UN-sponsored talks on Yemen war to begin in Sweden

A UN team is working with delegations from the Yemen government and the Houthi rebels to enable informal talks to begin at Johannesberg Castle outside Stockholm. The talks, scheduled to last a week, are not expected to produce a breakthrough towards ending the four-year war but, more immediately, to avert an all-out battle for the rebel-held Red Sea port of Hudaydah. This is the main port of entry for food and other essential supplies to reach a population on the point of famine.