From Yemen to Assange: the non-coronavirus news you may have missed – The National

Coalition reject self-rule in southern Yemen

The Saudi-led military coalition on Monday rejected the Southern Transitional Council's declaration of self-rule over the country's south and called for a return to an agreement reached in Riyadh to end months of tensions. The STC's move complicates the ongoing fight by the coalition and the internationally recognised government against Houthi rebels who control much of the north.

A report by the United Nations mission in Afghanistan has reported a 29 per cent drop in the number of civilians killed in violence in the first three months of this year, compared to the same time last year. It is the lowest death toll figure for a first quarter of a year since 2012. The report also underscored, however, the still heavy toll war continues to inflict on the civilian population.

A Yemeni man reads the Quran with his daughter at the Great Mosque of Sanaa. AFP

A Palestinian man bakes traditional bread in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. AFP

Displaced Syrian girl Tayma, 4, and her sister sell liquorice juice known as Jallab on the side of the road at a camp near Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, in the northern Syrian Idlib province, to help their injured father with living expenses. AFP

A Moroccan man drives his horse-drawn cart past a mural thanking essential workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in the city of Sale north of the capital. AFP

Palestinians wait to get soup offered for free in Gaza City. Reuters

Faithful pray at the closed gate of the al-Husseini Mosque in Downtown Amman, Jordan. EPA

Palestinian beekeepers collect honey at a farm in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A boy jumps from a bridge into the Nile River to cool off from the hot and humid weather in Cairo, Egypt. Reuters

Men fish on the sea front on the Mediterranean coast in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA

The second part of the US extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not go ahead as planned next month, a British judge decided on Monday, saying the coronavirus lockdown meant the hearings could not take place. Mr Assange's legal team had argued that they had been unable to speak to their client because of strict measures introduced to combat the spread of the virus, and lawyers acting for the US said they agreed it would be unsafe to continue.

Israeli air strikes near the Syrian capital Damascus early on Monday killed three civilian and wounded four, including a child. Syrian air defences had downed "most" of the Israeli missiles launched from Lebanese air space shortly before dawn, SANA said in an earlier report.

Videos published on the agency's website purported to show the Israeli warheads exploding in the sky.

An Israeli spokesperson declined to comment.

Updated: April 27, 2020 02:56 PM

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From Yemen to Assange: the non-coronavirus news you may have missed - The National