Star Trek-style visor that could help the blind see begins trials in European patients

• It is being developed by Pixium Vision with trials scheduled for 2016

• A surgeon implants a small silicon chip with 150 electrodes on the retina

• An integrated camera on goggles sends images to a portable computer

• A 'pocket processor' converts that recording into an infrared image, which the goggles then beam into the eye
• A Star Trek-style vision system is to be tested on patients in Europe who have lost their sight. The technology is based on a technique known as 'neuromodulation' in which electricity from a chip stimulates the nervous system to restore sight.The revolutionary system, called Iris II, is being commercialised by French company Pixium Vision.Today, it was announced that regulators have been granted permission for the trial to go ahead on 10 patients at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.Other trials of the system are taking place in France, Germany and Austria.The British study will include patients suffering from the conditions retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Usher syndrome, cone-rod dystrophy, and choroideremia, all of which can lead to blindness.

The technology is based on a technique known as 'neuromodulation' in which electricity from a chip stimulates the nervous system to restore sight

Goggles that could help the blind see have come a step closer to reality. The technology is based on a technique known as 'neuromodulation' in which electricity stimulates the nervous system to restore sight.

Consultant ophthalmologist Dr Mahi Muqit, who is leading the Moorfields trial, said: 'We are excited to participate in the clinical trial of Iris II and be the first site in the UK.

'Patients with RP can now benefit from a new choice of retinal implant that may potentially further improve visual outcomes.  

A number of competing retinal implant systems are being developed by private companies and institutions around the world.

At the heart of Iris II is a small silicon chip with 150 electrodes that is implanted on to the retina.

A video camera integrated into goggles sends images to a smartphone-sized portable computer, which converts them to electrical signals. 

These are transmitted wirelessly to the implant which in turn stimulates the optic nerve.

HOW DOES IT WORK? 

A surgeon first implants a small silicon chip with 150 electrodes on the retina.

When the patient puts on the system's dark glasses, an integrated video camera sends images to a portable computer.

A connected 'pocket processor' converts that recording into an infrared image, which the goggles will then beam into the eye. 

Pulses activate electrodes in the implant, and the optic nerve carries images to the brain.

After surgery, patients have to learn to use the system, but with practice are able to “see” black, white and grey shapes.

No starting date has yet been set for the trial, which has been approved by UK medical device regulators the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). 

Retinal implants that restore some sight when in the blind are already available, but their quality isn't good enough to work in many real-world conditions.

Pixium Vision's solution, however, claims it has been able to restore the sight of rats to a level equivalent to 20/250. 

This would allow the wearer to see the largest line of letters in an opticians test.

The company claims it may be able to get its final product to restore vision to 20/120, which would be a huge leap forward in vision quality.

Second Sight, the company that got FDA approval for the first visual prosthesis two years ago, currently offers patients about 20/1300 vision.

To use the gadget a surgeon must first implant a small silicon chip with 150 electrodes on the retina.

When the patient puts on the system's dark glasses, an integrated video camera sends images to a portable computer.

A connected 'pocket processor' converts that recording into an infrared image, which the goggles will then beam into the eye.

Pulses activate the electrodes in the implant, and the optic nerve carries the images back to the brain.

Following surgery, patients have to train their brains to interpret the new images, which are seen in variations of back, white and grey.

A small pilot program to test the system is already underway, with promising results. 

• 
  

Business Writing: An Introduction

Almost all business activities are envisioned, planned, implemented and analyzed in some form of the written word. These forms include reports, and reportsummaries, letters, memos, and email, any document, in fact, that communicates something about business. Collectively, they are the hard-copy paper trails recording the proposals, activities and results of countless business transactions.

Public and private entities rely upon these documents to communicate vital information, both internally and externally, regarding the condition and conduct of their business. It is fundamentally important that they be written in a clear and concise manner. When they are, the risk of miscommunication is greatly reduced.

Poorly written business documents can produce unintended results and potentially disastrous consequences. Strong writing competencies can help reduce or avoid this all together. Well chosen words, well organized and well written, increase the likelihood of effective business communication.

That said, business writing is as simple as eating an elephant. Do it one bite at a time. Think strategically, divide and conquer. Writing is a process consisting of several interrelated steps:

• Preparation
• Research
• Organizing
• Drafting
• Review and Revision

These steps break the larger writing task into smaller ones. Proceeding through them one at a time will help you write successful business documents. Depending on the complexity of the writing task, they will be either more or less demanding. An annual report requires far more, for instance, than a memo.

Preparation

Preparing to write is as important as the act itself. There are three preliminary considerations that are fundamental to the task. You must establish a document's objective, identify its readers and determine its scope. All other steps in the writing process follow and develop from these determinations.

Objective
Establishing an objective will answer one critical question about your writing task. What do you want the reader to know or do, or be able to do after reading your document? The answer needs to be specific and detailed. If the objective is too general it will be difficult, if not impossible, to present a credible argument or a compelling reason to read the document. For Example:

Not So Good: To explain the proposed cafeteria at Better Widget Makers, Inc.

Good: To explain how the newly proposed cafeteria at Better Widget Makers, Inc. will benefit the employees, the company and the Silver City community.

A specific objective, simply stated, can be viewed as a thesis statement for your writing project. Notice how the above example includes three main topic areas and how easy it will be to convert them into main headings below the thesis statement in an outline.

Readers
Identifying your readers will answer another critical question about the writing task. How can you help them understand your objective? Knowing who your readers are and what they need from you is crucial to satisfying your objective. It will also determine the scope of your writing task. Successful business writers know that the answers to who and what will lead to how. So target your audience and get to know a few things about them.

Ask yourself some key questions. Who is going to read your document? Will it be one person or many? Are you writing a letter to a new client or a quarterly summary for the Chief Financial Officer? Are you writing a departmental memo or the shareholders annual report? What information will they need?

Notice the hierarchical status of different readers. Understand that this status defines the reader's relationship to a subject or topic. It indicates something about what their perspective or personal interest might be and something about how much they might already know, or how much they might need to know about the material.

Once you have a clear understanding of your audience you are prepared to determine the scope of your document, write effectively, both of which will help your readers understand your objective.

Scope
Determining the scope of your writing task will answer a final question? What kind of information is needed, and how much of it will be enough for the reader to understand your objective? In light of both the objective and the audience, this will either be elementary, intermediate or advanced?

What and how much to include is a decision based on who the reader is, why they were targeted and what relationship they have to your document's topic. Successful business writers keep all of this in mind as they gather information in the research step of the writing process.

Hero of Canada parliament attack tackles protester in Dublin

DUBLIN (AP) — A Canadian diplomat who became a national hero when he shot an Islamic gunman inside the Ottawa parliament has tussled with a protester at a military ceremony in Dublin.

Kevin Vickers, Canada's ambassador to Ireland, grabbed a man who was shouting "This is an insult!" near a memorial service for British soldiers killed during a 1916 rebellion against British rule. Vickers grabbed the man and held him before police moved in to arrest the protester.

Vickers was sergeant-at-arms of the Canadian parliament when Michael Zehaf-Bibeau burst into the building on Oct. 22, 2014 after killing a soldier outside. Vickers, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, and a policeman killed the attacker in a gunfight.

Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers, right, wrestles with a protester during a State ceremony to remember the British soldiers who died during the Easter Rising at Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Dublin Thursday May 26, 2016. Vickers helped subdue a demonstrator who began chanting ¿insult¿ at the service commemorating more than 100 British soldiers killed trying to suppress the Easter Rising a century ago. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT




Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers, right, wrestles with a protester during a State ceremony to remember the British soldiers who died during the Easter Rising at Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Dublin Thursday May 26, 2016. Vickers helped subdue a demonstrator who began chanting ¿insult¿ at the service commemorating more than 100 British soldiers killed trying to suppress the Easter Rising a century ago. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT

Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers, left, wrestles with a protester during a State ceremony to remember the British soldiers who died during the Easter Rising at Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Dublin Thursday May 26, 2016. Vickers helped subdue a demonstrator who began chanting ¿insult¿ at the service commemorating more than 100 British soldiers killed trying to suppress the Easter Rising a century ago. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT

US forces on ground in Syria aiding key anti-IS fight

US forces on the ground in northern Syria are helping a major offensive against the Islamic State group in its stronghold of Raqa province, Kurdish-Arab fighters battling the jihadists say.

Near the frontline north of the IS bastion of Raqa city, an AFP photographer saw US soldiers climbing onto a low rooftop carrying US-made anti-tank missiles.

"These are US special operations forces and this is why you cannot follow them or take many pictures," said a fighter with the Syrian Democratic Forces, which announced on Tuesday an assault on the jihadists north of Raqa.

Armed men identified by Syrian Democratic forces as US special operations forces ride in the back of a pickup truck in the village of Fatisah in the northern Syrian province of Raqa on May 25, 2016 ©Delil Souleiman (AFP)

Leaning on a partially destroyed home in the village of Fatisah which was recently seized from IS, SDF field commander Hawkar Kobane told AFP that "US forces are taking part in this operation" alongside his own troops.

"On the rooftop of this house, there are US forces using (anti-tank) TOW missiles to fire on the explosives-rigged cars that Daesh is using to attack the SDF," he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The SDF has also received air support from the US-led air coalition bombing the jihadists in Iraq and Syria.

And this week, the first of 250 members of the US special operations forces were to arrive in northeast Syria to support the fight, joining dozens of advisers already on the ground.

Special operations forces are known to lend support to and train foreign armies.

Washington has insisted the soldiers sent into Syria are not combat troops.

Asked about the men seen in Fatisah, US defence officials did not dispute that they were American special operations forces.

The troops appeared to be equipped with US-issued sidearms and uniforms, and at least one could be seen with a badge of the US flag on his chest.

The United States has publicly disclosed that about 300 of its elite commandos and support personnel are on the ground in northern Syria, where they are working with the Kurdish and other anti-IS partners.

"They are continuing to advise and assist local forces in the ongoing fight against ISIL," Pentagon spokesman Matthew Allen said, using another name for IS.

- 'A lot of experience' -

The AFP photographer saw as many as 20 US soldiers in Fatisah on Wednesday and heard them communicating in English with each other.

They refused to speak to journalists but generally appeared less wary than usual about the media presence.

The US soldiers could be seen climbing onto pickup trucks fitted with heavy machineguns and driving across the swathes of agricultural plains that make up northern Raqa province.

Other US soldiers surveyed territory alongside SDF forces identified by the yellow patches on their arms.

"The American forces present here have a lot of experience," Kobane said.

"We will take advantage of their experience to fight terrorism and capture the other villages as quickly as possible with as few casualties as possible."

Another SDF field commander, Baraa al-Ghanem, said US fighters were "present at all positions along the front... They are taking part on the ground and in the air".

"We have a joint operations room with the coalition. We also have special weapons, both heavy and light, and we are facing the problem of mines," he added.

The US forces on Wednesday could be seen accompanying a special unit within the SDF known as the "counter-terrorism forces".

The two forces entered a building on the edge of Fatisah used as the town's school, reportedly to carry out a training session on using US weaponry.

Kurds play a dominant role in the US-backed SDF, providing the core of the forces that have pushed back IS in the country's northeast.

The SDF has a total of about 25,000 Kurdish fighters and around 5,000 Arab fighters.

Washington is pushing to bring more Arab forces into the group.

The Syrian war erupted in early 2011 after Bashar al-Assad's forces launched a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, and has since claimed more than 270,000 lives.

Syria and Iraq: zones of control ©Thomas Saint-Circq, Simon Malfatto, Jean Michel Cornu, Sabrina Blanchard (AFP)

Syrian Democratic forces and an armed man identified by them as US special operations (R) are seen in the village of Fatisah in the northern Syrian province of Raqa on May 25, 2016 ©Delil Souleiman (AFP)

Armed men (R) identified by Syrian Democratic forces as US special operations forces walk in the village of Fatisah in the northern Syrian province of Raqa on May 25, 2016 ©Delil Soulieman (AFP)

World War III will be fought over water

In 2015, NASA’s satellite data revealed that 21 of the world’s 37 large aquifers are severely water-stressed. With growing populations, and increased demands from agriculture and industry, researchers indicated that this crisis is only likely to worsen.

Rajendra Singh, known as the “water man of India,” believes that critically depleted aquifers around the world can be revived with community effort. For the past 32 years, through his NGO Tarun Bharat Sangh (Young India Organization), Singh has led community-based water harvesting and water management initiatives in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, an arid, semi-desert state in the northwest of India. For his work, Singh was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Awardfor community leadership in 2001, and the Stockholm Water Prize in 2015.

The following interview with Singh has been edited for clarity:

You’ve often criticized states for taking a top-down, infrastructure-led approach to water management. Are governments generally supportive of alternative community-led initiatives? Is political and corporate support necessary?

RS: Governments usually don’t support community initiatives—they support contractors, not communities. The government always likes big projects in the name of combating desertification or rejuvenating the landscape: big dams, big canals, centralized irrigation water systems, pipeline drinking water systems. They create new canals even when the old canals are dry. There is no community participation in these projects. Every type of work is given to a contractor now. It is a contractor-driven democracy, not a people-driven democracy.

Last year, you launched the World Water Peace Walks. What is the role of water in fostering world peace?

RS: The third world war is at our gate, and it will be about water, if we don’t do something about this crisis. These walks are to raise awareness—this year we covered 17 countries, and in nine of them there were displaced people.  Where terrorism is active, there is usually a scarcity of water. So many people in the Middle East and African countries are moving to places like Europe, in part because of water scarcity—after forced migration comes, tension, conflict, and terrorism. Where terrorism is active, there is usually a scarcity of water. Look at Syria—a long time ago, it had very good agriculture, but then Turkey built a dam that changed things. It’s a similar story with Libya. If we want a safe future, we need to start conserving water.

What role can regulation play in conservation? Do you think privatizing water is a good way to promote its efficient use?

RS: If we really think about legal changes, we have to first think about river rights, or the rights of nature, and only then about water rights for humans. This type of thinking doesn’t exist today but we need this kind of legal framework that assures that the land of the river is only for the river, that the flow of the river is kept clean, and that the river has greenery on both banks to prevent erosion and silting. Only with all these factors can we ensure that rivers are healthy and only then that we are healthy.

Powerful corporations have created a water market—they pollute our rivers and make us pay money for drinking water. They say that only with a high price for water can we get disciplined use, but this is not right. In my region, for the last 19 years our river parliament has made the rules and regulations that everyone follows, and everyone has enough water. Sustainable community-led water management has existed for thousands of years without anyone putting a price on water. So why do we need it today? Because the corporate sector is making the rules. Privatization is not the answer, charging more is not the answer.

This is an excerpt from an article originally posted on Policy Innovations, the online magazine of Carnegie Council. We welcome your comments at 

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Why is it almost impossible to tickle yourself?

The majority of people find it impossible to tickle themselves

When you attempt to tickle yourself, your motor system creates an efference copy, which allows it to predict the consequences of movement

One group who can tickle themselves, those suffering schizophrenia

Marc Buehner, reader in cognitive sciences at Cardiff University, reveals all

Some of us are more ticklish than others, but nearly everyone is unable to tickle themselves. 

The answer is tied to how we see and how we perceive movement.

To get to the bottom of why we can't tickle ourselves, let's first examine another phenomenon. 

Close one eye, and then carefully push against the side of your other (open) eye, moving the eyeball from side to side in its socket. 

What do you see? It should appear as if the world is moving, even though you know it isn't.

There is one group of people who can tickle themselves, Dr Buehner says. They are people with schizophrenia and those suffering from delusions of control

Now put your hand down and scan your environment.

Your eye moves in similar ways as when you pushed it, but the world remains stable. 

Clearly the visual information gathered by the eye is the same in both cases, with images drifting across the retina as the eye moves around, but your perception of how things were moving was only false when you poked your eye.

This is because when you move your eyes naturally, the brain sends motor commands to the eye muscles and, at the same time, something called an 'efference copy' of the commands is sent to the visual system so that it can predict the sensory consequences of the movement. 

This allows the visual system to compensate for the changes on your retina due to the eyeball's motion and your brain knows that changes in the image (that look like things have moved) are in fact due to the eye's own movement.

So you're able to dart your eyes around the room, taking in every detail, without feeling like you're whizzing around like a wild hornet. 

When you poked your eye, no such prediction had been made, and so no compensation took place, resulting in weird motion perception.

TICKLING EXPERIMENTS

When you attempt to tickle yourself, your motor system also creates an efference copy, which allows it to predict the sensory consequences of the movement. 

Because the sensations on, say, your armpit, are precisely predicted, the resulting experience is less intense than when another person tickles you.

There are ways, however, that you can tickle yourself. 

But they require some technical aids. 

While some of us are more ticklish than others, almost everyone is unable to tickle themselves. The reason why is tied to how we see and how we perceive movement, says Marc Buehner, reader in cognitive science at Cardiff University

Research led by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, now professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, used a robot where people could move a mechanical arm back and forth with one hand; this movement was transferred to a second robot arm which had a soft foam piece attached to its end, and delivered a stroking action to the palm of their other hand.

When people tickled themselves in this way, they didn't rate the sensation as very ticklish. 

However, when the robot transferred the tickle-movements with a slight delay of 100-to 300 milliseconds, it felt a lot more ticklish. 

The small time delay was enough to scupper the brain's power to predict the consequences of the action, resulting in a sensation that felt pretty much just as ticklish as if someone else was tickling them.

A MATTER OF CONTROL 

There is one group of people who can tickle themselves, without a time delay – people with schizophrenia suffering from delusions of control

These are people who feel their actions (or sometimes their thoughts) are not their own, or are created for them by some alien force. 

According to current understandings in psychiatry and psychology, these experiences result from a failure in the mechanism that compares the aforementioned efference copy to the sensory consequences of the action.

So if a patient suffering from delusions of control lifts their arm over their head, the subjective experience they have might be similar to if someone had picked up their arm and moved it there for them. 

When Professor Blakemore and her colleagues asked a group of patients to tickle themselves with a device similar to the robot described above, for those with symptoms of this type of schizophrenia the sensation was just as ticklish when there was no time delay, as when the experimenter tickled them.

However funny or pleasant it might be if we could tickle ourselves, then, the reason we cannot is because our brains have adapted to optimise the way we interact with and understand the world around us. 

Being able to distinguish whether a particular experience is the result of our own action or some external force is extremely important.

If everything felt alien, we might not be able to learn from our mistakes – because we wouldn't even realise we had made a mistake in the first place. 

And if everything felt as if it was controlled or owned by us, we'd be easy prey for predators. 

Realising that the sound of a twig cracking behind you in the forest didn't come from your own steps, but from a bear on the prowl, is pretty invaluable.

The Latest: Putin stands by 'Syrian partners' after bombings

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Latest on a violent day in the Middle East, with deadly bombings in Syria and Yemen and the start of an Iraqi government offensive to retake the city of Fallujah from the Islamic State group (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram to Syrian President Bashar Assad conveying his condolences over the deaths of civilians and confirming Russia's readiness to continue supporting its "Syrian partners."

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrians gather in front of a burning car at the scene where suicide bombers blew themselves up, in the coastal town of Tartus, Syria, Monday, May 23, 2016. Syrian TV said suicide bombers blew themselves followed by a car bomb in a parking lot packed during morning rush hour. (SANA via AP)

The Kremlin said Putin on Monday "stressed that this tragedy has become further evidence of the barbarian and inhuman nature of the terrorist groups that have unleashed bloody war against the Syrian people."

"The president of Russia once again confirmed a readiness to continue cooperation with the Syrian partners in countering the terrorist threat and expressed confidence that the criminals who stained their hands with the blood of innocent victims will not escape retribution."

The series of coordinated explosions on Monday morning killed more than 80 people and wounded 200 in the normally quiet coastal government strongholds of Tartus and Jableh. The blasts were the first of their kind targeting civilians in those areas.

___

3:30 p.m.

Iraq's Prime Minister has hailed "big successes" by troops, hours after launching a military operation to recapture the Islamic State-held city of Fallujah.

Wearing the black uniform of Iraq's counter-terrorism forces, Haider al-Abadi visited Fallujah Operation Command Monday morning and met with commanders.

He says the offensive achieved "more than what was planned for," without elaborating on the operation.

He says that the offensive was planned to start more than two months ago, but was delayed due to political infighting and the deteriorating security situation inside Baghdad.

Backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and paramilitary troops, Iraqi government forces launched the long-awaited military offensive on Fallujah late Sunday night. The city, located about 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, has been under the militants' control since January 2014.

___

2.00 p.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman says the increase in militant attacks and bombings in Syria, such as the explosions that rocked Syrian government strongholds, "once again demonstrates how fragile the situation in Syria is."

Dmitry Peskov, speaking Monday to journalists in Moscow, said the situation "demonstrates the need to continue vigorous steps to continue the negotiation process."

Asked whether Russia would reconsider its decision to scale back the size of its military contingent in Syria, the spokesman pointed to Putin's statement that Russia's bases in Syria allow for "a very flexible approach" to the number of Russian troops deployed in Syria.

___

12:45 p.m.

A news agency linked with the Islamic State group says the group's militants were behind the multiple attacks on civilian gatherings in two Syrian coastal cities.

Monday's back-to-back bombings occurred in the cities of Tartus, and Jableh, both government strongholds that also house Russian military bases.

State media said the explosions killed at least 65 people, most of them in bus stations in the two cities, and outside a hospital and the electricity company in Jableh.

The one-sentence report by the IS-linked Aamaq news agency offered no details. The agency regularly carries the group's news and claims.

___

12 p.m.

Syrian state TV says at least 65 people were killed in a series of explosions, including suicide bombings, in the coastal cities of Tartus and Jableh, strongholds of President Bashar Assad.

The TV reports said at least one suicide bomber followed by a car bomb blew up minutes apart in a packed bus station in Tartus. More than 20 were killed and many injured in the bombings, an Interior Ministry official told the channel.

Separately, Syria's SANA state news agency and the state TV said four explosions rocked Jableh, south of Latakia city. The attacks included three rockets, and a suicide bomber at a city hospital, the state media said.

The attacks are a rare occurrence in the normally quiet and pro-government cities. Russia keeps a naval base in Tartus and an air base in Latakia province. Insurgents maintain a presence in rural Latakia.

--Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria

___

11:45 a.m.

Syrian state TV says more than 20 people have been killed in multiple attacks in the coastal cities of Tartus and Jableh, strongholds of President Bashar Assad.

The TV report Monday said at least one suicide bomber on foot followed by a car bomber attacked a packed bus station in Tartus. An Interior Ministry official says more than 20 were killed and many injured.

Separately, Syria news agency SANA said three rockets were launched into Jableh, which lies 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Latakia city, landing in a bus station, near the town's entrance.

The rare attacks occurred in the normally quiet pro-government coastal areas where Russia keeps a naval base in Tartus and an air base in Latakia province. Insurgents maintain a presence in rural Latakia.

___

11:15 a.m.

Officials say government forces have pushed Islamic State militants from some agricultural areas outside the city of Fallujah at the start of a military offensive aimed at recapturing the city from the Islamic State group.

Police 1st Lt. Ahmed Mahdi Salih said Monday that the ground fighting is taking place around the town of Garma, east of Fallujah, which is considered the main supply line to the militants. IS holds the center of Garma and some areas on its outskirts.

Col. Mahmoud al-Mardhi, who is in charge of paramilitary forces, says his troops recaptured at least three agricultural areas outside Garma.

Backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and paramilitary troops, Iraqi government forces launched the long-awaited military offensive on Fallujah late Sunday night.

___

10:30 a.m.

Yemeni security officials say that a pair of suicide bombers killed at least 45 people in the southern city of Aden.

The officials said Monday that the two bombers targeted young men seeking to join the army. One suicide car bomber targeted a line outside an army recruitment center, killing at least 20. A second bomber on foot detonated his explosive vest among a group of recruits waiting outside the home of an army commander, killing at least 25.

The Yemeni officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Yemen's conflict pits the internationally recognized government against Shiite rebels who control the capital, Saana, and are allied with a former president. The country also contains active al-Qaida and Islamic State group affiliates.

People gather at the scene after a pair of suicide bombings attack in the southern city of Aden, Yemen, Monday, May 23, 2016. Yemeni security officials say that a pair of suicide bombers killed dozens of people in the southern city of Aden. (AP Photo)

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrians gather in front of a burning car at the scene where suicide bombers blew themselves up, in the coastal town of Tartus, Syria, Monday, May 23, 2016. The Syrian TV said suicide bombers blew themselves followed by a car bomb in a parking lot packed during morning rush hour. (SANA via AP)