BBC News with David Austin
The President of South Sudan Salva Kiir has ruled out a power-sharing agreement with the rebel leader Riek Machar to try to end ethnic violence that has left thousands died. President Kiir also refused to release detained political allies of his rival. President Kiir said Mr. Machar, his former deputy and his followers should not be rewarded for rebelling.
These men have rebelled. If you want power, you don't rebel, you go through the process. When I came here I didn't come through a military coup. I came because I was elected by the people. Elections are coming in 2015, why did he not wait so that he goes through that same process?
The religious leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo has told the BBC that his followers carried out attacks in the capital Kinshasa on the airports, the national broadcasting station and a military base. The self-proclaimed prophet Joseph Mukungubila, who is a critic of President Kabila, said the violence was in response to government harassment. Richard Hamilton reports.
Joseph Mukungubila who calls himself the eternal prophet ran unsuccessfully against Joseph Kabila for the presidency back in 2006. Since then, he says he and his followers have suffered frequent harassment. He told the BBC that the final straw came when security forces beat up supporters who were distributing in an open letter from him against the President. He said Monday's attacks were in reaction to this government repression. It looks as if the security forces opened fire on many youths armed just with machetes and sticks leaving corpses on the streets of Kinshasa.
The United States has offered Russia its full cooperation in security preparations for February's Winter Olympics after two suicide bomb attacks in the city of Volgograd in two days. The US said it would welcome the opportunity to help guarantee the safety of athletes and spectators of the Sochi Games. At least 31 people were killed in the blasts.
There has been an outpouring of support around the world for the German motor racing star Michael Schumacher who's fighting for his life after a skiing accident in the French Alps. Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was extremely shocked along with millions of Germans. Schumacher is in a medically induced coma after an operation to relieve pressure on his brain. The F1 driver, Gerhard Berger, a friend said that it was a difficult time.
Michael has a lot of physical strength, he knows to handle accidents, he knows to fight, with his body. It's not the first time that he's been into some critical situation, but still, I think this time, as I understood the doctors, the situation is extremely critical for his life and all what we can do is to pray for him and hope that he can survive.The F1 driver Gerhard Berger.
World News from the BBC
More than 40 MPs in Iraq have offered their resignations after security forces broke up a long-running Sunni anti-government protest. At a news conference, the MPs from a Sunni political alliance demanded the withdrawal of the army and the release of a Sunni politician arrested on Saturday.
The Al Jazeera television network has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of four of its journalists who were arrested in Egypt. The authorities in Cairo accused the journalists of illegally contacting members of the Muslim Brotherhood which was last week declared a terrorist organization. From Cairo Bethany Bell.
The four journalists were arrested in Cairo late last night. In a statement, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said they had held illegal meetings with the banned Muslim Brotherhood. The statement said cameras, recordings and Muslim Brotherhood pamphlets had been seized from hotel rooms in Cairo. The four journalists include the award-winning former BBC correspondent Peter Greste who is an Australian, and a bureau chief Mohamed Fadel Fahmy is Canadian. A producer and a cameraman were also detained.
More than 100 indigenous people in Brazil's Amazon region have returned to their reserve several days after seeking refuge in a nearby military base. Members of the Tenharim tribe fled their lands on Christmas Day after riots in a nearby town of Humaita. Local groups accused the tribe of abducting three government workers earlier this month in apparent retaliation for the death of an indigenous leader. The tribe denies any involvement.
The United States has approved six test sites in its many states to develop the use of drones for commercial uses. The Federal Aviation Administration said sites from Alaska to Texas will be used to study the operation of unmanned aircraft in diverse climates and geography. Hitherto used mainly by the military, drones are now being considered everything from crop spraying to package delivery.