Donors urged to raise Yemen aid

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Yemen and the World Bank are bringing together international donors at a conference in London to raise money to fight poverty in the country.

Arab ministers and UN and EU officials are attending the two-day gathering, which hopes to raise up to US $5bn (£2.7bn) of new funds.

Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East.

Nearly half of all Yemenis are illiterate, and almost one in 20 Yemeni women die during pregnancy.

Oil revenues, which make up 70% of the government's income, are expected to dry up within the next 10 years.

In September, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who came to power 28 years ago, won the presidential elections.

At the time, Yemeni officials openly voiced the hope that the relatively smooth running of the election would open the way for a serious aid effort to for the country.