Armenia, Azerbaijan agree on cease-fire after new clashes

 Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiated a cease-fire to end a flare-up of fighting that has killed 155 soldiers from both sides, a senior Armenian official said early Thursday.

Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia's Security Council, announced the truce in televised remarks, saying it took effect hours earlier, at 8 p.m. (1600 GMT) Wednesday. A previous cease-fire that Russia brokered Tuesday quickly failed.

Several hours before Grigoryan's announcement, Armenia's Defence Ministry reported that shelling had ceased but it didn't mention the cease-fire deal.

There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijan's government.