A new island has emerged in the Red Sea following an underwater volcanic eruption. Fishermen first spotted the phenomenon, which is caused by lava fountains, earlier in December in a remote part of the sea close to the Yemen coast.

The fountains are reported to have reached more than 30 metres (90 feet) in height. Nasa repositioned their satellite cameras to capture the event, resulting in some amazing shots of the volcanic explosion breaking the water.

Scientists are unsure whether the island will be permanent. According to a Nasa spokesman the Advanced Land Imager on Nasa’s Earth Observing-1 satellite captured the explosion.

“The image from December 2011 shows an apparent island where there had previously been an unbroken water surface,” he said.

“A thick plume rises from the island, dark near the bottom and light near the top, perhaps a mixture of volcanic ash and water vapour.”

The eruption occurred in a region of the Red Sea where the tectonic plates of Africa and Arabia meet, close to the Zubair Group of islands. Due to constant tectonic shifts, new ocean crust regularly forms along the rift.

For more visit: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=76801

A Yemeni-Eritrean summit was held on Thursday in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, and co-chaired by President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki.

In the summit, the two leaders discussed the joint cooperation between the two countries in various areas and means of boosting them, especially in areas of trade, investment, fishing and security.

They confirmed their keenness to establish a strategic relationship between the two countries to enhance cooperation areas at the political, economic and security levels, as well as cooperation in combating maritime piracy and terrorism so as to serve the national security of the two countries and the stability in the region.

Moreover, they touched on activating the joint committee and the agreements signed between the two countries, in addition to the establishment of a trade fishing company.

Furthermore, the two leaders dealt with the developments of situations in the region, topped by the situation in Somalia and the Horn of Africa and the security in the southern Red Sea, as well as a number of common issues concerning the two peoples of Yemen and Eritrea.

After that, the two presidents spoke to media at a press conference, in which President Saleh expressed his happiness for visiting Eritrea, noting to the topics he discussed with his Eritrean counterpart in the summit.

” Views were identical , as we agreed on coordination and information exchange for cooperation in the southern Red Sea and the fight against piracy and terrorism and everything related to the national security of both countries”, Saleh said.

For his part, the Eritrean president said that the relationship between the two countries is strategic and there is a common vision between them towards a number of security and economic issues.

Source: SABA

Yemeni news agency SABA reports that President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen headed on Thursday for the Eritrean capital, Asmara, in which he will meet with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.

According to the news agency both Presidents are going to discuss the cooperation and relations between the two countries in addition to reviewing the current situations in the Horn of Africa, topped by the developments in Somalia.

SIRT, LIBYA, Oct. 10 (Saba, Yemen News Agency) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen reviewed on Sunday with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki issues in the agenda of the 2nd Arab-African summit being held on Sunday in the Libyan city of Sirt.

Saleh and Afwerki discussed a strategic project of Arab-African partnership and the Arab-African joint action plan for 2011 – 2016.

The two Presidents discussed a resolution draft of establishing an Arab-African fund to encounter disasters in addition to the outcomes of extraordinary Arab summit concluded yesterday [Saturday] in Sirt city.

Saleh and Afwerki reviewed the bilateral relations and aspects of joint cooperation.

Yemen Airforce

A senior Yemeni military official has denied a claim that rebel Houthi fighters have shot down a MiG 21 warplane which was raiding their strongholds in the northern region of Saada.

State media quoted the official as saying the plane ran into a mountain peak because of a technical fault.

‘Scorched Earth’ campaign

Troops continue to press their seven-week-old offensive against the Houthis in the northern mountains, with no sign of the conflict ending.

Five fighters and four soldiers are reported to have been killed in fighting in the Harf Sufyan district of Amran province, on the road linking the capital Sanaa with Saada, the centre of the region of the same name which borders Saudi Arabia.

On Wednesday, 28 fighters were also killed in clashes near Saada.

The army launched operation “Scorched Earth” on August 11 in an attempt to finally crush an uprising in which thousands of people have been killed since it first broke out in 2004.

The United Nations estimates that 55,000 people have fled their homes because of the conflict.

The authorities accuse the Houthi fighters of seeking to restore the Zaidi Shia imamate that was overthrown in a republican coup in 1962, triggering an eight-year civil war.

The fighters deny the charge and say they are fighting to defend their community against government aggression and marginalisation.

A minority in mainly Sunni Yemen, the Zaidis are the majority community in the north. Source: (Aljazzera)

SANA’A, Sep.10 – Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki is to visit Yemen after by the end of September in which he will hold talks with President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Well-informed sources said that the talks will deal with issues related to bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to deepen and strengthen them.

The two sides will stress on the importance of forming an executive committee in order to discuss several projects submitted by the two countries as well as activating the partnership between Yemen and Eritrea, particularly in the fishing field.

The two leaders also will review the latest developments in the Horn Africa, particularly in Somalia. Source: (Sabanews)

SANA’A, Foreign Minster Abu Bakr al-Qirbi discussed here on Monday with his Eritrean counterpart Othman Saleh Mohammed the conditions in Somalia and the necessity of exerting efforts by countries of the region to save its unity and stability.

The meeting also dealt with the bilateral relations between the two countries and means of boosting them and the importance of holding the executive committee to discuss and approve a number of projects presented by the two countries. Source: (Sabanews)

Qatar News Agency reports that Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh conferred in Doha on Saturday with Qatar”s Ambassador accredited to Eritrea H.E. Mohamed Bin Ali Al-Nuaimi.

They discussed bilateral relations and means of bolstering and promoting them in addition to reviewing the latest developments in the region especially in the Horn Of Africa.

Yemeni Sabanews reports the Eritrean Foreign Minister will arrive on Sunday in Yemen for a visit to hand a letter to President Saleh from his Eritrean counterpart Isaias Afworki.

According to Yemeni state media the letter will deal with the bilateral relationship and the latest developments in the region, particularly in the Horn of Africa.

Yemeni Prison

HADRAMOUT, June 19  – Yemen says it had seized two fishing boats carrying a huge stash of drugs hidden in 162 bags. The two boats were apprehended 13 nautical miles off the port of Sher city in the western Hadramout province.

Two Africans were seized on one of the boat and five Yemenis were seized on the second boat. The Africans were a Tanzanian and a Kenyan, ages 35-36, while the five Yemenis were aged 19-52. Read the full story

Saba News in Yemen is reporting that Eritrean authorities have released a Yemeni fishing boat, which was held in custody since May 17th. Eritrea is going to release two other fishing boats in the coming two days according to the Yemeni news paper. In the past Yemeni fishermen used to enter Eritrean sea waters illegally in order to extend their fishing grounds. Read more: Saba News.

Two men have been killed after clashes with police in South Yemen. The two men have been taking part in demonstrations against increasing food prices in the Red Sea state. Read more: TOPNEWSIN.

Hodeidah, Yemen: Yemeni fishermen have been released by Eritrean, Saudi and Sudanese authorities from custody after having been detained for several months. The fishermen caused frictions between the red sea countries, because they crossed international see waters. In the past Eritrea had detained several times Yemeni Fishermen in it’s see territory. read more: