>> good evening. as numbers of job seekers shrink in the month of december, we examine some hope. spain's economy is turning a corner. plus, houses for riders. we find out about an initiative in the u.s. city of detroit in today's online roundup. we begin, though, in south sudan where newly three weeks of deadly ryan -- three weeks of deadly violence threatens to tip the country into all-out civil war. rival faction things are gathering for talks with the goal of bringing the violence to

an end. theence erupted when president accused his vice president of attempting a coup. >> this luxury hotel is the location for peace talks between government and rebel negotiators. according to ethiopian mediators, those talks got under way this friday with hopes high for a cease-fire to end violence in south sudan, that despite the mistrust felt by both sides. >> we will go and find out who are these people and what are their object is. >> while this uncertainty remains, the writing continues. pranced on toward to rebel held locations on thursday. strategic towns changed hands three times already.

>> fighting erupted in the weeks ago when the president accused his deputy of trying to mount a coup, but the power struggle has taken on an ethnic dimension, pitting the tribes against each other with dire consequences. more than 57,000 people had .r are seeking protection >> aid agencies say the situation is now critical. also food and medicines are running out while sanitation conditions are worsening. we find out more about the origins of this crisis. since independence in 2011,

the first has very deep positions within the ruling people's liberation movement. i finally, a very deep crisis within the military. >> the ruling party, which is tom of course, the sudan people's liberation movement, has been very badly split, hasn't it? there are a number of issues that date that to independence in 2011. tell us more. >> it is split along -- not ethnic lines, actually, but very much about what kind of policy it should have towards khartoum, towards sudan, from which it split, obviously. the president has taken the cooperating with khartoum. he is paying a very expensive price to have the oil flow through sudan, which is the only way it can get out for the moment.

he has also decided to compromise a great deal with the government, whereas other people in the government believe there should be more of a confrontation, that south sudan should be helping rebels that are helping to overthrow the government in khartoum and even take over territories that are disputed. that is a very deep division. the other thing is that the into has never really gone nationbuilding. they have spent most of their time in power plays and also in splitting up those famous oil revenues, so they have left the nationbuilding -- roads, health, education -- they have left it to the international community. >> let's talk more about the ethnic rivalries because they have laid a key role in that unrest there in south sudan. >> ethnic rivalries go back decades in south sudan. during this civil war, a lot of

times, southerners were fighting southerners, and there were deep divisions within the various ethnic groups during that time. when the fighting broke out last time, it quickly turned into ethnic fighting. there is a tribal element to it, to the current crisis. >> tell us more about the situation in south sudan. >> and others, by people have been seized from their house in northern serious -- syria. for more, we can speak now to "france 24's" beirut correspondent, who is following the situation from across the border. what more do we know? >> this is an instance has been

kept largely under wraps. we spoke to the communications officer here in the region. they said this is something they are trying to keep secret, but that it has been leaked, and therefore, they have had to comment on it, but they are trying to keep negotiations behind the scenes. know is for the officers, we do not know what their roles were or their nationalities -- they were taken from their location, taken from their roles. they are now in contact with all the relevant stakeholders, in their words, the presumed kidnappers, trying to secure the release of this very delicate operation. this is very much in line with the journalists who have been taken. this is very much what has tended to happen. they try to keep it under wraps, and also, we do not hear from these infants until long after

it happened. >> what do we know about the presence and their operations there in syria? is it a strong presence? >> they are not actually sanctioned by the regime to work in syria, so they are not such asin the area damascus. they are only working in rebel controlled areas. as we understand it, they have six hospitals and for clinics and about evan hundred -- and volunteers working, so it is a large operation, but only working in these rebel-held areas, which are mainly around damascus and some other areas up in the north. they are a large operation. they lost a surgeon in september. they are working extremely difficult additions. one of the clinics was were people were treated after the chemical weapons attack that occurred in august, so they have very much been on the front line in the line of fire, and this

whole incident shows how very difficult it is for aid workers working in the rebel held areas and the interior in general. the united nations has lost about 12 people. the arab equivalent of the red cross have lost 32 personnel, so it is a very risky environment indeed in which they are working. >> thank you very much for that .pdate in beirut the u.s. secretary of state is today holding a second day of talks with israelis and palestinians as he continues to push for a framework for peace negotiations. the direct talks resumed in july, but fierce opposition on both sides has made for slow progress. trip to thetense state led him to talk with benjamin netanyahu, and then he headed to ramallah where he had talks with the palestinian president. >> a second day of talks with reservations still apparent on both sides.

u.s. secretary of state john kerry ended the day with palestinian president mahmoud abbas in ramallah after spending the morning with israeli officials in jerusalem. he is attempting to get the two parties to agree to a framework or piece deal negotiations. visit to theh region since march last year. >> i know that there are many who are ethical of whether or not the two parties can achieve peace, but i will tell you that i have personally learned power of about the reconciliation. >> israeli media reports some details of the framework may be released as early as saturday morning. that has not stopped both camps from accusing each other of sabotaging peace talks. >> i know i am committed to peace, but unfortunately, given the actions and words of palestinian leaders, there is growing doubt in israel that the palestinians are committed to peace. thesraeli settlements in

west bank remain a major obstacle for the palestinians. other key issues likely to be on the table -- security, refugees, and the police -- the release of political prisoners. around 300 protesters marched through ramallah on friday. claim the agreement solely protect israeli interests. >> the tel aviv hospital treating ariel sharon says the former prime minister is in declining health and close to death. doctors say his vital organs are beginning to fail. sons are reportedly at his bedside, and plans are underway for a state funeral. with the votes counted, madagascar's runoff appears to have had a conclusive outcome, which results in victory for the country's financers, but his closest rivals say the vote was

rigged and that hundreds of complaints are being filed at the electric cord, which will have to rule on a final result. >> his supporters congratulate him even though he has not yet officially won the presidential ballot. provisional results have given him a comfortable lead with it 53.5% of the vote. there are claims of ballot stuffing and other irregularities. the electoral court will have to rule, and its verdict is expected within 15 days. in the meantime, officials remain keen to diffuse tensions. >> it was a competition, not a combat. were competitors, not adversaries. as with any competition, there has been a winner and a loser, but from my point of view, there is no victor and no vanquished.

>> the former finance minister a man who staged a coup in 2009 to become madagascar's leader. he's a relative newcomer to politics described as a technocrat. his analysts believe he has what it takes to put an end to five years of economic and political crisis it is the reach is confirmed. >> this is a triumph of democracy. we can confidently look to the future. this country will find its place again. >> madagascar's next president will have to regain the confidence of international investors and tourists. the world bank estimates the country has lost the equivalent of almost 6 billion euros as a direct result of the 2009 political crisis. >> the indian prime minister announced that he will step down after elections later on this year.

the reader, whose father, grandmother, and great- grandmother were all prime and their time should take his place. northeastern areas of the united states are in the grip of a weather system which has brought with it heavy snow to boston, new york, to some of the places to be under a link it up tick snow, which is making for perilous driving conditions, which has resulted in the cancellation of dozens of flights. we have more now from a very .hilly new york >> it is freezing cold here in new york city. a winter storm has hit the entire northeast coast of the united states. here in central park, it is about -12 degrees centigrade today, around 16 centimeters of snow have fallen.

thousands or hundreds of flights have been canceled, and transport is disrupted here. however,y is working, and that's how i got here. some people are enjoying this snow. it looks like a winter wonderland here in central park. >> the retired formula one legend michael schumacher remains in a coma following a skiing accident in the french outs last weekend. a group of loyal supporters have been gathering this friday outside the hospital where he is fighting for his life. they are holding a silent tribute because today is his 45th birthday. the most successful f1 driver in history has suffered severe head injuries. >> let's get a reminder of our .op stories south sudan's warring rivals hold direct talks. jacking a framework for peace

, john kerry holds talks with the israeli and palestinian leaders. and the governors of new york and new jersey declaring states of emergency, advising people to avoid all but essential travel. it's time now for a check of the top is this new stories. , tom, and everyone at home. with signs the recovery in that country is finally taking hold after a deep session, official figures show the number of jobless in spain dropped by 107,000 during december, the second-biggest drop on record. luke brown has more details. >> still queuing up the door at this employment office in madrid, yet to feel a sharp fall in the jobless numbers, official figures indicate people applying fell by thement

biggest number and over a decade, a cause for some optimism. >> we have seen the unemployment never go down. i think this year will be positive. >> for the entire year, nearly 100 50,000 people left the cues of job seekers, taking the total to 4.7 million. for the government, it is vindication for its tough austerity measures as well as reforms in the labor market. >> if these figures reflect improvement, this trend started in may 2012. >> reinforcing the optimism, spain's borrowing rate hit its lowest level since 2010 as the economy finally emerged from its two-year recession with growth of .1%. that, though, is little compensation for many spanish jobseekers. >> the data show that only 6.5% of the figures that have been

.iven today are permanent jobs of those, only half are full- time ones. >> with spain's unemployment 26%, theing at almost recovery remains fragile. soughtment by ikea 20,000 applicants but just 400 job posts. >> lending by european banks to companies flipped in november. it was down 3.1% in comparison to the same on 2012 according to the european central bank. bending is a temperature gauge of investment and the wider economy. analysts say the figure underlines the need.

ben bernanke has said that the u.s. central bank is committed to low interest rates, which is really putting a spring into investors' steps by the looks of it. earlier on this side of the atlantic, we saw the emphasis close in positive territory. data shows they rebounded after a negative start to the year. shares were in focus in paris. they fell back to .5% after the surprise resignation of the .hief executive he says he threw in the towel for person at best personal reasons, but it comes as sales are under pressure, especially in key market of china. other news insome brief as well. spain's government is stepping

into a row over the expansion of the panama canal. a spanish minister will travel to panama this weekend. the project has gone $1.6 million over budget. an italian spanish consortium has threatened to halt construction unless panama pays the difference. the panamanian president had an angry reaction, accusing the consortium of irresponsibility. thousands of lights have been grounded as a snowstorm slammed into the northeastern part of the united states -- thousands of flights. more than 2200 flights have been canceled on friday alone. the state of emergency has been declared in both new york and new jersey, and officials urge residents to stay at home. and there are growing fears that a housing bubble is building in britain. on a yearly basis, stocks climbed 8.5%.

the british government launched a scheme last year to boost mortgage lending. economist swore it is more likely to raise prices and stimulate construction. finally, virtual currency bit coin attracted attention last year as his sword in value. one such currency has been named after kanye west. the anonymous creators behind me west say they chose its name because of the ingenuity of the wrapper. west has yet to comment publicly on the currency named after him. how would you like to have a currency named after he you? >> it must be very flattering is all i can assume. >> i wonder how much a tom would be worth. >> a lot, i should assume, though not as much as a marcus.

thank you very much indeed. that is it for me this half hour. i will be back at half past 9:00 harris time with the top stories. >> hello and welcome to today's news where we look at stories that have been making the day's headlines. coming up, wave users in lebanon share their hopes and expectations for 2014. detroit is offering free houses , and a mountain bike can't takes us on a dizzy descent down a canyon. web users in lebanon have taken through aworks campaign launched in the wake of two deadly bomb attacks. campaign organizers are describing changes they would like to see in 2014 and the grievances they have with their country. many are criticizing the

community splits and the nomination system that governs political life and are calling for a secular lebanon. home to 18 is religious groups and is often caught up in regional conflicts. these web users want to see the institutionalization of civil unions. back in april, authorities officially recognized a sunni- shiite marriage, the first time a couple from a different religious community had been allowed to marry. other new your hopes and wishes include giving women the right to pass on their lebanese nationality to their husbands or children. this is something hundreds of social networkers have been asking for. others have been campaigning for gay rights. this musician, for example, writes, "i want to hold my boyfriend's hand without being afraid of the police." others say they really help

change comes to lebanon and they will not have to move elsewhere in the hopes of a better future. in an effort to revitalize the nonprofit is offering a house to any writer who comes to right there. the officially bankrupt u.s. city lost a quarter of its population between the years 2000 and 2010 with the decline of the automobile industry. the team behind the project hopes it will help to inspire writers. they have launched a campaign hoping to raise money to pay for restoration work on the first house. the initiative has been one in partnership with young detroit builders, a young -- a nonprofit that trains and you to work in the building industry. the organization will thus be in charge of doing these abandoned buildings a new lease of life.

households program will kill two birds with one stone -- get young people employment and revive the city. the application period will begin in the spring, but the nonprofit says it has already received a lot of requests from local and international writers. tiger shark attacked it -- , and a twitter account installed by the shark. quicker than radio or the media, this warning system could prove effective and detecting swimmers

on this particularly dangerous part of the ocean, which has seen six fatal attacks since 2011. some web users provided answers to what world leaders have studied at university, a color- ised guide to the syllabus provided by different heads of state, and it comes as no surprise that economics and law dominate the mat. the president of iran has a literature degree, and the nigerian president is the only head of state to have a zoo all the g qualification. -- zoology qualification. a collection of one hundred- year-old photo negatives has been found in antarctica. they have been scanned and posted online by new zealand's .rctic heritage trust this is where the box of negatives was founded over 100

years later, frozen in a solid block of ice. afterñmw

01/03/14 01/03/14 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! .> i'm sorry am i supposed to cry? am i supposed to cry because i am a woman? am i supposed to feel these emotions right now i not go in shock and not know what is happening? what you might see on tv, more of what they perceived as an actual rape. >> today a shocking story of how a texas student was kickeou