Middle East ceasefire agreed

A new ceasefire has been agreed in the Middle East between the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in Gaza.

The two leaders have agreed to a series of confidence building measures at today's long-awaited truce talks, which are aimed at ending a year of fighting in the region.

They agreed to establish a joint committee of senior representatives and to resume full security co-operation.

A second meeting between the two is scheduled for next week.

But the bloodshed continued.

Just three miles away, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed and 11 other youngsters were wounded in a confrontation with Israeli troops.

Earlier in the day, three Israeli soldiers were wounded in the same area by a bomb Palestinians set off at an Israeli army post.