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.
Drop in civilian deaths in Afghanistan
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.
Extradition of Assange postponed
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 strikes on Syria kill three
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.
