Written By Unknown on Rabu, 18 Februari 2015 | 20.18
Iraq's ambassador to the UN has asked it to look at claims Islamic State is harvesting human organs as a way of financing its terror campaign.
Bodies with surgical incisions and missing kidneys, or other body parts, have been found in shallow mass graves over the past few weeks, Mohamed Alhakim told the media.
"We have bodies. Come and examine them," he said. "It is clear they are missing certain parts."
A dozen doctors had been "executed" in Mosul for refusing to participate in the practice, he added.
Mr Alhakim accused IS of "crimes of genocide" by targeting certain ethnic groups as he briefed the UN Security Council on the overall situation in Iraq.
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Gallery: Shia Fighters Battle IS In Iraq
Shia fighters, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against militants of the Islamic State, take part in field training in the desert in the province of Najaf. Continue through for more images
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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: Ukraine Troops Leave Debaltseve
Ukrainian servicemen ride on military vehicles as they leave an area around Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine
President Petro Poroshenko said 80% of units had left the town, in order to comply with the current ceasefire
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Mr Poroshenko: 'Armed forces together with the National Guard completed an operation for a planned and organised withdrawal from Debaltseve'
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Fierce fighting with pro-Russian rebels has raged around the strategically important town, which links the rebel-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk
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Continue through for more pictures
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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.
1/18
Gallery: Ukraine Troops Leave Debaltseve
Ukrainian servicemen ride on military vehicles as they leave an area around Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine
President Petro Poroshenko said 80% of units had left the town, in order to comply with the current ceasefire
]]>
Mr Poroshenko: 'Armed forces together with the National Guard completed an operation for a planned and organised withdrawal from Debaltseve'
]]>
Fierce fighting with pro-Russian rebels has raged around the strategically important town, which links the rebel-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk
]]>
Continue through for more pictures
]]>
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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Breaking News: Ukrainian Troops Withdraw From Key Town
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Video:Ukraine Troops Flee Key Town
Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the town of Debaltseve following fierce fighting with pro-Russian rebels, the country's president has said.
Petro Poroshenko said: "This morning the Ukrainian armed forces together with the National Guard completed an operation for a planned and organised withdrawal from Debaltseve.
"As of now we can say that 80% of our units have left."
Hundreds, if not thousands, of Ukrainian troops were believed to be trapped in the strategically important town, which links the two rebel-controlled regions in the east of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.
A pro-Russian rebel official cited by the separatist press service DAN earlier said hundreds of government troops were surrendering to separatist forces there.
But Mr Poroshenko denied claims the pro-government forces were encircled, and said the troops were leaving with weapons and ammunition.
Separatist forces claim to have taken control of Debaltseve
The Ukrainian leader said another two columns were expected to leave Debaltseve, and added he was heading to the front line to meet soldiers.
"These actions have confounded Russia, which only yesterday demanded that Ukrainian soldiers lay down their arms, raise the white flag and surrender," he said.
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Gallery: Ukraine Troops Leave Debaltseve
Ukrainian servicemen ride on military vehicles as they leave an area around Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine
President Petro Poroshenko said 80% of units had left the town, in order to comply with the current ceasefire
]]>
Mr Poroshenko: 'Armed forces together with the National Guard completed an operation for a planned and organised withdrawal from Debaltseve'
]]>
Fierce fighting with pro-Russian rebels has raged around the strategically important town, which links the rebel-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk
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Continue through for more pictures
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"Despite the fierce artillery bombardments, so far we have information that out of 2,000 Ukrainian troops we have 30 injured."
Praising Ukrainian forces for "really socking it" to the separatists, Mr Poroshenko said he was going to the front "for the great honour of shaking hands with our heroes."
Ukraine accuses Russia of supporting and arming the rebels, a claim Moscow denies.
Video:Ukraine Army Confirms Withdrawal
The 10-month conflict has left more than 5,000 people dead.
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."
Associated Press reporters on the road to the government-controlled town of Artemivsk reported seeing several dozen Ukrainian troops retreating from Debaltseve on Wednesday morning.
Video:Fighting Goes On Despite Ceasefire
AFP journalists near the town saw dozens of tanks and vehicles carrying haggard soldiers leaving.
Separatist forces have been claiming they have control of the town, and at one point offered Ukrainian troops the chance to surrender and lay down their weapons, which Kiev denied.
A rebel military spokesman, Eduard Basurin, told Russian television that more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered, the Interfax news agency reported.
Video:US Ambassador Lambasts Russia
Kiev has admitted that soldiers have been taken prisoner, but has not said how many.
Fighting has continued there despite a ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and rebels coming into force at the weekend.
Russia's Interfax news agency reported that pro-Moscow rebels have started to withdraw heavy weapons from areas they control in eastern Ukraine where the ceasefire was holding.
Video:Mortar Fire Explodes Gas Pipeline
The rebels say that the agreement negotiated by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France last week does not apply to Debaltseve.
The leaders of those four countries will speak by phone later on Wednesday about the crisis, French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said Europe must make it clear to Moscow that it faces economic and financial consequences for "many years to come" if it does not stop destabilising Ukraine.
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Ukrainian Troops Withdraw From Key Town
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Video:Ukraine Troops Flee Key Town
Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the town of Debaltseve following fierce fighting with pro-Russian rebels, the country's president has said.
Petro Poroshenko said: "This morning the Ukrainian armed forces together with the National Guard completed an operation for a planned and organised withdrawal from Debaltseve.
"As of now we can say that 80% of our units have left."
Hundreds, if not thousands, of Ukrainian troops were believed to be trapped in the strategically important town, which links the two rebel-controlled regions in the east of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.
A pro-Russian rebel official cited by the separatist press service DAN earlier said hundreds of government troops were surrendering to separatist forces there.
But Mr Poroshenko denied claims the pro-government forces were encircled, and said the troops were leaving with weapons and ammunition.
Separatist forces claim to have taken control of Debaltseve
The Ukrainian leader said another two columns were expected to leave Debaltseve, and added he was heading to the front line to meet soldiers.
"These actions have confounded Russia, which only yesterday demanded that Ukrainian soldiers lay down their arms, raise the white flag and surrender," he said.
1/18
Gallery: Ukraine Troops Leave Debaltseve
Ukrainian servicemen ride on military vehicles as they leave an area around Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine
President Petro Poroshenko said 80% of units had left the town, in order to comply with the current ceasefire
]]>
Mr Poroshenko: 'Armed forces together with the National Guard completed an operation for a planned and organised withdrawal from Debaltseve'
]]>
Fierce fighting with pro-Russian rebels has raged around the strategically important town, which links the rebel-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk
]]>
Continue through for more pictures
]]>
"Despite the fierce artillery bombardments, so far we have information that out of 2,000 Ukrainian troops we have 30 injured."
Praising Ukrainian forces for "really socking it" to the separatists, Mr Poroshenko said he was going to the front "for the great honour of shaking hands with our heroes."
Ukraine accuses Russia of supporting and arming the rebels, a claim Moscow denies.
Video:Ukraine Army Confirms Withdrawal
The 10-month conflict has left more than 5,000 people dead.
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."
Associated Press reporters on the road to the government-controlled town of Artemivsk reported seeing several dozen Ukrainian troops retreating from Debaltseve on Wednesday morning.
Video:Fighting Goes On Despite Ceasefire
AFP journalists near the town saw dozens of tanks and vehicles carrying haggard soldiers leaving.
Separatist forces have been claiming they have control of the town, and at one point offered Ukrainian troops the chance to surrender and lay down their weapons, which Kiev denied.
A rebel military spokesman, Eduard Basurin, told Russian television that more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered, the Interfax news agency reported.
Video:US Ambassador Lambasts Russia
Kiev has admitted that soldiers have been taken prisoner, but has not said how many.
Fighting has continued there despite a ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and rebels coming into force at the weekend.
Russia's Interfax news agency reported that pro-Moscow rebels have started to withdraw heavy weapons from areas they control in eastern Ukraine where the ceasefire was holding.
Video:Mortar Fire Explodes Gas Pipeline
The rebels say that the agreement negotiated by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France last week does not apply to Debaltseve.
The leaders of those four countries will speak by phone later on Wednesday about the crisis, French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said Europe must make it clear to Moscow that it faces economic and financial consequences for "many years to come" if it does not stop destabilising Ukraine.
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Chief executive CY Leung and his wife Regina in a video message
Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader has called on the region's residents to be like sheep in the wake of the pro-democracy protests last year.
Leung Chun-ying (CY), the chief executive of the region's executive council, made his statement at the start of the Chinese Year of the Sheep.
It followed a year in which rallies protesting against interference by mainland China in Hong Kong affairs drew hundreds of thousands on to the streets, many carrying umbrellas.
In December, speaking after a series of clashes with police, Mr Leung said there would be "resolute action" if the demonstrators returned.
On Wednesday, the last day of the current Chinese year, a message on the chief executive's website said: "It is time to bid farewell to the Year of the Horse and welcome the Year of the Sheep.
An installation of sheep is on show in Hong Kong to celebrate the new year
"Sheep are widely seen to be mild and gentle animals living peacefully in groups.
"Last year was no easy ride for Hong Kong. Our society was rife with differences and conflicts.
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Gallery: Dragons And Dance: Chinese New Year Festival
Chinese folk artists perform during the opening ceremony of the Spring Festival Temple Fair at the Temple of Earth park in Beijing
A performer shows off his skills. The Chinese Lunar New Year will welcome the Year of the Sheep on 19 February. It is also known as the Year of the Goat or Ram
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The Chinese New Year date varies, but always falls between January 21 and February 20.
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Hundreds of millions of people travel home to spend New Year with their families - said to be the world's biggest annual migration. Continue through for more pictures of the spring festival
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"In the coming year, I hope that all people in Hong Kong will take inspiration from the sheep's character and pull together in an accommodating manner to work for Hong Kong's future."
The statement was accompanied by a video which showed scenes of Mr Leung and his family engaged in tasks like gardening, feeding some goats and making a collage of a sheep's face.
Mr Leung is a controversial figure in Hong Kong and has been nicknamed the 'wolf', both because his name sounds like the Chinese word for wolf - lang - and because he is said to be devious and cunning.
Video:Oct 2014: The Umbrellas Explained
Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing told the South China Morning Post: "I don't think [the chief executive] is saying we should follow like sheep. I think he refers to the virtues of sheep.
"[But] then he himself is doing exactly the opposite to provoke so much confrontation and he is tearing the society apart. It's very contradictory and duplicitous."
Hong Kong's protests erupted in reaction to fears the original system of government set up after Britain's withdrawal in 1997 was being eroded.
Video:Dec 2014: Young Lead Democracy Call
Under the agreement, China pledged to govern Hong Kong under a principle of "one country, two systems" giving the territory "a high degree of autonomy".
It has its own legal system and the agreement protected the freedom of assembly and expression.
Many of those who took to the streets last year complained that freedom of speech and the freedom of the press were at risk and there had been an increase in the influence exerted by Beijing since Mr Leung came to power in 2012.
Video:Dec 2014: Leader Warns Of 'Action'
There were also concerns about the election of the next chief executive in 2017 with claims that Beijing was demanding a veto on candidates.
Since the protests started, some British MPs have been banned from visiting Hong Kong, which is now owned by China but is designated a "Special Administrative Region".
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Hong Kong Chief Tells People To Be Like Sheep
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Chief executive CY Leung and his wife Regina in a video message
Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader has called on the region's residents to be like sheep in the wake of the pro-democracy protests last year.
Leung Chun-ying (CY), the chief executive of the region's executive council, made his statement at the start of the Chinese Year of the Sheep.
It followed a year in which rallies protesting against interference by mainland China in Hong Kong affairs drew hundreds of thousands on to the streets, many carrying umbrellas.
In December, speaking after a series of clashes with police, Mr Leung said there would be "resolute action" if the demonstrators returned.
On Wednesday, the last day of the current Chinese year, a message on the chief executive's website said: "It is time to bid farewell to the Year of the Horse and welcome the Year of the Sheep.
An installation of sheep is on show in Hong Kong to celebrate the new year
"Sheep are widely seen to be mild and gentle animals living peacefully in groups.
"Last year was no easy ride for Hong Kong. Our society was rife with differences and conflicts.
1/10
Gallery: Dragons And Dance: Chinese New Year Festival
Chinese folk artists perform during the opening ceremony of the Spring Festival Temple Fair at the Temple of Earth park in Beijing
A performer shows off his skills. The Chinese Lunar New Year will welcome the Year of the Sheep on 19 February. It is also known as the Year of the Goat or Ram
]]>
The Chinese New Year date varies, but always falls between January 21 and February 20.
]]>
Hundreds of millions of people travel home to spend New Year with their families - said to be the world's biggest annual migration. Continue through for more pictures of the spring festival
]]>
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"In the coming year, I hope that all people in Hong Kong will take inspiration from the sheep's character and pull together in an accommodating manner to work for Hong Kong's future."
The statement was accompanied by a video which showed scenes of Mr Leung and his family engaged in tasks like gardening, feeding some goats and making a collage of a sheep's face.
Mr Leung is a controversial figure in Hong Kong and has been nicknamed the 'wolf', both because his name sounds like the Chinese word for wolf - lang - and because he is said to be devious and cunning.
Video:Oct 2014: The Umbrellas Explained
Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing told the South China Morning Post: "I don't think [the chief executive] is saying we should follow like sheep. I think he refers to the virtues of sheep.
"[But] then he himself is doing exactly the opposite to provoke so much confrontation and he is tearing the society apart. It's very contradictory and duplicitous."
Hong Kong's protests erupted in reaction to fears the original system of government set up after Britain's withdrawal in 1997 was being eroded.
Video:Dec 2014: Young Lead Democracy Call
Under the agreement, China pledged to govern Hong Kong under a principle of "one country, two systems" giving the territory "a high degree of autonomy".
It has its own legal system and the agreement protected the freedom of assembly and expression.
Many of those who took to the streets last year complained that freedom of speech and the freedom of the press were at risk and there had been an increase in the influence exerted by Beijing since Mr Leung came to power in 2012.
Video:Dec 2014: Leader Warns Of 'Action'
There were also concerns about the election of the next chief executive in 2017 with claims that Beijing was demanding a veto on candidates.
Since the protests started, some British MPs have been banned from visiting Hong Kong, which is now owned by China but is designated a "Special Administrative Region".
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Breaking News: Ukrainian Troops Withdraw From Key Town
Written By Unknown on Senin, 16 Februari 2015 | 20.18
Egypt's Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East and are estimated to account for around 15% of the country's population.
"Coptic" is used to describe the native Christians living in the country, where Christianity is a large minority religion.
The Coptic Orthodox Church was founded in the first century by Saint Mark the apostle, who wrote the second Gospel of the New Testament.
The church carefully preserves the Orthodox Christian faith and follows the apostles' doctrines.
Islamists protest in Cairo near the Coptic Cathedral in 2011
A video released on Sunday apparently shows 21 Copts being beheaded by Islamic State-inspired combatants.
The footage, which is entitled "A message signed with blood to the nation of the cross", has a scrolling caption in the first few seconds referring to the hostages as "people of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian Church".
Video:Egypt Fighter Jets Hit Militants
It makes reference to Egyptian women Camilia Shehata and Wafa Constantine, the wives of Coptic priests whose alleged conversion to Islam caused a sectarian dispute in Egypt five years ago.
Shehata went missing for five days in July 2010 following a domestic argument. Police later found her and escorted her home.
Coptic Christians staged protests when she disappeared, but when Shehata was returned, Islamists took to the streets claiming she had chosen to convert to Islam and was being held by the church against her will.
Wafa Constantine went missing in 2004, reportedly after her husband refused to grant her a divorce.
As reports of her conversion to Islam spread, she was temporarily sequestered at a convent.
After the hostages are beheaded in the video, a scrolling caption reads: "The filthy blood is just some of what awaits you, in revenge for Camilia and her sisters."
Bishop Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, said the killings had caused "deep feelings of sorrow and pain".
"While it may seem illogical or incomprehensible, we also pray for those who have carried out these horrific crimes, that the value of God's creation and human life may become more evident to them, and in this realisation, that the wider effects of pain brought by this and other acts of brutality may be realised and avoided.
"We pray for an end to the dehumanisation of captives who become mere commodities to be bartered, traded and negotiated with."
Police say two men arrested over a deadly shooting in Copenhagen have been charged with aiding the suspected gunman.
A massive manhunt was launched in the wake of the shootings, which left two dead and five police officers injured.
Police are attempting to piece together events leading up to the attack
By the early hours of Sunday officers believed they had caught the killer after the suspect, Omar-el Hussein, was shot dead near a train station. The two men were later arrested nearby.
Reporting from Copenhagen, Sky's Ian Woods said: "We are hearing that police have charged two people that they detained with aiding the man suspected of shooting dead these people in that terrorist attack.
Video:Police Identify Shooting Suspect
"I'm told one of them was arrested at an internet cafe and the other was arrested five hours earlier in the morning.
"I am told they are being charged in connection with hiding him after the initial gun attack at the cafe in Copenhagen early on Saturday afternoon, and also with supplying the weapon used. They will appear before a judge in a closed court session."
The first attack happened shortly before 3pm UK time on Saturday when a gunman opened fire outside a cafe where a panel was discussing freedom of speech.
Documentary film maker Finn Noergaard, 55, who was attending the event in the Krudttoenden cultural centre, was killed and three officers were injured after the shooter, armed with an automatic weapon, fired through the windows.
Shortly after midnight UK time, a second attack happened outside a synagogue in Krystalgade, where a Jewish man was killed after being shot in the head and two police officers were wounded.
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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
Four Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in attacks by separatists since a ceasefire came into force, according to reports.
The ceasefire came into force on Sunday morning, but a Kiev military source has reported four deaths since then.
A further 21 Ukrainian soldiers have been wounded, the source added.
Fighting has continued around Debaltseve in the country's east
Occasional shelling and gunfire has been heard close to the flashpoint town of Debaltseve in the country's east. It is on the frontline between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists.
The ceasefire agreement was reached following talks in the Belarus capital Minsk led by France and Germany.
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.
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Another member of the Donetsk People's Republic checks on a kettle as the ceasefire holds across large swathes of eastern Ukraine.
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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.
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Other members of the Ukrainian armed forces take a cigarette break near Debaltseve.
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But Pro-Russian rebels had indicated they would not observe the truce at Debaltseve where Ukrainian forces have been largely surrounded.
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.
The 10-month conflict has already claimed more than 5,300 lives.
In a counter claim, separatist military spokesman Eduard Basurin said in a televised news conference on Monday that the government launched an artillery strike overnight on Horlivka, a town under rebel control.
Meanwhile the European Union has published a new list of Ukrainians and Russians targeted by sanctions for undermining Ukraine's independence.
The list includes Russian first deputy defence minister Arkady Bakhin.
Also named on the list of 19 people and nine organisations is Andrei Kartapolov, deputy chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces.
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Ukrainian Soldiers Killed Despite Ceasefire
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Video:Ukraine: Tentative Ceasefire Holds
Four Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in attacks by separatists since a ceasefire came into force, according to reports.
The ceasefire came into force on Sunday morning, but a Kiev military source has reported four deaths since then.
A further 21 Ukrainian soldiers have been wounded, the source added.
Fighting has continued around Debaltseve in the country's east
Occasional shelling and gunfire has been heard close to the flashpoint town of Debaltseve in the country's east. It is on the frontline between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists.
The ceasefire agreement was reached following talks in the Belarus capital Minsk led by France and Germany.
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.
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Another member of the Donetsk People's Republic checks on a kettle as the ceasefire holds across large swathes of eastern Ukraine.
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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.
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Other members of the Ukrainian armed forces take a cigarette break near Debaltseve.
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But Pro-Russian rebels had indicated they would not observe the truce at Debaltseve where Ukrainian forces have been largely surrounded.
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.
The 10-month conflict has already claimed more than 5,300 lives.
In a counter claim, separatist military spokesman Eduard Basurin said in a televised news conference on Monday that the government launched an artillery strike overnight on Horlivka, a town under rebel control.
Meanwhile the European Union has published a new list of Ukrainians and Russians targeted by sanctions for undermining Ukraine's independence.
The list includes Russian first deputy defence minister Arkady Bakhin.
Also named on the list of 19 people and nine organisations is Andrei Kartapolov, deputy chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces.
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Egypt Bombs Libya Targets After Beheadings
Why Are Egypt's Christians Being Targeted?
Breaking News: Miliband: Apprenticeships For School Leavers
Egypt's military says it has bombed targets in Libya, a day after a video purporting to show the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians was released by Islamic State-inspired combatants.
The attack, in which Libya's air force also took part, focused on camps, training sites and weapons storage areas across the border between the two countries.
A Libyan air force commander told Egyptian state television that 40-50 militants were killed.
Saqer al Joroushi said the strikes by war planes loyal to the official government had been coordinated with Egypt and more would follow.
The camouflaged fighter that appears in the video
He said Egyptian and Libyan planes had combined to hit targets in the eastern town of Derna. Libyan planes then attacked the central cities of Sirte and Ben Jawad, he added.
Egyptian planes later returned for a second wave of airstrikes on Derna.
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A spokesman for Egypt's Armed Forces General Command said the strikes were "to avenge the bloodshed and to seek retribution from the killers".
"Let those far and near know that Egyptians have a shield that protects them," the statement added.
The strikes come after video emerged showing 21 handcuffed hostages dressed in orange jumpsuits being murdered by militants calling themselves the Tripoli Province of Islamic State.
In the latest issue of the IS online magazine Dabiq, the group had said the same number of Egyptian hostages were being held in Libya after being kidnapped in January.
Video:Egypt President Orders Airstrikes
In the video, which shows the hostages being beheaded simultaneously on a beach, a camouflaged fighter points north across the Mediterranean and threatens in an American accent that IS, which already controls around a third of Iraq and Syria, will soon reach Europe.
Egypt's ambassador to the UK, Nasser Kamel, told Sky News nations need to join together and face the threat from the group, which is "coming closer to home, and by home I mean not only Egypt, but also Europe".
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron described the killings as "a simply barbaric and inhumane act", while White House spokesman Josh Earnest described the militants' actions as "despicable and cowardly".
In the aftermath, Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, threatened to carry out a "suitable" punishment.
Video:Egypt Fighter Jets Hit Militants
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that "tough intervention" against the militants in Libya is needed or they would threaten world peace.
French President Francois Hollande and Mr al Sisi have urged the UN Security Council to meet and consider new measures to tackle the militants.
Libya's internationally recognised prime minister, Abdullah al Thinni, has called on the West to launch airstrikes on Islamist militants in his country.
The country is split between two rival governments each backed by different militias: Mr al Thinni's, which is based in Tobruk, and another located in Tripoli.
Video:How IS Control Could Increase
The Tripoli-based parliament strongly condemned the Egyptian strike on Derna as an "assault against Libyan sovereignty".
Egypt's Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East and are estimated to account for around 15% of the country's population.
Thousands of Egyptians have headed to Libya to work since the Egyptian uprising in 2011, despite government advice to stay away.
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 15 Februari 2015 | 20.18
By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent
Mohamed Fahmy, one of three Al Jazeera journalists freed on bail after spending more than a year in an Egyptian prison, has told Sky News it would be naive to think he and his colleagues are in the clear.
Speaking from his family home in Cairo, Mr Fahmy said the 24 hours since his release had felt like a "rebirth and a fresh slate" but cautioned that the battle for freedom is not over.
He said: "I will fight this all the way. I don't trust the lawyers and I've learned not to get my hopes up or trust the system."
Mr Fahmy was released from jail on Friday along with his colleague Baher Mohamed after being told he would have to face a retrial over allegations they supported the Muslim Brotherhood.
The 40-year-old said he will be trying to schedule meetings with the Egyptian President, Foreign Minister and other officials in the coming days to try to guarantee his release.
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He said the Egyptian authorities had not given him his passports or any identity documents, which was making it difficult for him to return to normality as he cannot rent an apartment, drive.
Mr Fahmy also has to register every day at his local police station as a condition of his bail - for which his family paid $33,000 (£21,000) - and has a travel ban imposed on him.
"We are still living in this nightmare. It's still there," he said.
Mohamed Fahmy and his colleagues Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste were arrested on 29 December 2013 and sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison on terror charges.
An appeals court later overturned the verdict, ordering the retrial and granting Mr Fahmy and Mr Mohamed bail.
Australian correspondent Mr Greste left the country almost two weeks earlier after a presidential decree allowed for the deportation of foreign convicts and defendants.
The next session of the trial is scheduled for the 23 February.
Mr Fahmy described life in a maximum security prison as "hell", especially his first month which was spent in solitary confinement in a tiny, insect-infested cell.
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He said there was no light and he could not tell what time it was.
His two colleagues were then moved to another part of the prison where they were put together in a cell they described as a "shoe box".
The same prison was home to some of the most senior and high-profile members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the group's Supreme Guide.
To entertain themselves and learn more about their fellow inmates, Mr Fahmy, Mr Greste and Mr Mohamed decided to start a mock station they named 'Al Jazeera Radio Prison' and began interviewing Brotherhood and jihadi inmates through the bars of their cells.
Mr Fahmy said the show gave them something to do and also provided some much-needed relief.
"It's important to have humour in prison to be able to survive," he said, smiling.
But prison authorities found out about the show and told them to shut it down.
The three men spent months in a cell together during their trial before being moved on to yet another wing after they were sentenced.
That is when other inmates joined them in a larger cell he describes as being like a "warehouse."
Video:4 February - Greste Arrives Home
Mr Fahmy said spending more than 400 days in an Egyptian prison had made him think a lot about his life and his priorities.
"Before, it was about getting exclusive stories and being on the front lines. Now I think more about my family and what really matters," he said.
Mr Fahmy admitted his employer, Al Jazeera, which is owned by Qatar, could have done more to better protect its staff on the ground.
He said senior managers displayed a "negligence of responsibility" when it came to their safety and security.
He also thought the Canadian government could have and still should exert much more pressure on the Egyptian authorities.
Mr Fahmy had dual Canadian-Egyptian citizenship but gave up his Egyptian nationality a few months ago after security officials told him to, indicating they would deport him - a move the journalist said was a trick which he now deeply regrets falling for.
But Mr Fahmy was clear about who was to blame for what happened to him and his colleagues.
"The Egyptians put me in prison, the Qataris contributed to my detention by mishandling issues with Al Jazeera's presence in Egypt and the Canadians had a very clear opening to get me out of this debacle," he said.
It was clear, he added, that he and his colleagues were used as pawns within a larger spat between Egypt and Qatar.
Video:'Incredible Angst' Of Journalist
He said: "This case is about freedom of speech only in the sense that you have silenced three award-winning journalists, recognised for their work, and putting them behind bars for not committing any crimes.
"However the other aspect of the case is the ongoing cold war between Egypt and Qatar that resulted in us being used as pawns to score settle these issues between these two countries."
In fact, he said, the prosecutor told him explicitly on various occasions while questioning him that he was being used as a pawn, although a record of their conversations has not been made public.
The TV journalist hopes to reveal much more about in a book he is planning to co-write with colleague Peter Greste, called Marriott Cell , the name they were given by the authorities after being arrested from the Marriott hotel in Cairo where they were working at the time.
Mr Fahmy said his lawyer, Amal Clooney, has expressed interest in writing the introduction to the book and he is already working on it.
For now though, Mohamed Fahmy is enjoying being free.
"It's just nice to walk around and not be followed by a cop," he said.
"You never really appreciate the simple things, but I do now."
A ceasefire appears to be holding in Ukraine - although both sides have accused each other of violating the deal in the hours after the truce deadline passed.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko ordered government forces to stop firing at 10pm UK time on Saturday, under a plan agreed in Belarus this week.
The military said Ukrainian armed forces immediately fulfilled Mr Poroshenko's order and guns fell silent in Donetsk and some other parts of the country's east.
Under the peace agreement, both Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatist rebels were to hold their fire, before pulling back their heavy weaponry to form a wide buffer zone.
Intense fighting continued around Debaltseve on Saturday
There were reports of continued fighting and movement of military vehicles right up to the deadline, and after it had passed government forces and rebels said there were violations in the first few hours.
A Ukraine military spokesman has said rebels shelled its positions 10 times after the truce began, but that the ceasefire is being observed "in general".
Video:Can Ukraine Peace Deal Succeed?
A pro-Kiev official says two civilians were killed by rockets fired by rebels just after the start of the truce, the AFP news agency is reporting.
Mr Poroshenko admitted there was "alarm" over the situation around the key transport hub of Debaltseve, where government forces have been hard pressed by Russian-backed separatists.
A senior pro-Russian separatist commander has said that rebels still have the right to fire on the town in spite of the ceasefire because "it is our territory".
Intense fighting continued around the strategic government-held area on Saturday.
Video:Ceasefire Deal In Ukraine Conflict
Earlier in the week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers were besieged by separatists around the town and would have to lay down their weapons.
Rebels told the Associated Press news agency they will not consider any battles for the town to be a violation of the ceasefire.
The intensity of the fighting around Debaltseve and elsewhere raises doubts about whether the ceasefire will hold.
The White House said President Barack Obama spoke to Mr Poroshenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday and expressed concern about the violence.
Video:Poroshenko Wary Of Truce Agreement
The French presidency said Mr Putin reaffirmed in a phone call with his French and German counterparts on Saturday that the ceasefire must be respected.
The statement also said the three leaders will speak by phone with Mr Poroshenko on Sunday to take stock of the ceasefire.
