UN hands over to Kosovo Albanians

Majority ethnic Albanian authorities will now run the territory although it remains unclear who will oversee Kosovo's Serb-dominated areas.

Security has been increased in the flash-point town of Mitrovica after a gunman attacked a police station.

The unidentified attacker was wounded along with a policeman in the incident on Saturday, police said.

It was not immediately clear in which part of the town the shooting took place.

Authority's boundaries

Under the new constitution, which came into force at midnight on Sunday, Kosovo's government assumes many of the powers held up till now by the UN.

The European Union is to deploy several missions to the territory and will take on a supervisory role in a move opposed by Serbia and Russia.

The new constitution is a milestone event in the history of Kosovo but, says the BBC's Nick Thorpe in Kosovo, there will be none of the festivities which marked the declaration of independence four months ago.