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.

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.

Pressure is mounting on the Bosnian Serb leadership to hand over wanted war criminal Radovan Karadzic to the UN.

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