Ocili News

EU foreign ministers met for what were said to be intense talks

European Union foreign ministers have failed to forge a joint position on Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia. While France confirmed that it would recognise independence, as expected, several member states led by Spain made clear their legal concerns.

US President George W Bush said Kosovo’s people were “independent” but stopped short of formal recognition.

Russia has backed Serbia in its refusal to recognise Kosovo’s secession.

About 10,000 students protested in Belgrade on Monday, and thousands of the city’s taxi-drivers went on strike in protest at the declaration of independence, while thousands of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo’s enclaves also rallied.

See a map of Kosovo’s ethnic breakdown

On Sunday, Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanians celebrated the declaration with fireworks late into the night. Continue reading »

Tags: Albanians, EU, independence, Kosovo, secession, Serbia, Serbs, UN

Athens’ streets looked virtually deserted on Monday

Heavy snowfall has left at least 150 villages cut off in Greece and severely disrupted flights to and from Athens. Many of the affected villages faced power outages, the Greek civil protection authority said.

Dozens of international and domestic flights to and from Athens’ airport were cancelled, as up to 15cm (six inches) of snow blanketed the capital.

Schools in the city have been closed, and the authorities are urging people to stay indoors.

Continue reading »

Tags: Athens, climate, cold, flights, Greece, snow