BBC News with Nick Kelly
Both sides in the conflict in South Sudan have agreed to meet for peace talks in Ethiopia to try to halt the violence that's killed at least 1,000 people in the past two weeks. But fighting has continued and Bor forces loyal to the rebel leader Riek Machar are reported to be backing control of the strategic town of Bor. James Copnall is in the capital Juba.
The talks are due to take place in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa once both delegations arrive. The first priority should be agreeing on the terms of a cessation of hostilities. Next would come the potentially more challenging issue of resolving the political fractures that created this crisis. President Salva Kiir has already told the BBC that he will not contemplate sharing power with his rival Riek Machar. Meanwhile the fighting continues. Earlier today, Mr. Machar said his forces had taken the town of Bor.
Aid workers in Syria say hospitals in the country's biggest city Aleppo have been overwhelmed by civilian casualties following intense bombardment by government forces, They say barrel bombs improvised explosives have been dropped on densely populated areas including schools and markets. Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa of the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres has just returned from Aleppo, he said about 4 or 5 barrel bombs a day are been dropped and their impact has been devastating.
“Really, it's probably the most difficult time for the people for the civilians in Aleppo. Everybody is terrified, and you know, paradoxically everybody terrified thinking that good weather would come back tomorrow and everybody are afraid of expecting there more extra to gain.”
Three journalists working for the Al-Jazeera television network have been remanded in custody for 15 days by the Egyptian authorities. The men were arrested on Sunday at a hotel in Cairo. They include the former BBC correspondent Peter Greste who's Australian. Bethany Bell reports from Cairo.
A statement from the Egyptian public prosecutor's office said the journalists were accused of joining an illegal terrorist group. It said they broadcast false news which undermined the Egypt's reputation. Al-Jazeera has condemned the arrests and called for the immediate and unconditional release of its team. The Egyptian authorities have accused Al-Jazeera of bias in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood since the army overthrew president Mohammed Morsi in July. Last week, the Muslim Brotherhood was declared a terrorist organization.
The United States says it has released the last three Chinese Muslim Uighur prisoners from a detention center at Guantanamo Bay. They have arrived in Slovakia which has agreed to take them in. The three men were held at the US prison for more than a decade after being captured in Afghanistan. The Pentagon said their transfer to Slovakia was a milestone in its efforts to close Guantanamo.
World News from the BBC
Doctors treating the German motor racing star Michael Schumacher say there has been a slight improvement in his condition. The seven times Formula 1 champion suffered serious head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps on Sunday. Neurosurgeons at the university hospital in Grenoble carried out a second operation overnight relieve pressure on his brain. They say Schumacher, who's been kept in a medically induced coma is not out of danger yet.
France has given details of sharp cut in the number of troops in Mali. The French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian who's visiting Mali said there has been a 60% reduction over the next three months leaving 1,000 in place. In January this year, French soldiers defeated Islamist rebels who've taken over northern Mali but the insurgent attacks have continued.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia will continue to fight terrorists until their complete annihilation. The comments in a New Year's Eve speech were his first public remarks after two deadly suicide bombings on consecutive days in the city of Volgograd which killed 34 people. Islamist militants from Russia's Caucasus region have been widely blamed for attacks which have raised security concerns ahead February's Winter Olympics.
And millions of people around the world are celebrating the new year. In Dubai fireworks exploded from the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building while revelers in central Moscow watched the spectacular display over the Kremlin. China counted down to midnight with light shows at the Great Wall near Beijing and in Shanghai. Also fireworks displaced in Auckland in New Zealand and Sydney in Australia. And in Hong Kong, fireworks exploded over Victoria Harbour.