Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 21 Februari 2015 | 14.59
The World Health Organization has approved a rapid test for the Ebola virus which can deliver a diagnosis in just 15 minutes.
In what could be a breakthrough for bringing the epidemic in West Africa to an end, the test kits will be deployed to countries affected by Ebola within a matter of weeks.
Although less accurate than traditional tests, which can take anywhere between 12 and 24 hours, this kit does not require electricity - making it ideal for examining patients in remote areas.
During rigorous trials conducted by the WHO, the ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test correctly identified 92% of those infected with Ebola, and 85% who were free of the virus.
The health agency has said this new testing kit should be followed up with a laboratory test wherever possible.
Video:Ebola: Schools Reopen In Liberia
Meanwhile, the UN's Mission for Ebola Emergency Response has praised Liberia's progress in slowing down the spread of the virus - but warned against complacency as the number of new patients continues to fall.
Ebola has killed more than 3,800 people in Liberia since December 2013 - but now, students are returning to their schools after they were closed for six months.
In Sierra Leone, an investigation is under way into how money meant to fight Ebola was used. Out of $5.75m (£3.75m) received in funding, a third was spent without invoices and receipts being saved.
Video:Ebola Nurse 'Happy To Be Alive'
Doctors, government officials and businesspeople now must answer to the Anti-Corruption Commission, which wants an explanation of where the cash went.
Eurozone finance ministers have agreed to extend Greece's rescue loans - although not by as long as the government wanted.
The deal, which will enable Athens to continue paying its bills, was reached at talks in Brussels which were delayed for four hours as ministers worked on a draft accord.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the eurozone's top official and the Dutch finance minister, said Athens had asked for a six-month extension but this was rejected.
"Four months is the appropriate delay in terms of financing and future challenges," he said.
The agreement was clinched just a week before Greece's €240bn (£178bn) bailout expires, leaving just enough time for some member country parliaments to endorse it.
Video:Greek Rescue Package Explained
As part of the deal Greece must provide a list of economic and other reforms based on the current bailout programme by Monday.
This will be reviewed on Tuesday by the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission.
If the three institutions do not believe the proposals go far enough, the list will be revised with a view to it being agreed by the end of April.
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said the deal would mark a new era for Athens and its relations with the European Union.
Video:Osborne Urges Eurozone Deal
"Today was a pivotal moment because Greece for five years now has been lonely, isolated in the Eurogroup. Today that isolation has broken," Mr Varoufakis said.
He said Greece had not used any threats or bluff to get the agreement and added it was a small step in a new direction for the country.
Markets reacted positively to the deal, with the Dow and S&P 500 surging to fresh records on Wall Street.
Mr Dijsselbloem said it was a "first step in this process of rebuilding trust" between Greece and its euro partners and allows for a strategy to get the country "back on track."
Video:Greece: Everything You Need To Know
"Trust leaves quicker than it comes," he said.
Mr Dijsselbloem worked flat out on Friday to secure an agreement as Germany insisted Greece stick with the austerity commitments included in its bailout programme.
The fraught discussions focused on a new package of concessions beyond those contained in the formal request for a loan extension submitted on Thursday.
Greece has ruled out another bailout like the existing one, saying the people who swept the anti-austerity Syriza party to power last month would not tolerate it.
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Gallery: Art War On The Streets Of Athens
Athens has become a Mecca for street artists as anger grows over the impact of Greece's bailout deal with Europe
Wall paintings have sprung up all over the city reflecting the general frustration at rising unemployment and falling living standards
A huge fire engulfed part of the Torch Tower in Dubai in the early hours of this morning, forcing hundreds of people to flee the 1,100ft skyscraper.
Witnesses said the blaze appeared to have started at around 2am in the middle of the residential building, rapidly spreading across some 15 floors.
In several videos posted on social media websites, multiple floors of the high-rise were seen ablaze.
Strong winds fanned the flames and burning debris from the fire could be seen falling from building.
One witness said flames shot out from two sides of the building as glass and metal rained down from near the summit of the structure.
Footage shows the fire sweeping through the upper floors. Pic: Jaime Muller
Another witness said it looked "like the Titanic going down", according to Gulfnews.com.
One resident, Briton Steve Short, 53, from Liverpool, praised the work of firefighters who arrived quickly.
He said fire alarms alerted people to the blaze and building management sent workers knocking on doors to ensure residents got out.
Residents of at least one neighbouring tower were told to evacuate as a precaution because of high winds, but they were later allowed back inside.
It took firefighters several hours before they extinguished the blaze, according to a witness at the scene.
Hundreds of Torch Tower residents were evacuated. Pic: Jaime Muller
The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Officials said there were no reports of casualties.
Opened in 2011, the Torch Tower has 79 floors and is one of the world's tallest residential buildings.
It is located in the Marina district of the city which is home to dozens of towering apartment blocks and hotels, many of them built over the past decade.
The apartments are popular with Dubai's large number of expatriate professionals.
Dubai, known for its skyline of hugely varied skyscrapers, has seen fires at towers in the past.
In 2012, a huge blaze gutted the 34-Tamweel tower in the nearby Jumeirah Lake Towers district. It was later revealed to have been caused by a cigarette butt thrown into a bin.
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 20 Februari 2015 | 14.59
The continuing stand-off between the eurozone and Greece over its debt could lead to a "full blown crisis", George Osborne has warned.
The Chancellor's comments come as eurozone finance ministers prepare for crunch talks later on whether to extend the EU loan programme to Greece which wants an extra six months but without austerity conditions.
Mr Osborne said: "What you see now in this stand-off between the eurozone and Greece is the risk of a full blown crisis which would do real damage to the European economy - and is a risk to Britain.
"We need the eurozone to find a common solution and here at home we need to go on working through our economic plan which has kept us safe".
Greece says the EU has "just two choices" when it comes to Athens' request - accept it or reject it.
Video:'Confusion And Noise Over Greece'
But Germany has already rejected it, saying it was "no substantial proposal for a solution" and "does not meet the criteria" laid out by the ministers.
The office of the German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble issued the terse response just hours after Greece formally lodged its bid for a half-year deal to effectively replace its bailout, which is due to expire at the end of the month.
German finance ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger added that it amounted to a request "for bridge financing without fulfilling the demands of the (bailout) programme".
But after the snub, a Greek government source said: "The eurogroup has just two choices. To accept or reject the Greek request. We will now discover who wants to find a solution, and who does not."
Video:How Would World React To Grexit?
The country's new anti-austerity government is seeking a compromise to break the deadlock with European creditors, especially Germany, as it runs the risk of running out of cash and defaulting on its debts without agreement.
It has ruled out the prospect of any deal under the terms of its previous rescue because of its mandate from the Greek people who swept the anti-austerity Syriza party to power last month.
The details of the Greek request were not made public but the Reuters news agency published a document it had seen which suggested Greece had watered down some of its previous demands.
The letter, purportedly written by Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, pledged to honour all Greek debts and not take unilateral action that would undermine agreed fiscal targets.
Video:Greek Bailout: The Key Numbers
The government of Alexis Tsipras blames the conditions attached to its bailout of hampering the country's recovery and leading to a deterioration of living standards.
Unemployment remains at more than 25%.
On Monday, the government rejected a plan to extend its current €240bn (£178bn) bailout deal, describing it as absurd.
Eurozone finance ministers had given Greece until Friday to request an extension of its current austerity and reform programme.
Video:Pressure Tightens On Defiant Greeks
Germany has been particularly vocal in insisting the country sticks to the terms of its commitments.
The formal Greek request was submitted after the European Central Bank (ECB) agreed to increase its emergency funding to Greek banks amid a capital flight from the country.
Depositors are fearful the lack of a deal will force Greece from the single currency and back to the drachma, representing a significant devaluation.
These could well prove the most important few days in the euro's existence.
In the corridors and meeting rooms of the Justus Lipsus building in Brussels, Greece and its euro counterparts have been charged with discussing how to keep the struggling nation in the single currency.
Their chances of success seem to be flagging.
Quite how we got here is a complicated story - it involves political and economic mistakes, financial jiggery-pokery, many decades of historical animosity and some big personality clashes.
Uncertainty continues over the Greek debt negotiations
Let's leave that aside for a moment and recall where we stand today.
Briefly: Greece is in dire need of money. The state has a series of debts to repay in March, some to the International Monetary Fund, some to the European Central Bank.
Video:'Confusion And Noise Over Greece'
It can't easily raise cash in the open markets (would you really want to lend to Athens right now?) so it will have to find that money elsewhere.
That means borrowing it from its eurozone colleagues. Greece is of course still receiving bailout support from the so-called Troika lenders (the European Commission, ECB and IMF), so the most straightforward thing would be to extend the existing bailout and withdraw some extra cash from it (there's about €7bn of it left, which would be very helpful right now).
However, extending the bailout would also mean extending the conditions attached to it - austerity, privatisations, labour market and pension reforms.
Syriza, the party which leads the new Greek government, adamantly set itself against that in its election campaign. It also said it would refuse to co-operate with the Troika in future.
That leaves it in a sticky place. Its finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, has spent most of the past few weeks attempting to persuade his European counterparts to lend Greece some cash, but to do it as a "bridging loan" rather than as an extension of the "current programme".
That might seem like a mere terminological distinction - and in one sense it is. But underlying the terminology are real differences.
Signing up to the "current programme" again would mean obeying those hated conditions. A "bridging loan" of some sort, on the other hand, could have some discrete conditions of its own. Though some of these might be uncomfortable, they would at least be of Greece's new government's own making.
Video:Greeks Hope For Bailout Solution
The problem is that Greece's creditors are reluctant to let the country off all those conditions they set when lending them money.
For one thing, Greece has already been forgiven a chunk of its debts in 2012; the interest rates and maturities of its debts have been stretched out way into the future, making them cheaper to service.
For another, those conditions were not merely there as punishment - they were there to make the economy more healthy in the future.
Raising retirement ages, removing archaic protections on employees, privatising nationalised industries - those are precisely the kinds of Thatcherite reforms many other countries had to go through long ago, and are reaping the rewards of today.
Then there's the politics: German voters are becoming increasingly disenchanted with the idea of funding a poor creditor elsewhere whose own people seem to hate them.
The Spanish government is desperate that Syriza doesn't succeed, for fear of encouraging its people to vote for their own upstart leftist anti-austerity rival party, Podemos. The Irish would be furious if a country was given special treatment they were denied.
These countervailing forces mean getting an agreement, either today or this weekend or in the coming months, will be very difficult. And, as if things couldn't already be more difficult, the process has also been waylaid by some personal histrionics.
Video:Greek Bailout: The Key Numbers
The Greek negotiators have been unpredictable in the extreme - openly leaking bundles of documents, flagrantly disregarding the long-established rules of negotiations and publicly criticising their counterparts.
"These people are crazy," said one eurocrat when the talks broke down the last time, on Monday night. "They're totally crazy."
One can only assume yet more craziness to come in the next hours and days. The latest developments, on Thursday, included a letter from the Greek authorities which seemed to offer massive compromises on its position - including an extension of the bailout in some guise, and Troika supervision.
That was then dismissed abruptly by the Germans, who derided it as a "Trojan horse" gambit.
All of which threatens to make today's negotiations particularly awkward.
Meanwhile, hanging over all of this is the question of whether Greece will have money to pay its bills next month, whether it defaults, and, ultimately, whether it can stay in the euro.
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 19 Februari 2015 | 14.59
Dramatic footage has captured a fierce gun battle showing pro-Russian rebels fighting Ukrainian forces in the country's east.
The video, obtained exclusively by Sky News, begins with a Ukrainian soldier who was being held prisoner by the separatists.
He is interviewed by a TV crew in a house before the sound of heavy gunfire erupts nearby.
The rebels are then filmed using assault rifles to shoot through windows before some open fire outside.
The rebels fired back with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades
At least one fighter attacks the pro-Kiev forces with rocket propelled grenades.
The video, which lasts several minutes, was filmed less than a mile from the strategic town of Debalseve which has seen the withdrawal of hundreds of Ukrainian forces.
Video:Ukrainian Troops Leave Debaltseve
They were ordered to leave following intense gun battles in which at least 22 pro-government troops were killed and more than 150 hurt in recent days.
The transport hub of Debalseve is crucial in the conflict because it links the two rebel-controlled regions in the east of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.
There is a "real and present danger" Russia could repeat its covert campaigns in the Crimea and Ukraine to destablise former Soviet bloc countries, the Defence Secretary has warned.
Michael Fallon said NATO must be ready for Russian aggression against alliance members including Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
He warned the action could involve using irregular troops, cyber attacks and inflaming tensions with ethnic Russian minorities.
"NATO has to be ready for any kind of aggression from Russia, whatever form it takes. NATO is getting ready," he said.
Mr Fallon added that he was worried about Russian President Vladimir Putin's "pressure on the Baltics".
Earlier this month, two long-range Russian bombers flew down the English Channel off the coast of Bournemouth.
Mr Putin's behaviour is 'unacceptable', the Defence Secretary said
"It is the first time since the height of the Cold War that has happened and it just shows you the need to respond each time he does something like that," he added.
His comments come after Prime Minister David Cameron urged Europe to tell Russia it faces economic and financial consequences for "years to come" if it continues to destabilise Ukraine.
1/7
Gallery: Nov 1: RAF Redirects Russia Bombers
Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept Russian military 'Bear' bombers for the second time in a week, it has emerged (Pic: MoD)
The aircraft were were sent up from RAF Lossiemouth on Friday, 31 October, to escort the Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-95 aircraft (Pic: MoD)
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Video:Ukraine Gun Battle Caught On Camera
Hundreds of Ukrainian troops have pulled out from the besieged eastern town of Debaltseve following fierce fighting with pro-Russian rebels.
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said his soldiers had left in a "planned and organised withdrawal" from the strategically important area.
A Russian TV station showed separatists hoisting their flag over a building in Debaltseve, as they seized the railway hub in defiance of a ceasefire brokered by France and Germany.
Some 2,000 pro-government forces have been fighting there but Mr Poroshenko denied claims the troops were encircled, and said they were leaving with weapons and ammunition.
However, some troops were believed to be trapped in the town, which links the two rebel-controlled regions in the east of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.
Sky's Stuart Ramsay spoke to a Ukrainian commander who said there were still pro-Kiev troops inside but they had put down their weapons.
Separatist forces claim to have taken control of Debaltseve
"They are trying to walk out, crossing fields to join others who were able to drive out earlier in the day", Ramsay said, adding there was still fighting taking place despite a ceasefire coming into force at the weekend.
At least 22 Ukrainian troops have been killed and over 150 were wounded in the fighting in recent days.
1/25
Gallery: Ukraine Troops Leave Debaltseve
Pro-Russian separatists take position near the eastern Ukrainian city of Uglegorsk, 6 kms southwest of Debaltseve
Pro-Russian rebels stationed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka, Donetsk region, launch missiles from Grad launch vehicles
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Pro-Russian separatists patrol a street in the eastern Ukrainian city of Makeyevka
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Ukrainian troops pulled out of the besieged flashpoint eastern town Debaltseve after it was stormed by pro-Russian rebels in what the EU said was a "clear violation" of an internationally-backed truce
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President Petro Poroshenko said 80% of units had left the town, in order to comply with the current ceasefire
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A rebel military spokesman, Eduard Basurin, reportedly told Russian television that more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered.
Kiev has admitted that soldiers have been taken prisoner, but has not said how many.
Journalists reported seeing dozens of tanks and vehicles carrying haggard soldiers leaving for the nearby town of Artemivsk.
One soldier spoke of heavy government losses, while another said they had not been able to get food or water because of the intense rebel shelling.
President Porshenko went to the front line at Artemivsk to meet soldiers after he ordered the Debaltseve withdrawal.
Video:Ukrainian Army Leaves Debaltseve
Praising Ukrainian forces for "really socking it" to the separatists, he said he was going there "for the great honour of shaking hands with our heroes".
The 10-month conflict has left more than 5,000 people dead, and Ukraine accuses Russia of supporting and arming the rebels, a claim Moscow denies.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Ukraine to admit defeat in Debaltseve, saying "the only choice" of the troops was to "leave behind weaponry, lay down arms and surrender."
Separatists have reportedly started to withdraw heavy weapons from areas they control in eastern Ukraine where the ceasefire was holding.
The rebels say the agreement negotiated by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France last week does not apply to Debaltseve.
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Ukrainian Troops Withdraw From Key Town
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Video:Ukraine Gun Battle Caught On Camera
Hundreds of Ukrainian troops have pulled out from the besieged eastern town of Debaltseve following fierce fighting with pro-Russian rebels.
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said his soldiers had left in a "planned and organised withdrawal" from the strategically important area.
A Russian TV station showed separatists hoisting their flag over a building in Debaltseve, as they seized the railway hub in defiance of a ceasefire brokered by France and Germany.
Some 2,000 pro-government forces have been fighting there but Mr Poroshenko denied claims the troops were encircled, and said they were leaving with weapons and ammunition.
However, some troops were believed to be trapped in the town, which links the two rebel-controlled regions in the east of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.
Sky's Stuart Ramsay spoke to a Ukrainian commander who said there were still pro-Kiev troops inside but they had put down their weapons.
Separatist forces claim to have taken control of Debaltseve
"They are trying to walk out, crossing fields to join others who were able to drive out earlier in the day", Ramsay said, adding there was still fighting taking place despite a ceasefire coming into force at the weekend.
At least 22 Ukrainian troops have been killed and over 150 were wounded in the fighting in recent days.
1/25
Gallery: Ukraine Troops Leave Debaltseve
Pro-Russian separatists take position near the eastern Ukrainian city of Uglegorsk, 6 kms southwest of Debaltseve
Pro-Russian rebels stationed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka, Donetsk region, launch missiles from Grad launch vehicles
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Pro-Russian separatists patrol a street in the eastern Ukrainian city of Makeyevka
]]>
Ukrainian troops pulled out of the besieged flashpoint eastern town Debaltseve after it was stormed by pro-Russian rebels in what the EU said was a "clear violation" of an internationally-backed truce
]]>
President Petro Poroshenko said 80% of units had left the town, in order to comply with the current ceasefire
]]>
A rebel military spokesman, Eduard Basurin, reportedly told Russian television that more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered.
Kiev has admitted that soldiers have been taken prisoner, but has not said how many.
Journalists reported seeing dozens of tanks and vehicles carrying haggard soldiers leaving for the nearby town of Artemivsk.
One soldier spoke of heavy government losses, while another said they had not been able to get food or water because of the intense rebel shelling.
President Porshenko went to the front line at Artemivsk to meet soldiers after he ordered the Debaltseve withdrawal.
Video:Ukrainian Army Leaves Debaltseve
Praising Ukrainian forces for "really socking it" to the separatists, he said he was going there "for the great honour of shaking hands with our heroes".
The 10-month conflict has left more than 5,000 people dead, and Ukraine accuses Russia of supporting and arming the rebels, a claim Moscow denies.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Ukraine to admit defeat in Debaltseve, saying "the only choice" of the troops was to "leave behind weaponry, lay down arms and surrender."
Separatists have reportedly started to withdraw heavy weapons from areas they control in eastern Ukraine where the ceasefire was holding.
The rebels say the agreement negotiated by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France last week does not apply to Debaltseve.
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Written By Unknown on Rabu, 18 Februari 2015 | 14.59
At least 16 people have died and 78 others were hurt after a carnival float hit a power line in the Caribbean country of Haiti.
Most of the victims were trampled to death in a stampede after the float struck a high-voltage overhead cable in the capital Port-au-Prince, witnesses said.
Amateur video on social media showed sparks after a singer called Fantom, who was on the float, was jolted by the power line near a stand packed with spectators.
The accident happened at a carnival in Port-au-Prince
Seven people on the float were electrocuted, and others were trampled to death during the three-day event which coincides with many Mardi Gras carnivals internationally.
Prime Minister Evans Paul has declared three official days of mourning.
Haitian officials cancelled the final day of events and announced a state funeral and vigil on Saturday for the victims.
Fantom, part of the hip-hop band Barikad Crew, was among the injured and was expected to survive, according to a doctor.
"I saw the wire falling and sparks and I started running for my life," said Natacha Saint Fleur, a 22-year-old who witnessed the accident.
Relatives of those caught up in the tragedy
Haiti's president, Michel Martelly, has expressed his "sincerest apologies" to victims and their families.
Before the event began, Haiti's US embassy warned visitors to be vigilant for robberies, assaults and pick-pockets.
"Carnival can be a fun, yet potentially unsafe place for revellers," its statement said.
Meanwhile, three men were killed in a similar accident in Rio de Janeiro.
Police said they were electrocuted as they pushed a float towards a parade ground and it struck a power cable at Brazil's main carnival.
People gather as they wait to hear news of loved ones
A sun on the float made of wire touched the power line and sent a fatal electrical charge through the metal frame of the decorated platform, police said.
Authorities cancelled carnival festivities in the Nova Iguacu district after the accident.
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Video:Fighting Goes On Despite Ceasefire
The capture of the Ukrainian town Debaltseve would represent a critical prize for the pro-Russian fighters.
The town of just over 25,000 people is a communications hub with a railway junction connecting the rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Everything going in and out of the region passes through Debaltseve.
Take it, and the separatists have a supply route to and from their key strongholds for food, fuel and ammunition.
So while the ceasefire is being observed elsewhere in eastern Ukraine, fighting has intensified in Debaltseve and the surrounding area.
Rebels began their siege of the town last month.
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Gallery: Debaltseve Has Become Centre Of Ukraine Conflict
Ukrainian armed forces take up positions near the eastern town of Debaltseve.
A ceasefire came into effect on Sunday, but fighting has continued in Debaltseve, where pro-Russian rebels claim to have surrounded thousands of Ukrainian fighters.
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Buildings damaged by fighting are pictured in the village of Nikishine, south east of Debaltsev
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A convoy of Ukrainian forces drives in the direction of the embattled town, which is a major rail and road junction northeast of the city of Donetsk.
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Pro-Russian rebels stationed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka launch missiles towards Ukrainian forces in Debaltseve last week.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly sought to delay the ceasefire agreed last week to give separatists the opportunity to capture the area.
Some of the 7,000 Ukrainian troops who were trapped there have now been taken prisoner as militants took control of, they say, 80% of the town.
Both sides claim Debaltseve is on their side of the ceasefire line.
Under the agreement negotiated by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, the warring sides were supposed to begin withdrawing their heavy weapons from the front line on Tuesday.
However, they have both failed to do so as the deadline passed.
"We do not have the right to stop fighting for Debaltseve," said rebel leader Denis Pushilin.
"It's even a moral thing. It's internal territory. We have to respond to fire, to work on destroying the enemy's fighting positions."
Video:Mortar Fire Explodes Gas Pipeline
According to the 2001 census, some 80% of the population in Debaltseve are native Russian speakers, while 16% speak Ukrainian.
Many residents have fled - but an estimated 5,000 remain.
"The situation in Debaltseve is catastrophic," Joanne Mariner, a senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International, told the Kyiv Post.
"I have spoken to many elderly people who are confined to their basements, living in extremely dire, overcrowded conditions, in absolute fear.
"Many told me how they felt completely lost, not knowing what to do. Shelling is constant.
"These people are at the mercy of forces they have absolutely no control over."
Monitors with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe have tried to enter the town but have reportedly been denied access by the separatists.
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Why Ukrainian Town Is So Crucial In Conflict
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Video:Fighting Goes On Despite Ceasefire
The capture of the Ukrainian town Debaltseve would represent a critical prize for the pro-Russian fighters.
The town of just over 25,000 people is a communications hub with a railway junction connecting the rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Everything going in and out of the region passes through Debaltseve.
Take it, and the separatists have a supply route to and from their key strongholds for food, fuel and ammunition.
So while the ceasefire is being observed elsewhere in eastern Ukraine, fighting has intensified in Debaltseve and the surrounding area.
Rebels began their siege of the town last month.
1/23
Gallery: Debaltseve Has Become Centre Of Ukraine Conflict
Ukrainian armed forces take up positions near the eastern town of Debaltseve.
A ceasefire came into effect on Sunday, but fighting has continued in Debaltseve, where pro-Russian rebels claim to have surrounded thousands of Ukrainian fighters.
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Buildings damaged by fighting are pictured in the village of Nikishine, south east of Debaltsev
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A convoy of Ukrainian forces drives in the direction of the embattled town, which is a major rail and road junction northeast of the city of Donetsk.
]]>
Pro-Russian rebels stationed in the eastern Ukrainian city of Gorlivka launch missiles towards Ukrainian forces in Debaltseve last week.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly sought to delay the ceasefire agreed last week to give separatists the opportunity to capture the area.
Some of the 7,000 Ukrainian troops who were trapped there have now been taken prisoner as militants took control of, they say, 80% of the town.
Both sides claim Debaltseve is on their side of the ceasefire line.
Under the agreement negotiated by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, the warring sides were supposed to begin withdrawing their heavy weapons from the front line on Tuesday.
However, they have both failed to do so as the deadline passed.
"We do not have the right to stop fighting for Debaltseve," said rebel leader Denis Pushilin.
"It's even a moral thing. It's internal territory. We have to respond to fire, to work on destroying the enemy's fighting positions."
Video:Mortar Fire Explodes Gas Pipeline
According to the 2001 census, some 80% of the population in Debaltseve are native Russian speakers, while 16% speak Ukrainian.
Many residents have fled - but an estimated 5,000 remain.
"The situation in Debaltseve is catastrophic," Joanne Mariner, a senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International, told the Kyiv Post.
"I have spoken to many elderly people who are confined to their basements, living in extremely dire, overcrowded conditions, in absolute fear.
"Many told me how they felt completely lost, not knowing what to do. Shelling is constant.
"These people are at the mercy of forces they have absolutely no control over."
Monitors with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe have tried to enter the town but have reportedly been denied access by the separatists.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged the Ukrainian government to allow its soldiers to surrender to pro-Moscow rebels who are laying siege to the key transport hub of Debaltseve.
Intense fighting has continued in Debaltseve despite a ceasefire deal brokered in Minsk during four-party talks last week.
Pro-Russian rebels have taken Ukrainian troops as prisoners in the town and encircled thousands of others.
Mr Putin said Kiev should allow its soldiers to surrender, and warned the government not to "hinder soldiers in the Ukrainian army from putting down their weapons".
Debaltseve is a strategically important town in eastern Ukraine
"If they aren't capable of taking that decision themselves and giving that order, then (I hope) that they won't prosecute people who want to save their lives and the lives of others," he said.
Mr Putin added that he hopes the rebels will allow Ukrainians to return to their families after they surrender.
Video:Mortar Fire Explodes Gas Pipeline
Artillery rounds have reportedly been rocking the town of Debaltseve every five seconds and black smoke has been seen rising into the skies.
The rebels claim last week's ceasefire agreement does not apply in Debaltseve, a railway hub in a pocket between the two main rebel-held areas.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has called the rebel operation in Debaltseve a "cynical attack on the Minsk agreement".
During a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday, Mr Poroshenko called for the European Union and the international community to take a "tough reaction against the treacherous actions of the rebels and Russia".
1/23
Gallery: Debaltseve Has Become Centre Of Ukraine Conflict
Ukrainian armed forces take up positions near the eastern town of Debaltseve.
A ceasefire came into effect on Sunday, but fighting has continued in Debaltseve, where pro-Russian rebels claim to have surrounded thousands of Ukrainian fighters.
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 17 Februari 2015 | 15.00
No-one expected the Eurogroup summit to end all the differences between Greece and the eurozone countries behind its bailout.
But, equally, no-one really expected it to end in the kind of acrimony we saw earlier in Brussels.
In the event, what we have witnessed is yet another demonstration of what happens when the euro collides with democratic politics.
It all comes back down to the key issue Syriza campaigned on in the Greek elections last month: ending the current €240bn bailout programme and replacing it with something more humane.
Most of Greece's euro counterparts have insisted that to do so is simply impossible - that if Greece wants to borrow more cash and continue to enjoy financial support from the European Central Bank, it must sign up to an extension of the existing programme, due to expire at the end of the month.
Video:There Is 'Substantial Disagreement'
However, doing so represents what Yanis Varoufakis, the Greek finance minister, has described as a red line.
Instead, he would rather agree to a separate "bridging loan" without the full conditions attached to the existing bailout (but with, he insists, "some conditionality, to build trust").
He claims that he was privately given such a promise by the European Commissioner in charge of the economy, Pierre Moscovici, last week.
But, in Mr Varoufakis' rendering, at the Eurogroup meeting on Monday afternoon, Mr Moscovici's draft proposal was replaced by Eurogroup head, Jeroen Djisselbloem, with something else entirely - an alternative communique that pledged that Greece should continue with the existing programme.
A copy of this document, with Mr Varoufakis' disapproving penmarks scrawled all over it, was leaked to the press.
In chaotic scenes, the meeting broke down within minutes.
Given it was billed as the make-or-break moment for the euro, the collapse of talks looks, on the surface of it, to be deeply worrying.
However, the reality is that Monday's deadline was always a self-imposed one.
The talks will continue in the coming days, and there is likely to be another Eurogroup meeting to confirm things as soon as something can be hatched behind the scenes.
But with every setback, worries grow that Greece could be edging slowly towards a possible default - or indeed a chaotic exit from the single currency.
There are still many more levers to be pulled by both sides between now and then. But the fact that a key meeting could break down so easily is a reminder that things will hardly be plain sailing in the coming weeks.
In other words, things are likely to get even worse before they get any better.
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Video:Ceasefire 'Broken' In Mariupol
Pro-Russian rebels have launched 112 attacks on Ukrainian troops, killing five, in the 24 hours since a ceasefire came into effect, Kiev has claimed.
Rebel commander Eduard Basurin issued a counter-claim that Ukraine had violated the truce 27 times.
Both sides are due to withdraw heavy artillery from the frontline on Tuesday under the terms of the ceasefire - but whether this will happen is now in doubt.
"Five Ukrainian troops were killed and 25 wounded in the past 24 hours," said Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko.
"112 incidents of shelling is not a ceasefire. So we are not ready yet to withdraw."
One the rebel leaders, Denis Pushilin, responded by saying his forces were "only ready for a mutual withdrawal of equipment".
The fighting has centred on the eastern town of Debaltseve, where up to 7,000 Ukrainian troops are trapped by a circle of separatist militants.
Fighting has continued around Debaltseve in the country's east
Rebels have offered a safe corridor out, with commander Eduard Basurin saying: "We suggest that the Ukrainian soldiers in Debaltseve stay alive.
"There is just one condition: that they lay down their weapons. We didn't talk about them becoming prisoners. Lay down your weapons and get out of here."
1/16
Gallery: Ukraine Truce Holds But Sporadic Clashes Continue
Pro-Russian separatists drive a tank through Donetsk. Most of the frontline has fallen silent, but a Kiev source said four Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the ceasefire started on Sunday.
Two members of the armed forces from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic stand guard at a checkpoint near the town.
]]>
Another member of the Donetsk People's Republic checks on a kettle as the ceasefire holds across large swathes of eastern Ukraine.
]]>
Meanwhile, on a road leading to the contested town of Debaltseve - which has continued to see some unrest - two Ukrainian soldiers play football during the ceasefire.
]]>
Other members of the Ukrainian armed forces take a cigarette break near Debaltseve.
]]>
Kiev immediately dismissed the offer.
"There are the Minsk agreements, according to which Debaltseve is ours. We will not leave," said military spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov.
Fighting has subsided in parts of eastern Ukraine since the truce negotiated by France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine came into effect on Sunday morning.
However, a militia with links to the Ukrainian government has released footage of what it says are further breaches in Mariupol.
"The situation is fragile," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"It was always clear that much remains to be done. And I have always said that there are no guarantees that what we are trying to do succeeds. It will be an extremely difficult path."
Mrs Merkel spoke with French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the phone on Monday, and the three expressed "concern" over the situation in Debaltseve.
Meanwhile, Moscow said the EU had "contradicted common sense" by implementing fresh sanctions on 19 individuals and nine organisations for undermining Ukraine's independence.
The list includes Russian first deputy defence minister Arkady Bakhin.
Veteran singer Iosif Kobzon, who voiced support for Russia's annexation of Crimea, has also been hit by asset freezes and travel bans that were agreed prior to the ceasefire deal.
The 10-month conflict has already claimed more than 5,300 lives.
The West says Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has called parts of Ukraine "New Russia", has sent troops and weapons to back the rebels - a charge denied by Moscow.
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Video:Ceasefire 'Broken' In Mariupol
Pro-Russian rebels have launched 112 attacks on Ukrainian troops, killing five, in the 24 hours since a ceasefire came into effect, Kiev has claimed.
Rebel commander Eduard Basurin issued a counter-claim that Ukraine had violated the truce 27 times.
Both sides are due to withdraw heavy artillery from the frontline on Tuesday under the terms of the ceasefire - but whether this will happen is now in doubt.
"Five Ukrainian troops were killed and 25 wounded in the past 24 hours," said Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko.
"112 incidents of shelling is not a ceasefire. So we are not ready yet to withdraw."
One the rebel leaders, Denis Pushilin, responded by saying his forces were "only ready for a mutual withdrawal of equipment".
The fighting has centred on the eastern town of Debaltseve, where up to 7,000 Ukrainian troops are trapped by a circle of separatist militants.
Fighting has continued around Debaltseve in the country's east
Rebels have offered a safe corridor out, with commander Eduard Basurin saying: "We suggest that the Ukrainian soldiers in Debaltseve stay alive.
"There is just one condition: that they lay down their weapons. We didn't talk about them becoming prisoners. Lay down your weapons and get out of here."
1/16
Gallery: Ukraine Truce Holds But Sporadic Clashes Continue
Pro-Russian separatists drive a tank through Donetsk. Most of the frontline has fallen silent, but a Kiev source said four Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the ceasefire started on Sunday.
Two members of the armed forces from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic stand guard at a checkpoint near the town.
]]>
Another member of the Donetsk People's Republic checks on a kettle as the ceasefire holds across large swathes of eastern Ukraine.
]]>
Meanwhile, on a road leading to the contested town of Debaltseve - which has continued to see some unrest - two Ukrainian soldiers play football during the ceasefire.
]]>
Other members of the Ukrainian armed forces take a cigarette break near Debaltseve.
]]>
Kiev immediately dismissed the offer.
"There are the Minsk agreements, according to which Debaltseve is ours. We will not leave," said military spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov.
Fighting has subsided in parts of eastern Ukraine since the truce negotiated by France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine came into effect on Sunday morning.
However, a militia with links to the Ukrainian government has released footage of what it says are further breaches in Mariupol.
"The situation is fragile," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"It was always clear that much remains to be done. And I have always said that there are no guarantees that what we are trying to do succeeds. It will be an extremely difficult path."
Mrs Merkel spoke with French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the phone on Monday, and the three expressed "concern" over the situation in Debaltseve.
Meanwhile, Moscow said the EU had "contradicted common sense" by implementing fresh sanctions on 19 individuals and nine organisations for undermining Ukraine's independence.
The list includes Russian first deputy defence minister Arkady Bakhin.
Veteran singer Iosif Kobzon, who voiced support for Russia's annexation of Crimea, has also been hit by asset freezes and travel bans that were agreed prior to the ceasefire deal.
The 10-month conflict has already claimed more than 5,300 lives.
The West says Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has called parts of Ukraine "New Russia", has sent troops and weapons to back the rebels - a charge denied by Moscow.
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Greece has been warned of an impending "disaster" after crisis talks between the country's finance minister and Eurozone counterparts broke up without agreement in Brussels.
The country rejected a draft proposal put forward by European finance ministers that would see an extension of Greece's international bailout package.
Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who chaired the meeting, says Athens now has until Friday to request an extension or risk seeing the bailout expire at the end of the month.
If that happens the Greek state and its banks could face a looming cash crunch.
Greece's finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, said negotiations will continue, adding he has "no doubt" an agreement will be reached that would be "therapeutic to Greece and for Europe".
Video:Greeks Back New Economic Strategy
But he added his country will not implement recessionary measures such as pension cuts and VAT hikes.
Greece's anti-austerity Syriza government recently swept to power on a promise to scrap the bailout as it stands.
But with Greece running out of money, Maltese finance minister Edward Scicluna said the country faces "disaster" unless it extends the bailout, which is due to end on 28 February.
"Greece has to adjust, to realise the seriousness of the situation," he said.
"It all depends on the realisation by Greece of the real seriousness of the situation because time is running out."
Video:What Is Greece's Future In Europe?
Mr Dijsselbloem said a "positive outcome" was still possible if Greece asked for the extension by the end of the week.
He said further talks are dependent upon Greece requesting a bailout.
"Given the timelines we have... we can use this week but that is about it," he said.
"The general feeling in the Eurogroup is still that the best way forward would be for the Greek authorities to seek an extension of the programme."
Mr Varoufakis and other European finance ministers are scheduled to remain in Brussels for routing talks on the EU economy today.
Video:Lamont: Write Off Greece's Debts
Sky's Economics Editor Ed Conway said: "The talks have broken down in rather acrimonious fashion.
"The ball is once again in Greece's court. European finance ministers leaving the talks said it was now up to Greece and its prime minister and ministers to request an extension to the deal.
"Otherwise the Eurogroup are not going to continue talking and there is the real prospect increasingly of Greece either defaulting or leaving the euro.
"The big problem is that Greece is potentially going to run out of money quite soon."
Written By Unknown on Senin, 16 Februari 2015 | 14.59
A 22-year-old with a history of violence and criminal gang involvement has been identified by police as the suspect behind two deadly shootings in Denmark.
Danish media named the suspect as Omar el-Hussein, a man police say was born in Denmark and had a criminal record which included convictions for violence and weapons offences.
The Ekstra-Bladet newspaper reported that he was released from jail two weeks ago after serving a term for aggravated assault.
El-Hussein was wanted by police in November 2013 for stabbing a fellow passenger on a train, it added.
Police at the scene where the suspect was shot dead
This was backed by a Danish police statement issued in 2013 describing an incident in which a man identified as Omar el-Hussein had stabbed a train passenger repeatedly with "a big knife".
He was shot dead by police near a Copenhagen train station after opening fire on officers, following an attack at a cafe on Saturday afternoon and another deadly assault two miles away at the city's main synagogue.
Video:Location Of Copenhagen Shootings
Police believe the gunman was inspired by last month's Paris shootings, where Islamists targeted the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and a kosher supermarket.
Investigators said there was nothing to suggest at present that other gunmen were involved in the Copenhagen shootings, which left two people dead and five police officers wounded. They also said they did not believe the gunman had been to overseas jihadist training camps.
The attack at the synagogue in Krystalgade just after midnight UK time saw one man killed after he was shot in the head and two policemen also shot, one in the arm and the other in the leg.
Video:Three Shot At Denmark Synagogue
Armed Danish police also raided an internet cafe near where officers killed the suspected gunman, taking at least two people into custody, according to Danish media.
Sky News cameraman Pete Milnes, who was in a hotel next to the synagogue, said: "There was a succession of about six or seven gunshots.
"Within a minute or so, armed police were on the scene, a helicopter was hovering overhead. I witnessed police apprehend an individual who was handcuffed and later released.
1/16
Gallery: Two Killed In Cafe And Synagogue Shootings
Two people have been killed and five police officers were injured in two shootings in the Danish capital Copenhagen. This is the scene of the cafe attack on Saturday
He was later shot dead by officers here, near one of the city's train stations, after reportedly opening fire on them
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Video:Ukraine: Tentative Ceasefire Holds
The ceasefire in Ukraine appears to be holding despite occasional shelling and gunfire close to a flashpoint town in the country's east.
Artillery and mortar fire has been heard around Debaltseve, a strategically important town on the frontline of the fight between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists.
The guns fell silent early on Sunday morning as a ceasefire agreement came into effect.
Fighting has continued around Debaltseve in the country's east
The agreement was reached following talks in the Belarus capital Minsk, led by France and Germany.
Pro-Russian rebels indicated that they would not observe the truce at Debaltseve, where Ukrainian forces have been largely surrounded.
1/7
Gallery: Separatists And Ukrainian Troops Observe The Ceasefire
Pro-Russian separatists drive a tank through the streets of Donetsk in Ukraine's east. Most of the frontline has fallen silent since the ceasefire was enforced, Kiev officials say
Two members of the armed forces from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic stand guard at a checkpoint near the town
]]>
Another member of the Donetsk People's Republic checks on a kettle as the ceasefire holds across large swathes of eastern Ukraine
]]>
Meanwhile, on a road leading to the contested town of Debaltseve - which has continued to see some unrest - two Ukrainian soldiers play football during the ceasefire
]]>
Other members of the Ukrainian armed forces take a cigarette break near Debaltseve. According to pro-Kiev military leaders, separatists have shelled Ukrainian positions 10 times since the ceasefire was enforced
]]>
Senior rebel commander Eduard Basurin said: "Of course we can open fire (on Debaltseve). It is our territory."
A statement released by Kiev said the "enemy" was carrying out attacks in the region using Grad rockets.
It said the military had a plan to try to re-take control of Debaltseve.
In Paris, French President Francois Hollande declared that observance of the ceasefire was "generally satisfactory" despite some "local incidents".
Mr Hollande spoke to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a four-way phone call with the leaders of Germany and Russia on Sunday.
Video:Can Ukraine Peace Deal Succeed?
Mr Poroshenko emphasised in the call that the ceasefire should be implemented all along the frontline, "including the area of Debaltseve," according to a statement from his office.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is responsible for monitoring the ceasefire, said rebels had denied observers access to Debaltseve.
Both sides have blamed the other for the firing.
The town sits astride a railway junction in a pocket of territory between the two main rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk.
In the main rebel centre, Donetsk, artillery fire was reported every few seconds in the hours before the ceasefire, but halted at midnight local time.
Video:Ukraine Truce: What Happens Now?
The ceasefire, negotiated in all-night talks involving Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany on Thursday, preludes the creation of a buffer zone and the withdrawal of heavy weapons.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict that has led to sanctions against Russia, which the West accuses of transporting weapons and troops into Ukraine - a claim Russia denies.
The United Nations Security Council has so far failed to adopt a resolution calling on all parties to implement the ceasefire deal, despite a frenzy of diplomatic activity.
The body's 15 members had been due to vote on a Russian-drafted resolution but some of the members, like Malaysia, wanted further discussion over the wording.
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Ukraine Ceasefire Holds Despite Sporadic Gunfire
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:Ukraine: Tentative Ceasefire Holds
The ceasefire in Ukraine appears to be holding despite occasional shelling and gunfire close to a flashpoint town in the country's east.
Artillery and mortar fire has been heard around Debaltseve, a strategically important town on the frontline of the fight between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists.
The guns fell silent early on Sunday morning as a ceasefire agreement came into effect.
Fighting has continued around Debaltseve in the country's east
The agreement was reached following talks in the Belarus capital Minsk, led by France and Germany.
Pro-Russian rebels indicated that they would not observe the truce at Debaltseve, where Ukrainian forces have been largely surrounded.
1/7
Gallery: Separatists And Ukrainian Troops Observe The Ceasefire
Pro-Russian separatists drive a tank through the streets of Donetsk in Ukraine's east. Most of the frontline has fallen silent since the ceasefire was enforced, Kiev officials say
Two members of the armed forces from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic stand guard at a checkpoint near the town
]]>
Another member of the Donetsk People's Republic checks on a kettle as the ceasefire holds across large swathes of eastern Ukraine
]]>
Meanwhile, on a road leading to the contested town of Debaltseve - which has continued to see some unrest - two Ukrainian soldiers play football during the ceasefire
]]>
Other members of the Ukrainian armed forces take a cigarette break near Debaltseve. According to pro-Kiev military leaders, separatists have shelled Ukrainian positions 10 times since the ceasefire was enforced
]]>
Senior rebel commander Eduard Basurin said: "Of course we can open fire (on Debaltseve). It is our territory."
A statement released by Kiev said the "enemy" was carrying out attacks in the region using Grad rockets.
It said the military had a plan to try to re-take control of Debaltseve.
In Paris, French President Francois Hollande declared that observance of the ceasefire was "generally satisfactory" despite some "local incidents".
Mr Hollande spoke to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a four-way phone call with the leaders of Germany and Russia on Sunday.
Video:Can Ukraine Peace Deal Succeed?
Mr Poroshenko emphasised in the call that the ceasefire should be implemented all along the frontline, "including the area of Debaltseve," according to a statement from his office.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is responsible for monitoring the ceasefire, said rebels had denied observers access to Debaltseve.
Both sides have blamed the other for the firing.
The town sits astride a railway junction in a pocket of territory between the two main rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk.
In the main rebel centre, Donetsk, artillery fire was reported every few seconds in the hours before the ceasefire, but halted at midnight local time.
Video:Ukraine Truce: What Happens Now?
The ceasefire, negotiated in all-night talks involving Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany on Thursday, preludes the creation of a buffer zone and the withdrawal of heavy weapons.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict that has led to sanctions against Russia, which the West accuses of transporting weapons and troops into Ukraine - a claim Russia denies.
The United Nations Security Council has so far failed to adopt a resolution calling on all parties to implement the ceasefire deal, despite a frenzy of diplomatic activity.
The body's 15 members had been due to vote on a Russian-drafted resolution but some of the members, like Malaysia, wanted further discussion over the wording.
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