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December 31, 2013 -- Updated 1625 GMT (0025 HKT)

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South Sudan: Rebels, army forces clash

East African nations had set a deadline of today for the two sides fighting in South Sudan to talk. Instead, they battled in the key town of Bor, undermining efforts to bring more than two weeks of violence to an end. FULL STORY

South Sudan peace talks planned as forces clash in key town

By Arwa Damon. Antonia Mortensen and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

December 31, 2013 -- Updated 1619 GMT (0019 HKT)

South Sudanese troops loyal to President Salva Kiir are shown at Bor airport after they retook it from rebels on December 25.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: Warring sides in South Sudan have agreed to a cease-fire, African body says
NEW: Rebels and government troops are fighting in Bor and Bentiu towns
The rebels are loyal to former South Sudan Vice President Riek Machar
President Salva Kiir has said his forces "will fight" if Machar will not agree to talk

Juba, South Sudan (CNN) -- South Sudan President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar have agreed to a cessation of hostilities and to peace talks, an East African trading bloc said Tuesday.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, along with the African Union and other countries, has been mediating between the battling parties following an outbreak of deadly violence in South Sudan.

Despite the apparent breakthrough, fighting continued Tuesday in the towns of Bor, capital of oil-rich Jonglei state, and Bentiu, in Unity state, with no sign of a cease-fire in sight.

East African leaders on Friday gave the warring factions four days to lay down their arms, in a bid to bring more than two weeks of violence to an end.

A source close to Machar told CNN on Tuesday that the rebel leader has sent a delegation to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, for talks with the South Sudanese government.

South Sudan on edge

Kiir: African leaders should've helped

Inside a refugee camp in South Sudan.

Dina Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Kiir and Machar would meet in the city.

But the source close to Machar told CNN he was not going himself but was sending a team that includes Rebecca Garang, the widow of former leader John Garang, and the acting governor of Jonglei state.

Mufti said the discussions would have an "unstructured agenda," with the talking points to be decided in the course of the meeting.

It will be chaired by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who's the current chairman of the African Union and Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Other parties will also mediate in the talks, Mufti said.

CNN was unable to reach anyone from the South Sudanese government for comment on the talks.

Kiir, from South Sudan's Dinka ethnic group, has accused troops loyal to Machar, from the Nuer community, of trying to launch a coup.

The two men have long been political rivals, and Kiir dismissed Machar, along with the Cabinet, in July.

Kiir told CNN's Arwa Damon in an interview Monday that African nations should have acted quickly to help quell the rebel forces.

As soon as an attempted coup took place and violence broke out, "the original leaders and all African leaders should have come in with military support," so that the rebels would have been "crushed once and for all," he said.

If the other side, led by Machar, does not agree to talk, then "we will fight," Kiir vowed. "In both cases," he said, peace "will be restored."

Sanctions threat

The leaders of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development warned Friday that they would "take action" to stop the conflict that the United Nations says has killed more than 1,000 people and forced about 122,000 from their homes.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, at a news conference, said that if Machar did not agree to talks, the other countries would "go for him." Asked what that means, he said, "defeat him."

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which met Monday in Gambia, called on all sides to "immediately and unconditionally cease hostilities" and engage in dialogue.

It also warned it would take measures including "targeted sanctions" against those who incite violence and ethnic strife, hinder humanitarian efforts or harm civilians.

White Army

Bor, a strategically important town in the center of the country, has been a flashpoint for violence.

It was recaptured by the army last week in a bloody battle. But the latest clashes suggest that rebels loyal to Machar are unwilling to let go easily.

Sudan People's Liberation Army spokesman Col. Phillip Aguer warned over the weekend that about 20,000 ethnic Nuer from the so-called White Army, an ethnic militia loyal to Machar, were headed to Bor.

South Sudanese Deputy Information Minister Rachel Nyedak Paul told CNN on Monday that government officials had persuaded the White Army to retreat from the town.

But members of the militia were involved in Tuesday's clashes, according to Paul -- suggesting that the agreement had broken down.

The youths are known as the White Army for the white powder they use to cover their skin as an insect repellent.

Fighting first broke out on December 15 in the capital city of Juba. It then quickly spread across the country, with reports of mass killings that were lent credence by mass graves.

'No clean water, no food'

The violence has sparked a growing humanitarian crisis.

Of at least 122,000 people displaced since the fighting began, about 63,000 have taken refuge in U.N. bases in the country, according to the United Nations.

The nongovernmental organization Doctors Without Borders said Monday that aid is urgently needed for 70,000 people who have fled the fighting in Bor.

They have sought shelter in the town of Awerial, in neighboring Lakes state, but the town is ill-equipped to cope with the influx, it said. "Living conditions are verging on the catastrophic," the group said in a prepared statement.

Aurelie Dupont, emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Awerial, said the situation for women and children who've fled their homes with few belongings was alarming.

"There is no clean water, no food, and no place to shelter or sleep," she said. "They are relying solely on the help of the local population."

A report submitted to the African Union council meeting said the situation on the ground remains "very volatile," amid worsening ethnic tensions.

"There are reliable reports that a large number of civilians died in a series of selective killings in Bor town, in Jonglei State, and Bentiu town, in Unity State, that looks very much like an ethnic pogrom," it said.

South Sudan formally split from Sudan in 2011 after a referendum, following decades of conflict. Numerous armed groups remain active in the oil-rich country.

Who's got biggest fireworks show?

Come on, who else would it be? Find out the answer -- and what else to look out for -- in our rundown of the most epic parties on New Year's Eve. FULL STORY | NEW YEAR'S AROUND WORLD

New Year's Eve: Ushering in 2014 with edible confetti, drag queen drop

By Holly Yan, CNN

December 31, 2013 -- Updated 1535 GMT (2335 HKT)

New Year's Eve Around the World

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Revelers in London can enjoy edible confetti choreographed to fireworks
Dubai is planning to set a world record with 400,000 fireworks exploding in six minutes
40,000 new laws go into effect in the U.S., some involving pot, placentas and shark fins
A bar in Florida celebrates by lowering a drag queen from a giant shoe from the building

(CNN) -- Yes, it's New Year's Eve again, time to bust out the champagne and make resolutions you probably won't keep.

But this year's different. Cities around the world will host some of the most amazing celebrations ever. Edible confetti raining over London? Check. How about 400,000 pyrotechnics exploding over Dubai? Got that, too.

And let's not forget that the new year also means bizarre new laws.

Here's what to look out for in the coming hours:

Photos: Bringing in 2014

1. Taste the rainbow

Why have a fireworks show that only looks good? Revelers in London can stick out their tongues during tonight's extravaganza and enjoy banana-flavored confetti that's choreographed to the fireworks. They'll also see floating oranges drifting through the night sky -- pop them to enjoy a citrusy scent!

Food artists Harry Parr and Sam Bompas have been working on the show for an entire year. They've even made sure their edible treats are kosher, vegan and hypoallergenic.

"We developed a special confetti that's actually biodegradable, and in the rain it will magically dissolve," Parr said. "Even better, it tastes amazing."

2. Dubai does it bigger

Not to be outdone, Dubai -- a city obsessed with superlatives -- will attempt a new world record for the biggest fireworks display near the world's tallest building.

The six-minute show will feature 400,000 pyrotechnics over 400 parts of the Dubai shoreline. That's 100 kilometers (62 miles) of waterfront lighting up.

If Dubai pulls this off, it'll blow Kuwait's world record out of the water. That record was set last year, when 77,000 fireworks exploded over 64 minutes.

So if you're going to the Dubai show, don't forget your earplugs.

3. Have a ball - an 'odd' ball

Sure, New York has a massive sparkly ball they've been dropping for the past century or so. But what other objects can you relinquish to gravity to mark the new year?

In some U.S. cities, it's a fruit. In Honolulu, it's a colossal glowing pineapple. In Atlanta, it's a giant peach.

The North Carolina mountain town of Brasstown prefers a possum -- slowly lowered and then set free.

But Key West, Florida, takes the cake with its drag queen drop.

For years, female impersonator Gary "Sushi" Marion has been lowered from the Bourbon St. Pub in Key West while riding in a massive high-heel shoe.

"It was inspired by 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' when it first came out, with the whole high heel on top of the bus," said Joey Schroeder, owner of Bourbon St. Pub. "I wanted to take that idea and do something fun on New Year's Eve."

4. 25 hours of celebrations

Samoa and American Samoa are virtually neighbors, with just 101 miles between them. But they're also 25 hours apart.

So one was among the first to ring in the new year; the other will be among the last.

How can this happen? Let's just say the international date line isn't even close to a straight line.

And because the date line isn't fixed by any international law or agreement, it can zig and zag to accommodate government and business interests. It's as close to a time machine as we'll probably get.

5. Yes to placentas, no to shark fins

More than 40,000 new laws will take effect in the U.S. on New Year's Day. While Colorado's legalization of marijuana has racked up plenty of headlines, here are some of the more peculiar ones:

In Oregon, mothers will be allowed to take their placentas home from the hospital. Some say placenta capsules can help with postpartum depression, CNN affiliate KGW reported, though there's not a lot of medical research backing that up.

Delaware will join a growing number of states where you can't own, sell or distribute shark fins, which is considered a delicacy in some East Asian cuisine.

And thousands of companies will have to provide calorie counts for products sold in vending machines.

Because if you're going to a vending machine, clearly you care the most about calories, right?

Depends on what day of the resolution you're on.