Abdul-Rahman al-Iryani, dies at 89

Abdul-Rahman al-Iryani, President of northern Yemen from 1967 to 1974, died Saturday in exile in Syria. He was 89. Mr. Iryani died in the Syrian capital, Damascus, where he had lived since 1974. He gained widespread popularity and respect as one of the leaders of the al-Ahrar opposition group, which opposed Yemen's Mutawakilite kings.

Mr. Iryani was sentenced to death by beheading in 1955 for his activities with al-Ahrar, Arabic for ''the free.'' Minutes before his execution by sword, he was granted a reprieve by Imam Ahmad bin Yahya Hamidaddin.

Mr. Iryani spent more than 15 years in prison during the rule of the Mutawakilite, which ended in 1962. He served as minister of religious endowments under northern Yemen's first national government and is the only civilian to have led northern Yemen.

Source: New York Times

Military in Yemen Ousts Government And Sets Up Junta

The army in the Republic of Yemen has seized power in an apparently bloodless coup. The state-controlled Yemeni radio, quoted by Egypt's official Middle East News Agency, announced tonight that the armed forces had set up a seven-man council to run the country. According to the broadcast, Col. Ibrahim Hamdi heads the council.

The fate of President Abdul Rahman al-Iryani and members of his Government is unknown. Mr Iryani himself came into power in a bloodless coup in 1967, after the country had been torn by civil war. The war began when the army overthrew the Iman Muhammad al-Badr, on 26 September 1962.

Source: New York Times