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'We don't want to run away anymore' - Serbs head to polls in Mitrovica amid regional tensions

'We don't want to run away anymore' - Serbs head to polls in Mitrovica amid regional tensions

"Serbian voters headed to poll stations in Mitrovica on Sunday amid ongoing regional tensions. Footage filmed in northern Kosovo features people entering voting booths and casting ballots at a local poll station. Voters voiced hope that the Serbian administration would be restored in the four northern predominantly Serb municipalities after ethnic Albanian mayors were elected in 2023.  "I expect that after the elections, we will return our municipalities to the Serbs, because 98 percent of the people here are Serbs, and that is why there should be Serbs in the municipalities, not Albanians," one of the voters stated. “We motivate them to go to the elections to return to where we were, not to be displaced [...] we don't run away from here anymore, but stay here," another voter added. Ethnic Serbians and the biggest Serb political party in Kosovo, the Serb List, boycotted local elections in 2023 in demand for more autonomy. The election outcome resulted in civil disturbance in the municipalities, and Albanian mayors were able to assume office only after Kosovo police took control of the municipal buildings. Earlier, Member of the Presidency of the Serb List Srdjan Popovic claimed about attempts to 'Albanize' the Serb-majority municipalities ahead of the 2025 elections. Polling stations will be open from 7:00 to 19:00 local time (5:00 to 17:00 GMT). Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia escalated earlier this year after Kosovo authorities raided ten Serbian-linked government offices. Over the past year, Kosovo has also banned the Serbian dinar, shut down banks reliant on the currency, and closed post offices handling pension payments. In 2008, Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence, a move Belgrade has not recognised. Serbia still regards it as an Autonomous Province with ongoing rows over the status and security of ethnic Serbs. Russia and China are among the other countries that do not recognise it."

Passengers of Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX to Bristol evacuated via emergency slides

Passengers of Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX to Bristol evacuated via emergency slides

Passengers aboard a Ryanair flight bound for Bristol were evacuated at Krakow John Paul II International Airport in Poland after the crew noticed smoke. The incident occurred as the flight FR5519 prepared for departure, with crew members detecting smoke in the cabin and immediately implementing emergency evacuation procedures to ensure passenger safety before the source […] The post Passengers of Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX to Bristol evacuated via emergency slides appeared first on AIRLIVE .