Mareb Press had DOS attach from Saleh Foundation

Observed by: Mr. Alaa Isam

Mareb press had Dos attach from the Project building belongs to Saleh Foundation in Sana'a. Rawasi for hosting and developing websites announced that in its press release.

More information and details in Arabic, found here: http://bit.ly/gn0eo2

Yemeni Government not allowing Suhil TV in Aden ...

Observed by: Mr. Alaa Isam

On Jan 30, 2011. an order from high security level been issued to banned broadcasting of Suhil TV by cables to citizens in Aden city .

The reason of this banned is that Suhil TV is offensive against Yemen regime as the security source added.

At the end, Suhil TV is a part (Muslims bortherhood) Islamic Islah Party. and the Channel owned by Sheikh Hamid bin Abdullah Al-Ahmar.

Arabic source:http://bit.ly/hyayNY

Has been blocked for more than 8 hours

Observed by: Mr. Alaa Isam

the Famous Yemeni news website has been blocked to visitors and readers in Yemen Jan 29, 2011 for more than 8 hours. the website said it opens back at 4:30 PM Jan, 29, 2011.

More info in Arabic:http://bit.ly/etLN0F

President Saleh Accuses Al-Jazeera Channel of Serving Zionist and Terrorist Groups

Observed by: Mr. Alaa Isam

In his call with Qatar's Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, President Ali Saleh asked him to urge Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel to stop what he described as incitement, exaggeration and distortion of the current
situation in Yemen.

Saleh said in the conversation, according to govermental sources that Al-Jazeera channel Serves Zionist and terrorist groups, adding that the media is supposed to have a noble message, which is to serve the truth, reinforce unity and peace, help face challenges and expose plots in the Arab World.

Saleh's call came after Al-Jazeera's coverage of the unrest situation and protests in the country during the last few days.

Source: http://bit.ly/ej7wJs

Yemen arrests female activist, students protest

Observed by: Mr. Alaa Isam

By Mohamed Sudam and Adel Al Khader

SANAA (Reuters) - Yemen has arrested a woman activist who led student rallies against the government in the capital last week, sparking a new wave of protests on Sunday.

Inspired by the ousting of Tunisia's president a week ago, Tawakul Karman led two protests at Sanaa University, criticizing autocratic Arab leaders and calling on Yemenis to topple President Ali Abdullah Saleh by using text messages and emails.

A security source said Karman, a member of the Islamist party Islah, was arrested by order of the General Prosecution Office.

Police stopped Karman on her way home early on Sunday and charged her with organizing unlicensed demonstrations without permission, said her husband Mohamed Ismail al-Nehmi, who was with her.

"I have no accurate information about her whereabouts," Nehmi told Reuters by phone. "Maybe at the central prison, maybe somewhere else, I don't know."

After Karman's arrest, several hundred students gathered outside Sanaa University, demanding her release.

Riot police beat up two TV cameramen filming the protests and confiscated their cameras, a Reuters eyewitness said. One was briefly arrested.

Some 50-60 policemen armed with shields and batons stopped the crowd, chanting "release the prisoners", from marching toward the general prosecutors' office, the witness said.

Karman, who heads the Yemeni activist group Women Journalists Without Chains, had also called on Yemenis to support the Tunisian people.

The overthrow of the Tunisian president was a political earthquake that has shattered the image of oppressive, military-backed Arab rulers as immune to popular discontent.

Saleh has ruled Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, for over three decades, his cash-strapped government challenged by rebellions in the north and south and by spreading al Qaeda militancy.

He is also struggling to lift Yemen out of entrenched poverty despite small and decreasing oil production and an increasingly severe shortage of water. More than 40 percent of the 23 million people live on under $2 a day and almost a third suffer from chronic hunger.

Hundreds of protesters in Sanaa last week held signs reading: "Leave before you are forced to leave."

Thousands demonstrated in the south on Thursday to show their rejection of political reforms proposed by the government, including a limit on presidential terms, which they said did not go far enough.

Tunisia is grappling with the fallout from the overthrow of long-time President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia after weeks of violent unrest driven by social grievances.

(Writing by Martin Dokoupil and Martina Fuchs, editing by Tim Pearce)

Source: http://bit.ly/eQcPOx

A year after siege, Al-Ayyam is sorely missed in Yemen

Observed by: Mr. Alaa Isam

Today marks the anniversary of the beginning of the multiday siege by Yemeni police and security personnel of the compound that houses the offices of the independent daily Al-Ayyam. During its assault on the headquarters of the critical daily, the government used automatic machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and heavy weaponry. The siege and the ensuing violence was apparently initiated in response to journalists from Al-Ayyam and other outlets conducting a sit-in outside the compound to protest the daily's suspension since May.

The siege was not a first for Al-Ayyam. On May 13, 2009, government forces stormed the paper's compound after showering it with a hail of bullets. The ensuing firefight between government forces and the daily's guards, which the paper's management said lasted about an hour, left a passerby dead and two of the paper's guards injured.

Al-Ayyam was once the country's highest-circulation publication, reaching more than 70,000 readers, before it was effectively banned from publication in May 2009. Founded in 1958, Al-Ayyam has long been Yemen's most popular daily, dwarfing the circulation of the government-owned dailies combined. Prior to the ban, it was the only private newspaper to be distributed in every governorate of Yemen. The paper's popularity was rooted in its readiness to tackle Yemen's biggest red lines: corruption in the upper echelons of government, social unrest in the southern half of the country, and the years-long government offensive against Houthi rebels in the country's northern tip.

I was in Yemen in July to conduct research for a report on the deterioration of press freedom in the county. Naturally, I visited with Al-Ayyam and its management. Two things in particular stood out.

First, the damage done to the compound was gruesome. Even after close to six months of more or less continuous renovations, I saw exterior walls extensively scared by bullet holes of all sizes, gaping holes in interior walls large enough for an adult to crawl through (apparently caused by rocket-propelled grenades), as well as charred furniture, broken glass, and molten children's toys. The scene resembled Baghdad or Beirut, both of which still contain an abundance of battle-scarred buildings, a testament to the ghastly clashes that were waged there.

Second, during a short 15-minute drive through Aden with Al-Ayyam's executive manager, Mohammad Bashraheel, random passersby on three separate occasions asked him when the car was stopped at traffic lights or stuck in traffic when the paper would be back on newsstands. One of them said that he had sworn off reading papers until Al-Ayyam returned. The sentiment appeared sincere and seemingly universal, at least among the small sample of people I encountered on the streets that day.

At this most politically precarious time for Yemen--when the government is fighting a seemingly losing battle against al-Qaeda and other extremist groups, is suffering from the highest poverty rates in the region, and is seeking to do away with presidential term limits in what will almost certainly be a rigged 2011 vote-- the void left by Al-Ayyam'sabsence is as strongly felt as ever.

Source: http://bit.ly/fSxrND

House of Light Foundation released booklet “Survival Glossary”

In partnership with Hack/Hackers

House of Light Foundation released booklet “Survival Glossary”

Aden - in particular:

House of Light Foundation released, in partnership with Hack/Hackers, the “the Survival Glossary” that includes a number of the most essential words that are commonly used in the fields of journalism and internet which is classified as Road Map for both.

The booklet comes after an initiative achieved by Hack/Hackers to gather all terms and common words used in both journalism and internet. Then House of Light Foundation translated it into Arabic as it is vitally important to enrich the Arabic content and reinforce Arab journalism.

It is important to mention that Hack/Hackers is a group of people in the US, working to help others make a difference in their world. They do their best to bridge the gap between the two fields (journalism and internet) through illustrating and distributing information and obtaining stories to publish them, while House of Light Foundation is an independent non-governmental organization, that is launched from Aden city and aims to inspire and place a positive social change in the community through finding effective leaderships and build capacities along with development and its demands.

For interested people in getting a free copy of booklet, please click this link http://bit.ly/asuTnY