At least 47 people were killed when a powerful suicide bombing ripped through the Yemeni capital on Thursday, plunging the violence-plagued state into further turmoil after weeks of political deadlock. Dozens more were wounded in the attack in Sanaa's Al-Tahrir square, which targeted a gathering for supporters of Shia insurgents who overran the capital last month.
A separate suicide attack killed 20 Yemeni soldiers in the country's south-east in a car bombing suspected of having been carried out by al Qaeda, a military source told AFP. Yemen has been wracked by political turmoil and sporadic violence since the 2012 toppling of strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, with rebels and militants battling to exploit a power vacuum and seize control of territory. The bombing in Sanaa came a day after Yemen's new prime minister designate, named as part of a UN-brokered peace deal, refused the post amid fierce rebel opposition. The health ministry said 47 people were killed and 75 others wounded in the blast.