U.N. raises $1.1 billion for Yemen, half of needs for 2017

GENEVA (Reuters) - Donor countries have pledged nearly $1.1 billion for humanitarian aid to Yemen, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the end of a one-day pledging conference on Tuesday. The United Nations has said it needs $2.1 billion this year to avert famine in Yemen, where a child dies every 10 minutes of hunger and disease. Earlier, United Nations and Russian officials warned against an attack by Saudi-led coalition forces on the rebel-held Yemeni port of Hodeidah, the aid lifeline for a country where millions of people are in desperate need of food. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, editing by Tom Miles)