John McCain in Yemen

"John McCain has committed a major Yemeni fashion faux pas. This could strain US-Yemeni relations," - Jeremy Scahill.

John McCain and Drones

"What is your feeling when John McCain gets irritated because you asked him about drones and after the session he walks down to you and say: Whatever you young guys think, America is the greatest nation on earth... waves his hand and leaves." -Baraa Shiban

 

Gun child

"What are you looking at!" -Gun child 

Drones kill innocent children like us

Saudi executes five Yemeni men

 

Sickening! Saudi executed  five Yemeni men suspected of criminality, & hanged them between two tracks, publicly.  --->

"This is how Saudi Arabia executes convicted criminals.

The 5 executed yesterday were Yemenis convicted of armed robbery. This grisly hanging was conducted in Jizan, an ethnically Yemeni area of Saudi Arabia. I presume the grotesque public spectacle was meant as a warning to the restive tribes in the area. " -- Haykal Bafana

Dear racist

Dear racist, just because I have colored skin, black AND curly hair, and I speak bad Swedish, that doesn't make me any less than you as a human being. 

Coming rally in solidarity with shiekhism victims

A huge rally is expected to take place on Thursday in solidarity with two shiekhism victims. Read more.

A criminal sheikh

"Today, Yemen National Dialogue conference was shut down early in protest of the deaths of two youths allegedly killed by the son of sheikh Ali Abdo Rabbu Al-awadhi." - Adam Baron

Yemen's women make their voices heard from revolution to constitution

Photo: Hani Mohammed/AP

"Yemeni women are some of the fiercest women I have ever met. Through conflicts and famine, many have had to struggle for the survival of their families. The abject poverty afflicts Yemeni women in particularly harsh ways, yet they carry on and persevere. Still, their pride in their culture and love for their beautiful country always shines through. But in spite all of this I was still surprised when I saw footage of the protests that rocked the capital Sana’a in 2011." - Amina Semlali  Read more

100th day of the hunger strike by prisoners in Guantanamo Bay

"Don't they realize we are human beings, not stones" mother of Yemeni prisoner AbdulRahman Al-Shabati. 

Today was the 100th day of the hunger strike by prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, and solidarity actions took place all around the country. 

In D.C, CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans met with Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama. She hand-delivered the Change.org petition with 300,000 signatures to Jarrett in addition to a letter from the mother of Yemeni prisoner AbdulRahman Al-Shabati. 

v. - Rooj Alwazir 

Yemeni Women Rock

 

"Yemeni Women Rock!" writes Yemen Times' editor in chief, Nadia Al-Sakkaf on her latest achievement in receiving the Business for Peace Award. 

Nadia Does Rock! ♥

Yemen's children smuggled into KSA

 

Saudi Arabia - "Yemen's children smuggled into KSA and being exploited in begging work, at traffic points, in this hot weather. What criminal Yemeni gangs violating childhood!" - @1KsaNews1 

Yemen marks the Nakba

Yemen marked the 65th anniversary of the Nakba or "Day of Catastrophe", yesterday, reports Sana'a-based Spanish journalist, Juan Herrero.

Mixing fragrance in Sanaa

This perfume barista in Sanaa mixes your fragrance to order, (Full article here). - Haykal Bafana

At Yemen's National Dialogue conference

 

She's one of Yemen's prominent intellectuals and journalists - in the middle, Samia Al Aghbari. 

How and when Yemen will ratify the Rome Statute in the international criminal court system?

"The Parliament voted 'Yes' about it in 2007, and then Saleh played under the table until the ratification was denied because the "Parliament wasn't full." Then, they delayed the next voting until it never happened which was a smart move on his side, it served him right during the revolution. The next voting should be held after the next President and new constitution is drawn." - Luai Ahmed

Change Square is empty but change is still needed

Originally published on TheNational.ae

When Sanaa's Change Square became the focal point for Yemeni pro-democracy protests in 2011, one of the first posters to appear called the demonstrations there the "first step towards our civil state". It was remarkable to find such a poster in a country that has always been known for its socio-tribal form of power structure. But that was a period of hope; Change Square was transformed into a collective of tents housing hundreds of activists.

Yemen, July 1979

Image Credit

الدين.. ماهو!!

White superiority in Yemen

The white superiority lies within the Yemenis' eyes, it doesn't come from white people themselves. I see how Thomas Friedman is way welcome in Yemen because he is a white, well-established journo, and by default well-quailfied person. While genius local journalists are legally threatened, kept in jails or even "accidentally" killed by some unknown armed men, and only very few who realize that. It's not that Yemenis must be superior but at least let's aim for equal evaluation; for the white and the local. That's all.

One of the Yemeni Salon's seminars

Yemeni researcher, Atiaf Al Wazir was one of the key speakers in "The Uprising of Arab Women" seminar co-organized by The Yemeni Salon,Amnesty International, Olof Palme International Center, and Arbetarnas bildningsförbund on May 6, 2013. The event was a success thanks to the wonderful crowd who attended; influential agents from Sweden's civil society's NGOs and international institutions graced our event. It was a good opportunity to widen understanding on some of the MENA region's affairs. 

We thank you all and promise you that there are even more greater events ahead. Please stay tuned! 

Photo by Gustav Elliot

Almaqtary wonders about Islamic leftism

"Are we heading to an Islamic leftism?! or undefined Leftism? .. it's not that I'm against Sharia legislation, but I'm questioning how one of the new terms of the Socialist Party to be Islamic Sharia as the source of all legislations! That must be reconsidered," says Yemen's Socialist party's member, writer Boushra al-Maqtary during a seminar held in Sana'a, May 8, 2013.

Don't forget about Bahrain..

الحجاب....!

سايبيين مشاكل العالم كلها ومركزين على الحجاب وبس!

Queen Sheba

Ethiopian traditional paintings describing "Queen Sheba" story

 - who's believed that she has ruled Yemen/and Ethiopia. 

#Women2Drive

An airplane crushed down

Over the phone, few minutes ago: 
******
Teacher: Afrah, I'm very sorry to tell you your SFI exam was today, not tomorrow as the paper you were given stated. I'm very sorry, you missed the exam today. You have to wait one more month. 
Me: hahah..it's alright. That's not a problem. 
Teacher: you must be angry. It's a problem. 
Me: hahah..you know what, yesterday an airplane crushed down in the middle of a street in my home city, Sana'a! There're definitely bigger problems in the world. I can gladly wait one more month!

In response to Thomas Friedman's "the Yemeni way" piece

Mr. Thomas Friedman represents the great PR work prs. Hadi is pushing for with the assistance of his best ally, the US. I find his latest piece published on NYTimes very superficial even though it gives rosy image of how Yemen is at the moment. What a parachute journalism he did!

"The good news is that — for now — a lot of Yemenis really want to give politics a chance," Friedman writes. For God's sake! since ancient times, Yemenis have always been into politics. This in not the first time we made a revolution or have political movements. Did he read history books about Yemen?

What would have been nice of him to write is how the Yemeni way is still struggling to nail a dictator who still enjoys an absolute immunity by the US and Saudi Arabia. Or, it could have been nicer to mention that president Hadi was elected in the most undemocratic way, a way led by, again, the US and Saudi Arabia.

Yemen Marks Massacre of Cabinet While Justice Unserved

Yemen marks the 2nd anniversary of what's known as, Massacre of the Cabinet, today. On May 11, 2011 - anti-government peaceful protesters rallied in Sana'a towards Yemen's cabinet and were attacked by security forces who used live ammunition, killing at least 12 people and wounding 200. In Taiz, on the same day, there was another rally towards polices offices and that ended up by the security forces' crackdown, killing 3 people and wounding dozens. One protester was killed in Hodeidah city as well.

The following two clips are dated from that day, in Sana'a: