There has been a small explosion in Macedonia, as NATO enters day three of Operation Essential Harvest in the country.

Macedonians have blockaded a main road to Macedonia’s second city today, preventing the army from withdrawing its tanks and heavy weapons.

An explosion has shaken an Albanian neighbourhood in Macedonia's capital, Skopje.

Two people have reportedly died in an explosion that flattened a Macedonian-owned hotel this morning in an area controlled by the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army.

Ethnic Albanian rebels and Government forces have clashed in Macedonia, straining a ceasefire before a visit by a top Nato general.

Ethnic Albanian rebels and Government forces clashed into the early hours today, straining a ceasefire ahead of a visit by Nato’s commander to assess whether it is safe to send thousands of British led troops into Macedonia.

Fighting broke out between rebels and government forces in Macedonia as British troops and equipment today continued to arrive to join the massive Nato weapons collection operation.

Macedonia's ethnic Albanian guerrilla leader has declared that his fighters will hand over their weapons to NATO soldiers.

NATO soldiers are today streaming into Macedonia ahead of a key visit by a senior alliance general who is to decide whether the country is stable enough to begin weapon collection efforts.

Nato soldiers streamed into Macedonia today ahead of a key visit by a senior alliance general who will help determine whether the country is stable enough to start an effort to collect rebel weapons.

Sporadic fighting has continued in Macedonia just hours before NATO troops move into the country to help disarm the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army.

An advance party of British troops was today setting out for Macedonia to begin Nato’s reconnaissance mission in the troubled Balkan state.

A Macedonian police officer has been murdered by rebels.

Fresh clashes between the Macedonian army and ethnic Albanian guerrillas are threatening the landmark peace deal signed yesterday in an effort to end a six-month insurgency.

A fresh outbreak of fighting in northern Macedonia has thrown doubt on whether the country's minority ethnic Albanians and majority Slavs will sign a peace accord as planned tomorrow.

Macedonia's army has pounded an ethnic Albanian village with helicopter gunships after at least seven soldiers were killed by land mines.

At least eight Macedonian soldiers were killed and six were injured when their truck hit a land mine near the capital, Skopje, today.

Macedonia’s rival parties pledged to sign a peace deal next week after talks took on a new sense of urgency following the killing of 10 soldiers in the six-month insurgency’s bloodiest battle yet.

A Macedonian police officer has died in a gun attack by ethnic Albanian rebels while peace talks continue.

Gunmen ambushed Macedonia’s interior minister yesterday, spraying his car with bullets as he travelled to visit refugees returning to their homes.

Macedonian Government officials and ethnic Albanian leaders have gathered in the southern city of Ohrid to resume high-level peace talks aimed at ending a rebel insurgency in the north of the country.

Ethnic Albanian rebels have remained in the four villages in northern Macedonia which they invaded earlier this week, despite a promise to withdraw as part of a new ceasefire deal.

NATO has brokered a fresh deal with ethnic Albanian rebels in Macedonia in an effort to reinstate a ceasefire and continue negotiations aimed at avoiding civil war.

Hundreds of residents have begun leaving the Macedonian city of Tetovo after a government-issued deadline for the ethnic Albanian rebels to lay down their arms expired at noon.

Mobs of Macedonians have attacked the US, British and German Embassies in Skopje as the violence in the former Yugoslav republic continues to intensify.

Western diplomats are struggling to salvage peace talks as ethnic Albanian rebels battled Government security forces in the worst fighting in months.

Despite clashes after the midnight ceasefire deadline, both the Macedonian Army and ethnic Albanians appeared today to respect a deal to stop fighting.

Ethnic Albanian insurgents in northern Macedonia have moved into four villages close to the city of Tetovo.

President George W Bush today moved to choke off the funds and mobility of ethnic Albanian insurgents in Macedonia - part of what the White House called an effort to ‘‘face down extremists’’.

New fighting and anti-Government demonstrations in Macedonia have marred optimism over a Nato-brokered deal designed to accomplish a pull-out of ethnic Albanian rebels from a strategically important suburb near the capital Skopje.

Macedonian Government forces pounded rebel strongholds with artillery, tanks and helicopter gunships today despite the resumption of talks between ethnic Albanian and Slav politicians aimed at ending the violence.

Five Macedonian soldiers died in a rebel ambush while trying to evacuate troops wounded in clashes near the country’s second city.

Explosions shook the hills above Tetovo today, marking the resumption of fighting between ethnic Albanian insurgents and the army near Macedonia’s second largest city.

Macedonian has declared an offensive against ethnic Albanian insurgents over, saying forces have regained key border areas with Kosovo.

Macedonia's army has launched a fresh offensive to clear ethnic Albanian rebels from the hills along the northern border with Kosovo.

The EU’s security affairs chief today reaffirmed his push for a peaceful solution to end Macedonia’s ethnic Albanian insurgency, urging the rebels to let the political process run its course.

Britain today called on "restraint" from Macedonia as the Balkan republic's forces began their first serious offensive.

Macedonian troops have battled with ethnic Albanian rebels in the closest fighting since the start of the six-week conflict.

Fighting has escalated along the Kosovo-Macedonia border as government forces continue their offensive against ethnic Albanian rebels.

Macedonian helicopters have bombed ethnic Albanian rebels just south of Tetovo.

Ethnic Albanian rebels engaged Macedonian soldiers and police in isolated skirmishes early today ending the eerie silence of the previous 24 hours.

Two people have been killed after reportedly threatening to throw grenades at armed police in Macedonia.

Armed police in Macedonia have moved into the hills above Tetovo in the start of a push to cleanse them of ethnic Albanian rebels.

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has pledged Britain’s ‘‘full support’’ for the government of Macedonia in its struggle with ethnic Albanian separatists who have begun an armed insurrection in the north of the country.