World News Summary: Blast hits military parade in Yemen, at least five dead

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Blast hits military parade in Yemen, at least five dead

A missile fired by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group struck a military parade in Yemen's southern separatist-held town of al-Dhalea, killing at least five people and injuring others, Yemen's Security Belt forces said on Sunday. No claim of responsibility was made and Houthi media did not immediately comment on the blast or accusation. Ukraine starts all-for-all prisoner swap with pro-Russian separatists

Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine started a full prisoner swap on Sunday, driving all remaining detainees in the five-year conflict to a handover point and starting to unload them. The swap, at a checkpoint near the industrial town of Horlivka in the Donetsk region, was expected to see Ukraine hand over 87 separatists in exchange for 55 pro-government Ukrainians, with armed troops from both sides looking on. Turkey to evacuate wounded after deadly Mogadishu blast

A Turkish military cargo plane landed in the Somali capital on Sunday to evacuate people badly wounded in a devastating truck bombing in the city a day earlier that killed at least 90 people including two Turkish nationals. The plane also brought emergency medical staff and supplies, according to a tweet from the Turkish embassy, adding there had been transferred to a Turkish-run hospital in Mogadishu. Tourists stay away from Taj Mahal, other Indian attractions as protests flare

India's tourism industry has been hit by a wave of violent anti-government protests against a new citizenship law that have rocked several cities this month, with at least seven countries issuing travel warnings. At least 25 people have been killed in clashes between police and protesters, and demonstrations against the law continue. Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker ends Mohammad cartoon contest within hours

Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders said on Sunday he had ended a contest for cartoons caricaturing the Prophet Mohammad, only hours after announcing the contentious event. In a tweet posted on Sunday morning, Wilders said international attention on the contest had enabled him to make a point about the importance of freedom of speech. More than 1,000 gather for rain-soaked Hong Kong rally

More than 1,000 people rallied in the rain in a park in Hong Kong's financial district on Sunday, chanting slogans for democracy as they huddled under a sea of umbrellas. The crowd, a mix of young and elderly people, wore black and turquoise surgical masks to hide their identities as they listened to organizers speaking on a makeshift stage. Saudi Arabia sentences Riyadh concert stabber to death: state TV

A Saudi Arabian court on Sunday sentenced to death a man accused of stabbing three performers at a live show in the capital Riyadh in November, state television said. Another man on trial for the same incident was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison, al-Ekhbariya television said. Australian PM announces compensation for volunteer firefighters

The Australian government announced on Sunday it would compensate volunteer firefighters in the state of New South Wales (NSW), as the country's intense bushfire season rages on. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said payments of up to A$6,000 would be available for eligible firefighters who had spent more than 10 days in the field this fire season. Guinea-Bissau votes in presidential run-off pitting two former premiers

Voters in Guinea-Bissau cast ballots on Sunday in a run-off presidential election pitting two former prime ministers who both promise to bring stability to the turbulent West African nation. Incumbent President Jose Mario Vaz failed to make it to the second round after a five-year term marred by regular high-level sackings, a barely functioning parliament and weeks of turmoil in the run-up to the first-round ballot. French coastguards rescue 31 migrants attempting Channel crossing

French coastguards rescued 31 migrants trying to cross the English Channel overnight after the engine of one small boat cut out and the other dinghy began to take in water, local authorities in France said on Sunday. Border and coast guards in Britain and France have recently intercepted several attempted crossings, including on Dec. 26 when 49 suspected migrants were escorted to British shores after a rescue and search operation.