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       Western envoys went to Kosovo and Serbia on Friday as part of their ongoing efforts to defuse tensions between the two countries and attempt to help them reach a reconciliation agreement.

       Representatives from the US and Europe first met Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti in the capital Pristina to discuss the proposal for the normalisation of relations that they presented to him late last year.

       Afterwards, EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak said he'd hoped for a more encouraging response.

       "I want to say however at this point is that we had expected a better understanding of the opportunities this proposal offers," Lajcak told reporters. "I hope we will get there to full understanding and full use of the potential of this proposal. We are going to continue to work on this.”

       After the meeting, the representatives headed to Belgrade.

       Although Kosovo is made up of largely of ethnic Albanians, there's a large Serbian community living in the north and friction with Pristina has been constant since the territory proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008.

       Belgrade has not yet recognised it.

       Border barricades to be dismantled today after stand-off between Kosovo and Serbia Kosovo Serbs start dismantling barricades in bid to defuse military tensions Serbia revokes the combat readiness of its troops as tension with Kosovo ease

       The situation in the north remains volatile as there are only a few dozen police officers of the European Union rule of law mission, known as EULEX, taking care of the area’s security after all ethnic Serb representatives resigned from their posts in November.

       Tension spiked late last year when Kosovo Serbs erected roadblocks in protest at the arrest of a former policeman. KFOR peacekeepers lifted the barricades.

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       Brazilian football player Dani Alves was arrested on Friday after being accused of sexually abusing a woman in Spain.

       The former Barcelona player is alleged to have committed the act on New Year's Eve at a nightclub in the city, according to police.

       Alves has denied the accusations.

       The charge of sexual abuse in Spain can mean anything from unsolicited and unwanted sexual groping to rape.

       As well as Barcelona, the 39-year-old has won major titles with Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. He now plays with the Mexican club Pumas.

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       German lawmakers have recognised as genocide crimes committed by so-called Islamic State militants against minority Yazidis in Iraq in 2014.

       The jihadist group is accused of killing thousands of Yazidis, enslaving up to 7,000 of their women and girls and displacing most of the 550,000-strong community from their ancestral home.

       The Yazidis are an ancient religious minority mainly based in eastern Syria and northwest Iraq.

       They were viewed by the Islamic State militants as 'devil worshippers' for their faith which combines Zoroastrian, Christian, Manichean, Jewish and Muslim beliefs.