Ukraine starts prisoner swap

Gorlivka ( Ukraine): Ukraine and Russian- backed rebels on Wednesday began to exchange more than 300 prisoners in the war- torn east of the country, the largest such swap since the 2014 outbreak of the insurgency. The swap between the Kiev army and rebels from the self- proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics took place close to the town of Gorlivka, 40 km northeast of the rebels’ stronghold of Donetsk, the news agency reporter said. Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to “lift entirely the blockade” against Yemen so that humanitarian aid can be delivered to the fooddeprived state. The comments came in a phone call between the two leaders on December 24, the French presidency said Wednesday. A Saudi- led military coalition has since 2015 been intervening in Yemen to support its internationally recognised government against Huthi rebels backed by Iran. Air strikes and a far- reaching blockade on Yemen’s air and sea ports have massively reduced the amount of food reaching the country, heavily critical international aid organisations say. In early November, the coalition tightened that blockade in response to a missile fired by the Shiite Huthis that was intercepted near Riyadh airport. Mark Lowcock, the UN undersecretary- general for humanitarian affairs, said that month unless the coalition ends a blockade of the country, Yemen will face “the largest famine the world has seen for many decades, with millions of victims”. The blockade was partially lifted three weeks later under massive pressure, namely over the closure of Hodeida port — key to humanitarian deliveries.