Kosovo ex-PM faces war crimes verdict at UN tribunal

The Hague:  The UN's Yugoslav war crimes court will today hand down judgement for Kosovo's ex-prime minister and former freedom fighter Ramush Haradinaj and two comrades in arms who were retried because of witness intimidation.

Haradinaj, 44 and Idriz Balaj, 41, face six war-crime charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for allegedly murdering and torturing Serbs and non-Albanians during Kosovo's brutal 1998-99 war for independence from Belgrade.

The third accused, Lahi Brahimaj, 42, faces four counts at the Hague-based tribunal for his role in the fight between independence-seeking ethnic Albanian guerrillas and the Belgrade forces of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

The trial will be broadcast live on a giant screen in the Kosovo capital Pristina, where Haradinaj is considered a hero by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority who have high hopes of an acquittal.

But senior Serbian officials have warned that should Haradinaj walk, EU-sponsored talks between Pristina and Belgrade -- which still considers Kosovo to be its southern province -- could be jeopardised.

The most senior Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders to be tried, Haradinaj as well as Balaj, his lieutenant and commander of the feared "Black Eagles" unit, were acquitted in April 2008 on 37 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Brahimaj was convicted of torture and sentenced to six years in jail.

Judges however ordered the court's first-ever partial retrial for all three after UN prosecutors appealed the acquittal and Brahimaj's sentence.

Appeals judges said the ICTY's trial chamber "seriously erred in failing to take adequate measures to secure the testimony of certain witnesses" during the original 10-month trial.

Haradinaj -- who quit his job as prime minister after 100 days in office to hand himself over to the tribunal -- and Balaj returned to court for the verdict while Brahimaj remains in detention.

PTI

Kosovo ex-PM faces war crimes verdict at UN tribunal

The Hague:  The UN's Yugoslav war crimes court will today hand down judgement for Kosovo's ex-prime minister and former freedom fighter Ramush Haradinaj and two comrades in arms who were retried because of witness intimidation.

Haradinaj, 44 and Idriz Balaj, 41, face six war-crime charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for allegedly murdering and torturing Serbs and non-Albanians during Kosovo's brutal 1998-99 war for independence from Belgrade.

The third accused, Lahi Brahimaj, 42, faces four counts at the Hague-based tribunal for his role in the fight between independence-seeking ethnic Albanian guerrillas and the Belgrade forces of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

The trial will be broadcast live on a giant screen in the Kosovo capital Pristina, where Haradinaj is considered a hero by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority who have high hopes of an acquittal.

But senior Serbian officials have warned that should Haradinaj walk, EU-sponsored talks between Pristina and Belgrade -- which still considers Kosovo to be its southern province -- could be jeopardised.

The most senior Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders to be tried, Haradinaj as well as Balaj, his lieutenant and commander of the feared "Black Eagles" unit, were acquitted in April 2008 on 37 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Brahimaj was convicted of torture and sentenced to six years in jail.

Judges however ordered the court's first-ever partial retrial for all three after UN prosecutors appealed the acquittal and Brahimaj's sentence.

Appeals judges said the ICTY's trial chamber "seriously erred in failing to take adequate measures to secure the testimony of certain witnesses" during the original 10-month trial.

Haradinaj -- who quit his job as prime minister after 100 days in office to hand himself over to the tribunal -- and Balaj returned to court for the verdict while Brahimaj remains in detention.

PTI

China to strengthen cooperation with Europe

Hamburg:  China is willing to join hands with Europe to fully tap the potential of mutually beneficial cooperation and push the relationship between the two sides to a new level, a senior Chinese official said.

Wan Gang, China's minister of science and technology, told the Hamburg summit that the relationship between China and Europe has become one of the most important in the world, reported Xinhua.

Founded in 2004, the biennially-held Hamburg summit has become an important dialogue platform for the economic cooperation between China and Europe.

"The economic and trade cooperation between the two sides has brought substantive benefits to both parties," said Wan.

Wan said that the international financial crisis and European debt crisis have deepened the inter-dependence of Chinese and European economies, adding that the cooperation has played a positive role in uplifting the gloomy world economy.

He said the recently concluded 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has charted a course for the future development of China and set an ambitious goal of building a well-off society in all aspects in China by 2020, Wan said.

"The industrialization, informatization, urbanization and agricultural modernization in China have provided broader rooms for future development of China and its cooperation with foreign countries," he said, adding that China will unswervingly uphold and deepen the policy of opening-up and reform.

He stressed that China and Europe should deepen the cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, which is mutually beneficial.

IANS

China to strengthen cooperation with Europe

Hamburg:  China is willing to join hands with Europe to fully tap the potential of mutually beneficial cooperation and push the relationship between the two sides to a new level, a senior Chinese official said.

Wan Gang, China's minister of science and technology, told the Hamburg summit that the relationship between China and Europe has become one of the most important in the world, reported Xinhua.

Founded in 2004, the biennially-held Hamburg summit has become an important dialogue platform for the economic cooperation between China and Europe.

"The economic and trade cooperation between the two sides has brought substantive benefits to both parties," said Wan.

Wan said that the international financial crisis and European debt crisis have deepened the inter-dependence of Chinese and European economies, adding that the cooperation has played a positive role in uplifting the gloomy world economy.

He said the recently concluded 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has charted a course for the future development of China and set an ambitious goal of building a well-off society in all aspects in China by 2020, Wan said.

"The industrialization, informatization, urbanization and agricultural modernization in China have provided broader rooms for future development of China and its cooperation with foreign countries," he said, adding that China will unswervingly uphold and deepen the policy of opening-up and reform.

He stressed that China and Europe should deepen the cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, which is mutually beneficial.

IANS

Guidelines to prevent Section 66(A) of IT Act misuse

government today issued guidelines that state approval from an officer of DCP level at rural areas and IG level in metros will have to be sought before registering complaints under the controversial section.

Last week two girls were arrested over a Facebook post criticising the bandh like situation in Mumbai after Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's death while another boy was arrested yesterday for posting "vulgar" comments against MNS chief Raj Thackeray and the people of Maharashtra on the social New Delhi:  Following the uproar over arrests made under Section 66 (A) of the IT Act, the networking site.    

"The concerned police officer or police station may not register any complaints unless he has obtained prior approval at the level of an officer not below the DCP rank in urban and rural areas and IG level in metros," sources said.     

The government is confident that once these regulations are put in place, such instances will not be repeated, the sources added.     

"We are going to circulate to all state governments guidelines with regard to registering any complaints under Section 66 (A)," sources said.     

Section 66 A, which is a bailable offence provides for a jail term of up to three years.

Guidelines to prevent Section 66(A) of IT Act misuse

government today issued guidelines that state approval from an officer of DCP level at rural areas and IG level in metros will have to be sought before registering complaints under the controversial section.

Last week two girls were arrested over a Facebook post criticising the bandh like situation in Mumbai after Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's death while another boy was arrested yesterday for posting "vulgar" comments against MNS chief Raj Thackeray and the people of Maharashtra on the social New Delhi:  Following the uproar over arrests made under Section 66 (A) of the IT Act, the networking site.    

"The concerned police officer or police station may not register any complaints unless he has obtained prior approval at the level of an officer not below the DCP rank in urban and rural areas and IG level in metros," sources said.     

The government is confident that once these regulations are put in place, such instances will not be repeated, the sources added.     

"We are going to circulate to all state governments guidelines with regard to registering any complaints under Section 66 (A)," sources said.     

Section 66 A, which is a bailable offence provides for a jail term of up to three years.

Kerala grants NRKs vote in local body polls

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Oommen Chandy government at its weekly cabinet meeting here Wednesday decided to allow the nearly two million non-resident Keralites (NRKs) the right to vote in the local body elections, Minister in charge of the Diaspora K.C. Joseph said. Addressing reporters here, K.C. Joseph said the cabinet decided to enact a new provision in the Kerala Panchayati Raj and Kerala Municipalities Act, which would enable the diaspora to vote in local body elections. "Just as the NRIs got their names included in the voters' lists by making amendments in the Representation of People Act, 1950, giving them rights to vote in assembly and Lok Sabha elections, we decided to include a new section in the Kerala Panchayati Raj and the Kerala Municipalities Act, which will enable our diaspora to cast votes whenever there is a local body poll," Joseph said. The enactment of the new provision is expected to be made during the forthcoming assembly session that begins Dec 10. "This demand from the Kerala diaspora has been a long-standing one; never before were their names included in the voters' lists, so there is no record of these people. With this move, these people will now find their names in voters' lists," Joseph said. The local bodies' elections, held once in five years, are next scheduled for 2015. In the April 2011 state assembly polls, all NRKs whose names figured in the electoral list and who were present in the state during the elections were allowed to cast their votes for the first time.

Kerala grants NRKs vote in local body polls

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Oommen Chandy government at its weekly cabinet meeting here Wednesday decided to allow the nearly two million non-resident Keralites (NRKs) the right to vote in the local body elections, Minister in charge of the Diaspora K.C. Joseph said. Addressing reporters here, K.C. Joseph said the cabinet decided to enact a new provision in the Kerala Panchayati Raj and Kerala Municipalities Act, which would enable the diaspora to vote in local body elections. "Just as the NRIs got their names included in the voters' lists by making amendments in the Representation of People Act, 1950, giving them rights to vote in assembly and Lok Sabha elections, we decided to include a new section in the Kerala Panchayati Raj and the Kerala Municipalities Act, which will enable our diaspora to cast votes whenever there is a local body poll," Joseph said. The enactment of the new provision is expected to be made during the forthcoming assembly session that begins Dec 10. "This demand from the Kerala diaspora has been a long-standing one; never before were their names included in the voters' lists, so there is no record of these people. With this move, these people will now find their names in voters' lists," Joseph said. The local bodies' elections, held once in five years, are next scheduled for 2015. In the April 2011 state assembly polls, all NRKs whose names figured in the electoral list and who were present in the state during the elections were allowed to cast their votes for the first time.

KSEB wants load shedding to be extended to six months

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) will demand the Electricity Regulatory Commission to extend the 30-minute cyclical load-shedding, both during the morning hours and evening hours, to six months.

According to the order of the Commission, term of load shedding ends on Friday. The load shedding during the evening hours, presently, is between 6.30 pm and 10.30 pm. This will be changed to 6 pm and 10 pm.

The report was handed to the Commission by a technical member at the Board, Sulaiman Rawuthat. He has also demanded that the duration of each load shedding should be made 45 minutes. But the board was reluctant to alter the duration.

The report also recommends that those domestic consumers who use more than 200 units power have to pay the money equal to the amount which KSEB spends to buy from  outside

KSEB wants load shedding to be extended to six months

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) will demand the Electricity Regulatory Commission to extend the 30-minute cyclical load-shedding, both during the morning hours and evening hours, to six months.

According to the order of the Commission, term of load shedding ends on Friday. The load shedding during the evening hours, presently, is between 6.30 pm and 10.30 pm. This will be changed to 6 pm and 10 pm.

The report was handed to the Commission by a technical member at the Board, Sulaiman Rawuthat. He has also demanded that the duration of each load shedding should be made 45 minutes. But the board was reluctant to alter the duration.

The report also recommends that those domestic consumers who use more than 200 units power have to pay the money equal to the amount which KSEB spends to buy from  outside