Ukraine crisis OSCE monitors 'to be sent to truce violation areas' - BBC News

The leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany have agreed to send OSCE observers to areas of Ukraine where violations of a truce have been reported, Kiev says.

In a statement, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says the leaders - who spoke by phone - backed Kiev's proposal to begin with 10 locations in the east.

A statement on the Russian presidential website did not mention the proposal.

Both Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels say they are withdrawing heavy weapons.

A fragile ceasefire agreed in Minsk, Belarus, is said to be broadly holding, despite some fighting in recent days.

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Obama Iran should halt nuclear work for decade - BBC News

President Barack Obama has said Iran should agree to at least a decade-long freeze on its nuclear activity if a landmark deal is to be finally reached.

In an interview with Reuters, Mr Obama also said the odds were still against such an agreement happening.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to oppose a deal in a speech to Congress on Tuesday.

But the president said Mr Netanyahu had been wrong on Iran before, when he opposed an interim agreement last year.

"Netanyahu made all sorts of claims - this was going to be a terrible deal, this was going to result in Iran getting $50bn worth of relief, Iran would not abide by the agreement."

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Los Angeles police chief says homeless man grabbed for gun - BBC News

The Los Angeles police chief has presented evidence he claims shows that a homeless man reached for an officer's weapon before being shot dead.

Charlie Beck also said two officers were wearing body cameras, but he has declined to release the footage.

He did not release any details about the man - known as Africa - who was shot by three officers just after 12:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Sunday.

Protests about police actions have been held across the US in recent months.

They were sparked by a number of instances where police shot dead black men after a confrontation.

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Fidel Castro's revolutionary lover dies at the age of 89 - BBC News

Natalia Revuelta, a Cuban socialite who emptied her bank account and sold her jewellery to support Fidel Castro when he was planning his insurgency, has died at the age of 89 in Havana.

She caught the eye of Fidel Castro when he was a young revolutionary in 1952.

He used her home for meetings when he was plotting the start of the revolution.

They later had an affair that produced a daughter, Alina, but they never married.

Natalia Revuelta was considered one of the most beautiful women in Cuba.

Blonde and green-eyed, she was a noticeable figure in Havana's social scene when she met Fidel Castro in 1952.

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Uruguay leaders display their love for vintage cars - BBC News

Uruguay's outgoing president Jose Mujica and incoming leader Tabare Vazquez put their love for vintage cars on display at Sunday's inauguration ceremony.

Mr Mujica drove to the ceremony in his 1987 sky-blue Volkswagen Beetle.

Mr Vazquez meanwhile paraded through the city following his swearing-in on the back of a 1951 Fordson lorry.

Mr Mujica, a former rebel who leads an austere life, was dubbed "the world's poorest president".

'Pauper president'
His VW Beetle, valued at $1,800 (£1,170), hit the headlines when it was the only asset listed on the annual personal wealth declaration of the then-president.

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Council of Europe 'set to criticise France on smacking' -BBC News

Europe's top human rights watchdog is to rebuke France for its failure to explicitly ban smacking children, Le Monde newspaper reports.

French law forbids violence against children, but recognises the parents' "right to discipline" children.

The Council of Europe will say that the laws on corporal punishment are "not sufficiently clear, binding and specific", Le Monde says.

The council did not comment. It is to issue its formal ruling on Wednesday.

It follows a complaint by British children's charity Approach, which argues that France and other council members are violating a section of the European Social Charter calling on signatories to protect children.

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South African firefighters battle blaze on Cape Town mountains -BBC News

More than 100 South African firefighters are battling wildfires on the mountains around Cape Town.

Thousands of hectares of vegetation have been reduced to ashes on Chapman's Peak, while several homes and a holiday lodge have been destroyed.

More than 50 people - residents of a retirement home - have been treated for smoke inhalation, officials say.

The fire started on Sunday and was fanned by strong winds, causing it to spread rapidly.

Roads in the area have been closed because of poor visibility.

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