November 01, 2005

Another Day in Yemen

In Yemen, censorship is expensive, officials complain, so its time to raise internet costs by 50% to cover the costs of blocking websites.

150 textile workers striking for payment of back wages are surrounded by 200 police who then brutally beat the journalists.

In a positive development, the government *promised* to stop buying weapons from brokers and selling the surplus to individuals.

Political Assassination, while a big deal in Lebanon, is commonplace in Yemen and doesn't warrant a broad investigation, even if the regime is implicated in the murder of a major political opposition figure for his secular views.

Unfortunately the lack of any substantial democratic progress has disqualified Yemen from receiving any funds from the Millennium Challenge Account, and the World Bank is cutting funding by 34% due to corruption, lack of transparency and good governance, but crime and corruption are much more lucrative for the elite, so no biggie.

Jane

By Jane at 10:03 AM | |