Tensions with Yemen over fishing rights in the Red Sea flared up in 1995 and again in 2002, and Eritrea ’ s difficult relations with other nations could hamper further development of the industry.

Yemen ’ s population has more than doubled since 1975 and has grown approximately 35 percent since the 1994 census, making Yemen the second most populous country on the Arabian Peninsula.

According to the United Nations, Yemen ’ s population in 2005 was 27. 3 percent urban and 72. 7 percent rural ; population density was 40 persons per square kilometer.

Yemen ’ s population is predominantly young.

Since unification, the economy has been forced to sustain the consequences of Yemen ’ s support for Iraq during the 1990 – 91 Persian Gulf War: Saudi Arabia expelled almost 1 million Yemeni workers, and both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait significantly reduced economic aid to Yemen.

The 1994 civil war further drained Yemen ’ s economy.

In 1997 the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) approved two programs to increase Yemen ’ s credit significantly: the enhanced structural adjustment facility ( now known as the poverty reduction and growth facility, or PRGF ) and the extended funding facility ( EFF ).

In the ensuing years, Yemen ’ s government attempted to implement recommended reforms — reducing the civil service payroll, eliminating diesel and other subsidies, lowering defense spending, introducing a general sales tax, and privatizing state-run industries.

In late 2005, the World Bank, which had extended Yemen a four-year US $ 2. 3 billion economic support package in October 2002 together with other bilateral and multilateral lenders, announced that as a consequence of Yemen ’ s failure to implement significant reforms it would reduce financial aid by one-third over the period July 2005 through July 2008.

A key component of the US $ 2. 3 billion package — US $ 300 million in concessional financing — has been withheld pending renewal of Yemen ’ s PRGF with the IMF, which is currently under negotiation.

In November 2006, at a meeting of Yemen ’ s development partners, a total of US $ 4. 7 billion in grants and concessional loans was pledged for the period 2007 – 10.

At present, despite possessing significant oil and gas resources and a considerable amount of agriculturally productive land, Yemen remains one of the poorest of the world ’ s low-income countries ; more than 45 percent of the population lives in poverty.

Yemen ’ s defense budget, which in 2006 represented approximately 40 percent of the total government budget, is expected to remain high for the near term, as the military draft takes effect and internal security threats continue to escalate.

Yemen ’ s military is divided into an army, navy, and air force.

In 2001 Yemen ’ s National Defense Council abolished the existing two-year compulsory military service, relying instead on volunteers to fill posts in the military and security forces.

Yemen ’ s defense spending has historically been one of the government ’ s three largest expenditures and is expected to remain high as a result of the reinstatement of conscription and security threats posed by terrorism and tribal conflict.

Yemen ’ s paramilitary force has about 71, 000 troops.

This low number is attributed to the high cost of computer equipment and connections in combination with the population's low level of income, as well as to the restricted bandwidth available on Yemen ’ s outdated telephone network.

The cost of running a landline or owning a mobile telephone is out of reach for most of Yemen ’ s poor population, resulting in very low telephone usage rates — 3. 9 fixed-line subscribers and 9. 5 mobile subscribers per 100 persons in 2005.

In August 2005, the government awarded a contract to a joint venture between China Mobile and a group of Yemeni investors to take a 55 percent stake in Yemen ’ s third mobile network ; the government will retain a 25 percent share.

This procurement is the latest in a series of projects, which further strengthen the longstanding relationship between the US Coast Guard and the Yemen Coast Guard.

We also discussed the latest developments in Yemen, and reviewed the overall developments and political situation in the Gulf region, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as their repercussions on the security and stability of the region and the world ,” Prince Saud said.

According to the 1990 census in Yemen, the number of speakers there was 57, 000 ( including, perhaps, Soqotris living on the mainland ).

Beihan ( Arabic: بيحان ‎), also known as Bayhan al Qisab ( Arabic: بيحان القصاب ), is a city in western Yemen, which has about 100. 000 inhabitants according to the census of 2005 conducted by the Yemeni government.

The Presbyter Julian and the Bishop Longinus conducted a mission among the Nabataeans, and Justinian attempted to strengthen Christianity in Yemen by despatching a bishop from Egypt.

In northern Somalia, the Gerad Dynasty conducted trade with Yemen and Persia and competed with the merchants of the Bari Dynasty.

In geography he found a field hardly touched since Samuel Bochart, in whose footsteps he followed in the Spicilegium geographiae hebraeorum exterae post Bochartum ( 1769 – 1780 ); and to his impulse we owe the famous Royal Danish expedition to Arabia Felix ( Yemen ) conducted by Carsten Niebuhr and Peter Forsskål.

Following the apprehension of Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, an alleged suicide bomber who is reported to have been trained and equipped in Yemen, Michelle Shephard, writing in the Toronto Star, published excerpts of an interview she conducted with Bodine.

There is no civil marriage in many Arab countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya, Mauritania, as well as in Indonesia, Iran and Israel, among other countries ; all marriages are conducted by religious authorities, and are registered by civil authorities only after having been registered by authorities of officially approved religions ( Egypt, Israel and Lebanon all recognize Christianity, Islam and Judaism ; in many Arab countries almost 100 % citizens are Muslim ), or, having been registered abroad.

Jesus is mentioned in Maimonides ' Epistle to Yemen, written about 1172 to Rabbi Jacob ben Netan ' el al-Fayyumi, head of the Yemen Jewish community during a time when Jews of that country were passing through a crisis inaugurated about 1165 by ' Abd-al-Nabi ibn Mahdi, and a campaign conducted by a recent convert to win them to his new faith.

In December 2008, HDMS Absalon was involved in the rescue of putative Somali pirates 90 miles off Yemen in the Gulf of Aden.

The NLF changed the name of South Yemen on 1 December 1970 to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen ( PDRY ).

One sign of this came on December 2, 2003, when the Yemeni foreign ministry announced that " Yemen welcomes Iran's request to participate in the Arab League as an observer member.

On December 11, 2008, Moshe Nahari, a Jewish teacher, was murdered in a market in Raidah, home to one of the last Jewish communities in Yemen.

In late December 2009, the U. S. Embassy asked Americans in Yemen to keep watch for any suspicious terrorist activity following a terrorist incident on board a flight to the US that was linked to Yemen.

* December 13 – An earthquake ( Richter Scale 6. 0 magnitude ) in Dhamar, northern Yemen, kills at least 1, 507.

In December 2002, Spanish troops boarded and detained a ship, at the request of the United States, that was transporting Scud missiles from North Korea to Yemen.

The list began on December 29, 1979, with Libya, Iraq, South Yemen, and Syria.

On December 27, 2009, Hoekstra commented on reports that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who had allegedly tried to set off a suicide bomb on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, had subsequently confessed to being trained and equipped in Yemen.

On December 27, 2009, commenting on reports that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who had allegedly tried to set off a suicide bomb on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25, 2009, had subsequently confessed to being trained and equipped in Yemen,

Although this was what they stressed were the " early stages " of the review, no contrary conclusions had been reached even after reports that the US government believed that Awlaki had been the target of airstrikes in Yemen, and that on December 26, 2009, investigators said that the suspect of the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 bombing admitted that he had attended camps in Yemen where al-Qaeda members including Anwar al-Awlaki had instructed him, blessed the attack, and provided the bomb.

In June 1969, a radical Marxist wing of NLF gained power and on 1 December 1970, reorganized the country into the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.

Abd al-Fattah Ismail Ali Al-Jawfi ( 1939 – 13 January 1986 ) () was the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Council, head of state of South Yemen, and founder, chief ideologue, and first leader of the Yemeni Socialist Party from 21 December 1978 to 21 April 1980.

Abdul Karim Abdullah al-Arashi ( 1 December 1934-10 June 2006 ) () was a Yemeni politician who served as the President of the Yemen Arab Republic briefly from 24 June to 18 July 1978.

Qadhi Abdullah al-Hajjri ( 1911-April 10, 1977 ) () was the Prime Minister of the Yemen Arab Republic from 30 December 1972 until 10 April 1974.

In December 2009, King commented on reports that accused attempted airline bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had admitted to being trained and equipped in Yemen and on then pending plans to release several Guantanamo prisoners to Yemen: " I don't think Guantanamo should be closed, but if we're going to close it I don't believe we should be sending people to Yemen where prisoners have managed to escape in the past .... Obviously, if did get training and direction from Yemen, it just adds to what is already a dangerous situation ", he said .|