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BBC news 2014-01-24

BBC News with Julie Candler

The South Sudanese government and rebels have signed a ceasefire deal in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa after weeks of fighting. Initial reports say the deal provides for the release of detained 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 to stop their troops from fighting, humanitarian aid workers should be able to access those most in need. However, the broader political divides, which triggered this conflict, will still need to be addressed. The gulf between President Salva Kiir and the rebel leader Riek Machar is a large one. In addition, the fighting has exacerbated ethnic tensions. Bringing a divided nation back together will perhaps be the biggest challenge of all.

Anti-government protests in Ukraine have spread beyond the capital Kiev. Demonstrators have stormed state offices in three western cities, forcing the governor of Lviv to declare his resignation, which he later rescinded. A temporary truce was agreed in Kiev while President Viktor Yanukovych met opposition leaders. Steve Rosenberg is in Kiev.

The opposition is demanding the scrapping of restrictions on public protest, that the interior minister be sacked and fresh elections. So far President Yanukovych has shown no sign of budging. But he has called an emergency session of parliament for next week. Meanwhile, in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, hundreds of pro-euro protesters broke into the office of the regional governor. They cheered when they forced the governor, who’s from the president’s party, to resign.

The United States Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a high-level review of the state of American nuclear forces. Officials said Mr Hagel would summon military leaders to the Pentagon to discuss serious personnel and leadership problems. Last week 34 officers responsible for launching nuclear missiles were suspended after allegations of cheating in a proficiency test.

The president of Barcelona football club, Sandro Rosell, has resigned over allegations of misappropriation of funds in the signing of the Brazilian star Neymar last year. Mr Rosell said the accusations were wrong and unfair, but he felt that Barcelona’s image would be damaged if he remained in charge. Leonardo Rocha reports.

The main allegation against the Barcelona president is that Neymar cost the Spanish club nearly 40m euros or $50m more than officially announced. The money is alleged to have been given to Neymar’s father, who’s also his agent, and to other people involved in the negotiation in 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 of Barcelona 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 civil war ahead of formal peace talks in Geneva on Friday. Mr Brahimi is trying to ensure they agree to sit down face to face for the biggest effort yet to end the conflict. Opposition officials have stressed the importance of practical steps including ceasefires and corridors for humanitarian aid.

A court in Sicily has held that the Mafia once plotted to blow up the famous leaning tower of Pisa. The allegation was made by Gioacchino La Barbera, a former Mafia member turned informant. Alan Johnston reports from Rome.

The Mafia was ever aiming to strike a major psychological blow at the height of their war with the state. La Barbera said the plot only failed because the authorities found a cache of explosives that was earmarked for the job. Of course the credibility of this kind of witness has to be questioned. He’s a man whose life has been steeped in organised crime. On the other hand, at about the same time as the alleged plot in Pisa, the Mafia did bomb the famous Uffizi Art Gallery in Florence.

Fighting has broken out in the Turkish parliament during a debate over the corruption scandal that has embroiled the government of the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. An opposition MP was taken to hospital after being punched in the face. Politicians attacked each other during discussions over a bill designed to tighten the government’s control over the judiciary. The opposition accuses the government of wanting to use the bill to halt a corruption investigation.

The Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber has appeared in court in the United States charged with driving under the influence of drugs or drink, road racing and resisting arrest. He was granted bail in the sum of $2,500. Police in Miami Beach stopped the 19-year-old star as he drove a yellow Lamborghini in the early hours of Thursday.

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