BBC News with Jonathan Izard
The rebel Free Syrian Army has given the government a 48-hour deadline to withdraw all its forces from Syrian citizen villages or it will abandon any commitment to the international peace plan. A rebel officer, Colonel Qassem Saadeddine, made the demand in a video posted on the Internet. Jim Muir reports.
Colonel Qassem Saadeddine, who is effectively commander of the Free Syrian Army forces on the ground inside Syria, said that after all the atrocities perpetrated by the regime, there was no longer any reason to abide unilaterally by the truce. He gave the authorities 48 hours, expiring at midday local time on Friday to abide by the ceasefire and withdraw its military and heavy weaponry to barracks. If that didn't happen, the colonel said, the Free Syrian Army would abandon any obligations under the Annan plan, and defend and protect the people.
Earlier, the UN Security Council heard that engagement between the Syrian government and the opposition was impossible while the violence continued. The deputy special envoy, Jean-Marie Guehenno, said the opposition had lost its fear, but he said it remained vital that all parties recommit to a full sensational violence as any slide towards a full-scale civil war in Syria would be catastrophic.
The United Nations says that Sudanese troops have withdrawn from the disputed region of Abyei, which is also claimed by South Sudan, that a sizable number of Sudanese police remain, some of whom appear to be troops who have changed into police uniforms. South Sudan's information minister told the BBC that two platoons of Sudanese soldiers were now in Abyei town. They presence may prevent the return of more than 100,000 civilians.
Victims of Sierra Leone civil war have welcomed the jail sentence of 50 years given to Charles Taylor for his role in the conflict. Mr Taylor, the former president of neighboring Liberia, was found guilty of war crimes by a special court in The Hague for aiding and directing rebels in Sierra Leone. Umaru Fofana is in the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown.
Their reaction here has been one of excitement. A lot of people had their arms and limbs lost during the country's ten-year brutal civil war. Having calling my telephone line in the last couple of hours, some of them have gathered in northern town of Makeni, they are playing a football gala – will you believe it - for amputees. And they are really excited. They say they feel as if justice has now been restored to them. One of their leaders in Freetown here at the court's special courtroom told me that he felt as if his amputated arm has now been replanted into him.
Some of those affected have called for Mr Taylor's assets to be seized to provide for their long-term care.
The top prosecutor in Egypt has accused the two sons of the former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of insider trading and referred them to the criminal court. A statement by the prosecutor general's office said the two sons along with seven others made illicit gains from the sale of a bank while Mr Mubarak was still in power.
World News from the BBC
Borrowing costs in Spain have risen sharply. They are close to the levels that forced Greece and Ireland to seek international bailouts. Karen Hogan reports.
If the Spanish government borrows money on the international markets, it has to pay nearly 5.5% more than the German government. This, spread as that's known, is a sign of just how much riskier investors think it is to lend to Spain. Also, the cost of the insurance that lenders take out to protect themselves against Spain not being able to repay its loans has hit a record high. This matters because the troubled Spanish economy has a pressing need to borrow money at an affordable rate, not least to pay for the multibillion-dollar bailout of bank here – its fourth biggest bank.
The French journalist Romeo Langlois has been released at a remote village in southern Colombia by Farc rebels who held him hostage for a month. He was abducted during an army anti-drugs operation. Arturo Wallace reports from Bogota.
Romeo Langlois said he was doing fine – a little tired, but fine. As he arrived in the small village in southern Colombia and regained his freedom, the France 24 reporter said that other than holding him captive while he was injured, the Farc guerrillas had treated him well. Mr Langlois also said he was sorry both sides of the conflict had tried to use him for political reasons, and he also expressed his hope the Colombian army would continue taking journalists to the frontline.
The Italian footballer, Mario Balotelli, a black player with the English Champions Manchester City, has said he will leave the pitch if he is racially abused at the Euro 2012 football tournament in Poland and Ukraine next month. His comments follow a BBC documentary which highlighted football-related violence and discrimination in the two host nations. The Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman called the documentary simplistic and one-sided, adding that none of the nearly half a million British tourists in Poland last year had reported any racial abuse. BBC News
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