The chief of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, Hilde Johnson, has called for an end to fighting.

Speaking to the BBC, Johnson said the humanitarian situation was getting worse.

"Violence has been committed by both sides. Unfortunately, elements on both sides have exploited the situation and have fuelled ethnic tension," Johnson said.

The South Sudanese government and opposition rebels are due to start peacetalks in Addis Ababa today.

Mediators have said that the rivals are expected to reach an agreement in order to halt the violence that has plagued the country.

"The two sides are expected to reach an agreement on the cessation of hostilities and peaceful resolution of the current political crisis," a statement by the Ethiopian government said.

Despite weeks of talks, no deal was reached on some of the most contentious issues continuing to be of concern in Northern Ireland.

Talks with all five parties, headed by the former US diplomat, Dr Haass, and co-chair, Prof Meghan O'Sullivan, were set to look at the issue of flags, parades and accounting for the past. However, despite a deadline ending today, no deal was reached.

Nonetheless Dr Haass said that "significant progress" had been made. Stating that flags had been the "toughest area of negotiations", Dr Haass added,

British government ministers have joined calls for the UK to consider accommodating refugees fleeing the conflict regions in Syria.

The conservative party health minister, Lord Howe, urged the UK to reconsider its stance and pledge to accommodate Syrian refugees.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell and UK Independence Party leader, Nigel Farage, made similar calls in recent days.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 live breakfast, Lord Howe said,

Al Jazeera has demanded the immediate release of four journalists who were arrested in Cairo by the Egyptian government on Sunday evening.

The four arrested men who work for Al Jazeera are, correspondent Peter Greste, producers Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, and cameraman Mohamed Fawzy.

Security forces and opposition activists clashed in Bangaldesh’s capital for the second day yesterday, resulting in at least one death.

Reports suggest that hundreds of people have been detained in the crack-down on protests ahead of next week’s elections and the death of at least one 21 year old protestor.  

Chinese police have shot dead 8 Uighurs who attacked a police station in Xinjiang province.

According to state officials, the men attacked the police station with knives and explosives, before being repulsed by armed police.

Two weeks ago 16 people were left dead after riots, blamed on “extremists” by Beijing.

The Syrian government’s use of ‘barrel bombs’ have killed hundreds in the last few weeks, claimed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, after the latest such attack killed at least 25 people on Saturday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that 517 people had been killed by barrel bomb attacks since the 15th of December, when the Syrian government launched a fresh offensive in the northern province of Aleppo.

Cuba has eased restrictions on loans to small businesses and individuals, in a move to boost the country’s economy.

The measure was initially launched by President Rahul Castro 2 years ago, but the lower limit for the borrowing amount has been lowered to 1,000 pesos, from 3,000 pesos.

The maximum period of the loan has also been extended from 5 years to 10 years.

A few weeks ago the Cuban government lifted restrictions on private individuals buying new and used cars.

Human Rights Watch has criticised the decision by Egypt’s military-run government to list the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, slamming the move as “politically driven”.

Stating that the government’s terrorist designation seems intended to end all Muslim Brotherhood activities, Sarah Leah Whitson, the organisation’s Middle East and North Africa director went on to add,