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Saudi warplanes keep up relentless attacks on Yemen

Saturday, 20 August 2016 2:11 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 20 August 2016 2:11 PM ]

A Yemeni boy walks amid the ruins of a school hit by an airstrike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, in the capital Sana'a, on February 12, 2016. ©AFP

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

At least 3 civilians are killed as Saudi fighter jets keep up airstrikes on Yemen. According to Yemeni media, Saudi warplanes carried out some 30 raids across the impoverished nation. Nearly 96,000 Yemenis, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Saudi war since March last year.
Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets of the capital Sana’a to express their support for the newly formed Supreme Political Council, assigned to rule the country. The 10-member council is formed by representatives from ex president Saleh’s General People’s Congress party and the Ansarullah movement.
Iran’s defense minister says Tehran and Moscow share common goals in Syria, adding the two countries will expand cooperation to attain those goals. Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan says allowing Russian airplanes to use an airbase in Iran is part of mutual cooperation to target terrorists in Syria.
The US has sent its warplanes to the Syrian city of Hasakah after Syrian jets pounded the positions of Kurdish forces there. The Syrian army says the militants are affiliated with the US-backed People's Protection Units. Syria accuses the Kurds of provocations by their attempts to take control of the city.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban have seized a strategic district in the northern province of Kunduz. The militants took control of Khan Abad district after launching attacks on army outposts in the area. Reports say the Taliban have also inflicted casualties on the government forces.
The Turkish parliament has approved a reconciliation agreement signed with Israel back in June. The deal brings to an end 6 years of rift between Ankara and Tel Aviv, and allows for the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two sides.
The United Nations says some 130,000,000 people across the globe need humanitarian assistance to survive. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on the international community to raise money for the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund to aid individuals in need of help.
The UN secretary general's special representative for Libya has warned about the humanitarian situation in the country. Martin Kobler says millions of Libyans are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The official has expressed concern about lack of medicines, vaccinations and poor hospitalization services.