BBC News:普京歡迎同性戀歌手艾爾頓·約翰

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The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has told the two sides in Syria's civil war that the timehas come for earnest negotiations to end the conflict. Speaking after the first day of peaceconference in Switzerland, Mr.Ban said Syrians must come together to save their country andprotect their children. Earlier, Syrian government and opposition delegations tradedaccusations, highlighting sharp divisions over whether President Assad should have a role in anytransitional government. The Syrian ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari said no one coulddictate to Syrians.

“The Syrian people are the only party that will decide for the future of Syria, it's not up to thisminister or that minister to decide for the future of our own country. The process endorsed bythe Security Council, mediated by Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, endorsed by Sergei Lavrov, speaksabout a Syrian-led political process”.

Opposition leaders in Ukraine have warned demonstrators in Kiev to prepare for a new policeoffensive against them after a day of violence in the streets of the capital. Addressingthousands of protesters, the boxer-turned politician Vitaly Klischko said the opposition wouldgo on the offensive if President Viktor Yanukovych did not agree to call earlier elections. DanielStandford is in Kiev.

This was the worst violence so far this week, as night fell, the small square near parliament,that's the scene of the protests, was still dangerous and chaotic.

“This square in central Kiev is like a vision of hell with a line of piles of black tyres burning,producing yellow flames and towers of thick black acrid smoke”

The parliament is being targeted because it has passed new anti-protest laws that came intoforce today. These ban traditional ways of demonstrating in Ukraine, like blockading publicbuildings and putting up tents.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for a restraint on military expansion in Asia inhis keynote address at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Mr.Abe said Japan's relations withChina were reminiscent of those between Britain and Germany on the eve of the first World Wara century ago. He said their economies were independent, and continued peace will deliverprosperity to the whole region.

The pop star Elton John has offered to introduce President Vladimir Putin to members ofRussia's gay community who he says has been threatened because of new laws onhomosexuality. Artyom Liss had reports from Los Angeles.

Elton John visited Russia in December and said he met many people, from the lesbain gay bysexual and transgender community who said they've been attacked or threatened as the resultof the new laws. The singer said what he heard reinforce to media report saying that vicioushomophobia has been legitimised by the legislation and given extremists the cover to abusepeople's basic human rights. President Putin has denied being homophobic and said he washappy to meet Mr. Elton John to discuss the policies.

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Violence has erupted at the trial of 11 Nigerians accused of being homosexual. The trial at thenorthern city of Bauchi was interrupted by angry youths who shouted and threw stonesoutside the court house. Police used teargas to disperse the crowd. All those defendants havebeen trialed under Sharia or Islamic law, Nigeria has also tightened anti-gay legislation underits penal code.

The South African government has ordered sculptors to remove a bronze rabbit they hid in theear of the stature of Nelson Mandela as a signature of their work. A government spokesmenMogomotsi Mogodiri said it should be taken away as soon as possible to restore dignity to thestatue.

“We never could mention a statue which would have a rabbit hid on its ear. So we are reallyunhappy that somebody decided on their own to put some to which we'd met with respect,soit is not right, we'd want people to see that statue as a symbol of hope not about somethinglike a rabbit”

The sculptors said they'd added the creature after the authorities refused to allow them toengrave their signatures. The nine-meter high bronze figure was unveiled in Pretoria a dayafter Mr.Mandela was buried.

Venezuela has announced reforms to its foreign currency exchange system in an effort tocombat inflation and boost the economy. The low official exchange rate for the dollar will bemaintained for essential imports such as medicines and food. But Venezuelans traveling abroador buying luxuries will have to pay a much higher rate, determined by weekly currencyauctions. Some economists say the changes amount to a devaluation by stealth, despite its oilwealth. Venezuela has faced a shortage of staple goods.

The controversial French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala has been questioned by policeafter bailiffs said they were shot at with rubble bullets when they went to his home. Dieudonnewho's been accused of anti-Semitism owes thousands of dollars in unpaid fines for offencesincluding discrimination. The bailiffs said they were fired on when they went to issue a demandfor payment.

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