Riyadh pressing ahead with airstrikes in Yemen

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

• No end in sight to Saudi Arabia’s relentless airstrikes in Yemen as Riyadh is pressing ahead with its aerial campaign against its southern neighbor. The latest Saudi airstrikes have claimed the lives of at least five civilians in Baqim district in the Yemeni province of Sa’ada.
• The Syrian military is pressing ahead with its all-out offensive against terrorists in a suburb of the capital Damascus. Government troops took control of al-Rayhan gardens in the eastern city of Duma. The army has also launched an operation to demine the area.
• The death toll from Wednesday’s attack on the American University of Afghanistan rises to twelve. 30 other students as well as staff have also been wounded. There has been no claim of responsibility for the carnage, but the assault bears the hallmarks of the Taliban.
• North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un says the country’s recent ballistic missile test proves Pyongyang has the capability of launching a nuclear attack. Describing the missile test as the greatest success, he stressed the need for stepped-up efforts to mount nuclear warheads on all types of ballistic missiles.
• The death toll from the devastating earthquake in central Italy has risen to nearly 250. The announcement was made after rescue teams and people searched for the bodies and survivors overnight. Authorities say the death toll is still likely to rise.
• In the US, the Florida governor says Washington has failed to deliver all the antibody tests and laboratory support requested to tackle the Zika virus in Florida. 43 cases of Zika have so far been reported in the state of Florida.
• Supporters of Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff have held a rally in Brasilia against her impeachment, less than 24 hours before the senate opens the trial. If Rousseff is removed from office, interim president Michel Temer will remain in power until the 2018 elections.
• The United Nations raises the alarm over the plight of nearly half a million children around Lake Chad who are suffering from malnutrition. The UN warned that 49,000 of those children area at high risk of death if they do not receive treatment immediately.

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