Pro-Russian fighters in Ukraine’s east have called for an immediate ceasefire to avert a humanitarian disaster, after reports that the Ukrainian army had recaptured a key city from the rebels, reported Reuters.

Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk people's republic, made the call in a statement published on the rebel website.

"We are ready for a ceasefire to prevent the proliferation of a humanitarian disaster in Donbass," he said.

Russia renewed its offer to send a humanitarian mission, after the US warned Moscow on Friday not to use such mission as a pretext to send troops to support the rebels.

Colombian rebels have attacked an oil field near the Venezuelan border.

The state-owned Ecopetrol said that no-one was injured in the attack on the Tibu field.

The left-wing Farc and the ELN are both active in the area, however the Colombian military did not specify which of the groups carried out the attack, which came after weeks of rebels targeting power stations, oil fields, pipelines and roads.

The latest attack comes a day after President Jose Manuel Santos was inaugurated for a second term.

The dispute over the Afghan presidency has ended after a political agreement was reached by Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, who both claimed to have won the election earlier this year.

The announcement came soon after a surprise visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who landed in Kabul on Thursday, to assist the negotiations around the presidency.

Israeli air strikes on Gaza have killed 5 Palestinians, with now over 1,900 deaths in the Gaza strip, according to the UN.

Hostilities resumed after a 72-hour truce expired with talks in Cairo between Israel and the Palestinians failing to reach an agreement.

"In recent days these terrorists have continued to move across Iraq and have neared the city of Erbil where American diplomats and civilians serve at our consulate and American military personnel advise Iraqi forces.

To stop the advance on Erbil, I have directed our military to take targetted strikes against ISIL terrorist convoys should they move towards the city. We intend to stay vigilant and take action if these terrorist forces threaten our forces or personnel any where in Iraq including our consulate in Erbil and our embassy in Baghdad.

We are providing urgent assistance to Iraqi government and Kurdish forces so they can more effectively wage the fight against ISIL."

The South Sudanese Army and rebel forces committed “extraordinary acts of cruelty” and should be prosecuted for war crimes, according to Human Rights Watch.

In a report released today, the New York-based rights group said that both sides have killed civilians and looted property during recent clashes and that some of their acts could amount to crimes against humanity.