BBC在线收听下载:联合国称也门战争引发人道主义危机

This is the BBC News. Hello, I'm Jonathan Izard.

The UN says both sides in the war in Yemen, which has triggered a vast humanitarian crisis, have promised to attend peace talks soon in Sweden. The UN's envoy to Yemen told the Security Council it could prove a crucial moment in the war between the government and Houthi rebels. Nada Tawfik reports from New York. Martin Griffiths has said he believes the warring parties in Yemen are genuinely committed to attending peace talks. He plans to travel to Sana'a next week to finalize logistics and even offer to personally escort the Houthi delegation to Sweden if needed. Mr. Griffiths also announced that he was close to reaching a deal on the exchange of prisoners. The new diplomatic push comes after the United States and Western powers called for a ceasefire and talks by the end of the month. UN officials have warned that up to fourteen million people, half of Yemen's populention are at risk of famine.

President Trump says he has finished writing his answers to questions posed by Robert Mueller, the US special counsel who's investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Mr. Trump said he himself, not his lawyers, had very easily come up with the answers. Here's our North America correspondent Chris Buckler. Trying to be dismissive and suggesting that they were easy questions, but at the same time while he tries to dismiss and play down the idea of the investigation, you get the real idea from everything he says and tweets that it is playing on his mind. This is the investigation he constantly calls a witch-hunt and of course is worth reminding people that it's looking into potential collusion between Russia and Mr. Trump's campaign during the 2016 presidential election. And also suggestions or allegations that he may have tried to obstruct the investigation, both allegations of course which he very strongly denies.

Ten days after the midterm elections in the United States, the Democratic Party candidate who hoped to become the country's first black female governor has acknowledged that her Republican rival will be sworn in. Stacey Abrams said she had run out of legal options to challenge the outcome of the contest in Georgia, but she accused her opponent Brian Kemp of suppressing the people's democratic right to vote. Hyper-partisans will hear my words as a rejection of the normal order. You see, I'm supposed to say nice things and accept my fate. They will complain that I should not use this moment to recap what was done wrong or to demand a remedy. You see, as a leader, I should be stoic in my outrage and silent in my rebuke. But stoicism is a luxury and silence is a weapon for those who would quiet the voices of the people, and I will not concede because the erosion of our democracy is not right. World news from the BBC.