The South Sudanese government and rebels have signed a ceasefire deal in the Ethiopian capitalAddis Ababa after weeks of fighting. Initial reports say the deal provides for the release ofdetained political leaders, a key demand of the rebels. James Copnall reports.
This is a vital first step in what is likely to be a drawn-out process. If both sides are able tostop their troops from fighting, humanitarian aid workers should be able to access those mostin need. However, the broader political divides, which triggered this conflict, will still need to beaddressed. The gulf between President Salva Kiir and the rebel leader Riek Machar is a largeone. In addition, the fighting has exacerbated ethnic tensions. Bringing a divided nation backtogether will perhaps be the biggest challenge of all.
Anti-government protests in Ukraine have spread beyond the capital Kiev. Demonstrators havestormed state offices in three western cities, forcing the governor of Lviv to declare hisresignation, which he later rescinded. A temporary truce was agreed in Kiev while PresidentViktor Yanukovych met opposition leaders. Steve Rosenberg is in Kiev.
The opposition is demanding the scrapping of restrictions on public protest, that the interiorminister be sacked and fresh elections. So far President Yanukovych has shown no sign ofbudging. But he has called an emergency session of parliament for next week. Meanwhile, in thecity of Lviv in western Ukraine, hundreds of pro-euro protesters broke into the office of theregional governor. They cheered when they forced the governor, who’s from the president’sparty, to resign.
The United States Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a high-level review of the stateof American nuclear forces. Officials said Mr Hagel would summon military leaders to thePentagon to discuss serious personnel and leadership problems. Last week 34 officersresponsible for launching nuclear missiles were suspended after allegations of cheating in aproficiency test.
The president of Barcelona football club, Sandro Rosell, has resigned over allegations ofmisappropriation of funds in the signing of the Brazilian star Neymar last year. Mr Rosell saidthe accusations were wrong and unfair, but he felt that Barcelona’s image would be damaged ifhe remained in charge. Leonardo Rocha reports.
The main allegation against the Barcelona president is that Neymar cost the Spanish clubnearly 40m euros or $50m more than officially announced. The money is alleged to have beengiven to Neymar’s father, who’s also his agent, and to other people involved in the negotiationin secret contract. The rumours have been reported in the Spanish media for several weeks,but on Monday it was revealed that an official investigation is underway. Supporters ofBarcelona in Santos, the Brazilian striker’s former club, have reacted in anger.
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The international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has met representatives of both sides in Syria’s civilwar ahead of formal peace talks in Geneva on Friday. Mr Brahimi is trying to ensure they agreeto sit down face to face for the biggest effort yet to end the conflict. Opposition officials havestressed the importance of practical steps including ceasefires and corridors for humanitarianaid.
A court in Sicily has held that the Mafia once plotted to blow up the famous leaning tower ofPisa. The allegation was made by Gioacchino La Barbera, a former Mafia member turnedinformant. Alan Johnston reports from Rome.
The Mafia was ever aiming to strike a major psychological blow at the height of their war withthe state. La Barbera said the plot only failed because the authorities found a cache ofexplosives that was earmarked for the job. Of course the credibility of this kind of witnesshas to be questioned. He’s a man whose life has been steeped in organised crime. On the otherhand, at about the same time as the alleged plot in Pisa, the Mafia did bomb the famous UffiziArt Gallery in Florence.
Fighting has broken out in the Turkish parliament during a debate over the corruptionscandal that has embroiled the government of the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Anopposition MP was taken to hospital after being punched in the face. Politicians attacked eachother during discussions over a bill designed to tighten the government’s control over thejudiciary. The opposition accuses the government of wanting to use the bill to halt acorruption investigation.
The Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber has appeared in court in the United States charged withdriving under the influence of drugs or drink, road racing and resisting arrest. He was grantedbail in the sum of $2,500. Police in Miami Beach stopped the 19-year-old star as he drove ayellow Lamborghini in the early hours of Thursday.
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