With the death toll rising amid fierce fighting in Yemen, the UN Secretary General has called for an immediate ceasefire.<br /><br /> It is the first time Ban Ki-moon has made such an appeal since Saudi-led airstrikes against Houthi rebels allied with Iran began three weeks ago.<br /><br /> The Houthis and soldiers loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh are battling forces loyal to Hadi.<br /><br /> “I am calling for an immediate ceasefire in Yemen by all the parties,” Ban said in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington. <br /><br /> “The Saudis have assured me that they understand that there must be a political process. I call on all Yemenis to participate in good faith.<br /><br /> “The United Nations-supported diplomatic process remains the best way out of a drawn-out war with terrifying implications for regional stability,” he said.<br /><br /> Ban’s special adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, recently resigned, reportedly frustrated about the lack of progress in peace talks.<br /><br /> He has been replaced by the Mauritanian diplomat I
