Press Review 3/31/2014

24 March 2014: Seven Houthi gunmen, a soldier, and three civilians were killed in Amran in northern Yemen on Saturday March 22. This occurred at a march organized by Houthi members demanding the removal of the national cabinet. Tensions are expected to worsen in coming days. (Different sources have reported conflicting casualty figures from this incident)

 

27 March 2014: An Italian employee of UNDP was freed after being kidnapped near Marib. He was flown to Sana'a on a military plane.

A touching op-ed in Al Arabiya about the poverty and how it drives underage marriage.

30 March 2014: The head of the Yemeni Association for Consumer Protection announced certain cosmetics in the local markets can cause skin cancer. Products coming mainly from China, India and the Gulf states are not subject to health and safety requirements, and no one entity exists in Yemen to control cosmetic products. 

31 March, 2014: Yemen's president called on Iran to stop supporting separatists in the south and religious groups in the north. Gulf Arab governments accuse Iran of backing co-religionist communities in Yemen and around the globe. 

From last week: Saeed al-Batati's comprehensive interview with UK ambassador Jane Marriott.