senior Ulema, has praised restructuring of the body ordered by King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. He described it as a step to “eliminating loopholes and the issuing of fatwas (religious edicts) by unauthorized people”…

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula denied in an audio recording – published on Medad Al-soyoof Network – the news circulated by some agencies that the Field Commander of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Mohammed Al-Awafi turned himself in to Yemeni security authorities…

Saudi Arabia’s education is going through an important phase in its history as a result of the reforms introduced by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, to improve the country’s educational standard matching with its position in the comity of nations, the new education minister said…

Yemeni security forces have arrested a Saudi national of Yemeni origin and his father in the city of Ibb, al-Watan reports. The wife apparently got away…strange…

As posted yesterday, King Abdullah has decided to bring more diversity to the council of religious scholars. Various newspapers have been reporting on a few of the additions, including a couple from the Malaki madhab like Qays “as-Sheikh” Mubarak…

History was made yesterday with the appointment by royal decree of a Saudi woman, Nora bint Abdullah Al-Fayez, as the deputy education minister for girls’ affairs…

Evan Kohlmann has put together the profiles of all 11 of the known al-Qaeda recidivists that graduated from the Saudi rehabilitation program after being released from Guantanamo. The report makes the case that al-Qaeda setbacks in the Kingdom are a result of failed leadership within the organization more than Saudi security successes as touted…

General Mansour Al-Turki, the security spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of the Interior revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that a number of those included on the most wanted list of 85 suspected of having links to Al Qaeda were not under any security surveillance prior to their flight from Saudi Arabian territory.

UPDATED: Yemeni border guards apprehended 32 people suspected of being linked to the newly formed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula group. The arrest comes after the release by Saudi Arabia a list of 85 individuals wanted by the state, and after a mass mobilization of Yemeni forces to the border region…

With the issuance of a list of 85 most wanted on charges of affiliation to Al Qaeda and planning to carry out acts of aggression against Saudi Arabia and Jordan by the Saudi Ministry of Interior, an interesting observation has emerged which is that the most prominent geographical regions that those on the list are located in are Yemen and Iran.

According to the sources that spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of Anonymity, the terrorist organization list of targets include oil facilities, security headquarters, government buildings, as well as the assassination of senior officials and high-ranking members of the kingdom’s security forces.

The question still remains whether the Emir wishes to abide by the constitution or abrogate it with the rumored two-year suspension. Al-Sabah has few legal options. Basically, he must choose new elections (and hope for a change in parliament), choose a new cabinet, or both…

As deputy CEO of Dubai Media and the youngest member of the United Arab Emirates parliament, Najla Al-Awadhi has quickly risen to prime leadership positions in a society that is still largely male-dominated…

Qaradawi is the most recent personality to add his name to the dogpile of support that has been collecting in the Arab world in support of al-Bashir. Ayman Nour, on the other hand recently published a cutting criticism of the Arab support, and Egyptian support in particular…

The Public Prosecution is interrogating MS who was arrested by police for luring and recruiting youths to fight Jihad against the foreign forces in Afghanistan, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting knowledgeable security sources…

A decree by Kuwait’s amir to dissolve parliament and call new elections is imminent, a lawmaker said on Wednesday amid the latest political crisis to hit the Gulf state in a year. ‘A decree to dissolve the national assembly is ready and will be issued any moment,’ independent MP Saadun Hammad told reporters outside parliament…

A top official at the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has slammed a report of the US Department of State on Qatar’s record in human rights as “politicised” and “full of wrong information”. NHRC secretary general Ali al-Marri said the report has ignored the progress made by Qatar on its human rights record…

Abu Nasar Al-Haweshi from Yemen has been nominated as Al-Qaeda’s leader for Gulf Region, TheNation learnt through highly-placed reliable sources on Sunday…

This really needs some confirmation – there is a whole lot here that just doesn’t add up…

More than 1,500 Bahrainis took to the streets on Friday demanding the release of Shiite opposition activists who are due to stand trial next week for plotting to overthrow the Sunni government…

NUCLEAR power is the best option for the Gulf states to meet their growing energy demands, but the key is to produce it collectively, experts said yesterday…

Gulf Arab states are beginning to worry that any U.S. rapprochement with Iran could ultimately lead to their worst nightmare — a nuclear-armed, non-Arab, Shi’ite Muslim superpower in their neighborhood…

The surprise that came with the most recent list of 85 came with regards the 50th name on the list; the journalist Obaida Abdul-Rahman Al Otaibi. The Saudi Ministry of the Interior statement revealed that Obaida Abdul-Rahman Al-Otaibi had left Saudi Arabia for the UAE in 2005, but that there was no information with regards to his current whereabouts…

New Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah took the oath in the National Assembly yesterday amid protests by a number of MPs who objected to his appointment.

The draft media law passed by the Federal National Council (FNC) was criticised for its shortcomings by media professionals on Sunday, but a senior minister said it would encourage freedom of speech and protect journalists.

Bahrain intends to push ahead with plans to buy gas from Iran, despite the concerns of the US, an important ally for the small Gulf kingdom, senior officials say.

The Islamic finance system, which introduces greater discipline into the economy and links credit expansion to the growth of the real economy, is capable of minimizing the severity and frequency of financial crises, says Umer Chapra, a well-known Saudi economist and winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies.

The UAE Finance Ministry has injected a first tranche of AED25 billion ($6.81 billion) to boost the liquidity and capital of the banking system. Separately the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority is reported to have made up to $3 billion in the form of riyal and dollar deposits with banks in Saudi Arabia.

A Nova Scotia woman detained in Dubai for three weeks expects that she’ll be free to leave today.
During what was supposed to be a 15-hour layover in Dubai, the 34-year-old Sydney woman was arrested at the airport for disrespecting a security official and charged with being drunk and disorderly.

What can I say? I’m not really surprised.

Jordan maintains gender-equality standing on international index
Jordan Times - 11/11/2007
AMMAN - Jordan continues to hold its spot in the 2007 Global Gender Gap Index, which measures equality between men and women, ranking 104 among 128 countries included in the survey.
Although the Kingdom’s position remained the same as last [...]

 
Abdel Aziz Saqr, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center, like’s Saleh’s proposals. He says they’re a “step in the right direction toward promoting democratic practices.”

 اعتبر رئيس مركز الخليج للأبحاث عبد العزيز بن عثمان بن صقر مبادرة الرئيس علي عبد الله صالح رئيس الجمهورية -الأخيرة - والتي تضمنت مقترحات هامة لتعديلات دستورية حيوية ، بأنها “تمثل [...]

So, whether I was right about this being a bogus story only meant to fluster Iran remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the story has touched a nerve with Tehran enough to elicit comments on the report by A-jad. Well done Debka. it is worth noting that A-jad calls BS on the story too, although he has his [...]

Traveled to the U.S. with his mother in 1995. Recruited by an ‘Amr Muhsen Hassan al-Mahfli al-Raimi. He was previously wanted and was included in Yemen’s 161 most wanted list…

Yemen’s top terror buster, Interior Minister Mutahar Rashad al-Masri has publicly denounce Yemeni judges for being lenient on terrorists. It should be noted that the call for harsher punishment comes after a judge ordered investigation of the treatment of members of an accused al-Qaeda cell who complained of torture by security agencies…

Sixteen suspected members of an Al-Qaeda cell on trial in Yemen said they have started a hunger strike in protest at being tortured and refused to talk at a court hearing on Tuesday…

HEAVILY UPDATED: Another suicide bomber has struck in Yemen near Sana’a airport. This time, it appears that the Korean delegation headed by the korean ambassador was the target. The bomber blew himself up as the delegation convoy passed en route to the airport. Apparently, a car window was smashed but nobody was injured…

A security source at the Ministry of Interior has told al-Hayat that Yemeni security forces are tracking 50 Saudis spread throughout Yemen. The source told the paper that the names will be submitted to Interpol…

UPDATED: He asked to pose with the Koreans before blasting his body parts over a kilometer away. A witness at the scene says that the boy, who was high on qat, was with an older man in his 40s. News Yemen has also published the names of the victims…

News reports have it that the U.S. is considering releasing Yemeni detainees at Gitmo to Saudi Arabia instead of Yemen. Although not here, I have argued in the past that this is most likely what the U.S. would end up doing with that class of prisoners it doesn’t want to see returned into Yemen’s general population right away – which will be ALL returnees to Yemen…

UPDATED: What seems to be known: Four South Korean tourists, two men and two women, were killed after a bombing incident around sunset Sunday evening in the area of Shibam in the governorate of Hadhramout. Information beyond those details seems to be mixed between reports…

Yemen’s Ministry of Interior released the names and pictures of the country’s 116 most wanted. The ministry has asked for increased vigilance and caution in the capture of those on the list…

Sort of. We have confirmation that a mediation effort has taken place – although no report of success like in the Yemen Online article. Sort of. We have confirmation that a mediation effort has taken place – although no report of success like in the Yemen Online article…

The al-Houthi’s have taken control of a mountain and battled with security forces for 20 hours…it seems to me this may now be the sixth outbreak in everything but name only…

There has been a lot of talk in the Yemeni press the last month, and on other blogs the last few days, discussing the possibility of another conflict in Sa’dah…the sixth, but whose counting. Not to disappoint, I’m going to add my two rial and tell you why I think the current crosswinds are right for another flare up..

So, I was reading an article today about the recent fiasco over the Marine One specs found on a P2P network source in Iran, when I came across this statement by the President of the company that made the discovery:…

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat urged Arabs yesterday to stand up to Persian Iran’s ambitions in the region, including its nuclear program…

UPDATED & CONFIRMED: Mareb Press runs a story quoting Russian press, which says that Yemen has proposed a deal with Russia to write off the 1.2 billion debt it owes in exchange for a new 4 billion dollar military modernization contract….

A Yemeni security court on Tuesday sentenced three members of an alleged Al-Qaeda cell to seven years each in jail on charges of plotting attacks and possessing explosives. The fourth defendant, a 15-year-old, was handed a two-year prison sentence…

In three parts with subtitles…

Abu Nasar Al-Haweshi from Yemen has been nominated as Al-Qaeda’s leader for Gulf Region, TheNation learnt through highly-placed reliable sources on Sunday…

This really needs some confirmation – there is a whole lot here that just doesn’t add up…

MUSLIM countrieshave the right to possess nuclear weapons but they are prohibited to use them, renowned Islamic scholar Dr Sheikh Yousuf al-Qaradawi said yesterday…

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed of al-Arabiya compares Yemen to Afghanistan, as many have done in the past. While I acknowledge there are some similarities, there are also a number of significant differences…

NUCLEAR power is the best option for the Gulf states to meet their growing energy demands, but the key is to produce it collectively, experts said yesterday…

Kuwait is “thinking seriously” about building nuclear power stations to keep up with skyrocketing power demand, Sheikh Sabah al Ahmed Jaber, the Emir of Kuwait said in remarks published on Wednesday…

New Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah took the oath in the National Assembly yesterday amid protests by a number of MPs who objected to his appointment.

Three soldiers killed and five others wounded in clashes with the Damashq of Ubayda tribe. Tribal casualties were undetermined. The dispute is over power lines running through the tribe’s territory.

Yemeni tribesmen of Shabwa governorate released on Tuesday a German engineer along with two Yemenis abducted last Sunday, Interior Ministry said on Thursday. The Information center of the ministry reported that tribal leaders’ mediation in the governorate had ended up with the release.

Visiting Iranian Majlis (parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani said Wednesday Iran was ready to provide adequate security and economic guarantees to Gulf countries. Tehran seeks to forge bonds of rapprochement and understanding with other countries, particularly Gulf ones, Larijani told a news conference at the wrapping-up of his current visit to Bahrain.

OPEC is all but certain this week to slash oil output in a bid to counteract falling demand and a precipitous drop in crude prices. Nigeria, Iran and Venezuela, who are already under growing fiscal pressure, will be loath to cut back their own output even in the face of falling prices. That job will fall largely to Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s largest producer by far. The Saudis until now have been hesitant to reduce output this year, but analysts say the kingdom is serious about ensuring that prices don’t fall below $60 a barrel.

I guess they ran out of mortars…or maybe subsidy cuts are affecting prices in the weapons suqs too.

Second blast within a week, Americans evacuated from embassy

By: Nasser Arrabyee

Article Date: Apr 10, 2008

A bomb exploded early on Thursday outside the offices of a Canadian oil firm in Hadda Street, in the Yemeni capital Sana’a. The blast [...]

Congrats.

Calvalley, Reliance consortium finds oil in Yemen

MUMBAI, April 8 (Reuters) - A consortium led by Canada’s Calvalley Petroleum (CVIa.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) that includes India’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RELI.BO: Quote, Profile, Research) has struck oil in a block in Yemen, Reliance’s president for international business said on Tuesday.

“We have drilled a well and there are [...]

It appears as though al Qaeda influenced elements have attempted to target westerners again. This time, instead of going after the US embassy, they launched mortars at a housing complex in the affluent suburb of Hadda. I know that the there is a secured complex next to the (Best Western) Haddah Hotel (you can see the [...]

A Filipino supervisor of the Safir LNG pipeline was found hanging Tuesday evening. Raul Beek (transliteration, unsure of exact name), 36, was found hanging in his bathroom. Other workers at the project speculated that the deceased suffered from “personal problems.”

خبير أجنبي ينتحر شنقاً في مشروع الغاز المسال في شبوة
الثلاثاء, 13-نوفمبر-2007
نبأ نيوز- خاص/ شبوة -
أكدت مصادر محلية مطلعة في شبوة [...]

As alluded to earlier, the press and anti-corruption authority don’t like the fact that this “MANG” company doesn’t have any experience with wind farms. The Cabinet has therefor postponed a decision on the matter, while leaving open the possibility of the agreement’s cancellation altogether.
While the wind agreement might blow away, I don’t see the [...]

The Yemeni press has been asking questions about this company in regards to the new wind farm deal signed with the energy ministry Oct 30. So close to the Powered Corp nuclear deal meltdown, I don’t blame them for being skeptical. A cursory Internet search on NAMG reveals nothing (I actually believe that the transliteration [...]

 Al Qaeda or no? Here’s the thing. Ordinarily I would say this fits al Qaeda MO - as the article points out, they have struck at oil facilities in the past. However, with the Spanish tourist bombing, AQ-Yemen raised the bar for attacks dramatically. Going back to a simple pipeline bombing doesn’t really make sense. [...]