IN BRIEF (Page 12)

China

Beijing refutes claim for islands

China cannot accept the Philippines' claim for sovereignty over parts of China's Nansha Islands, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular press conference on Thursday.

China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and nearby waters, which is proven by historical and legal evidence, and exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over the relevant waters, seabed and undersoil, Hong said.

Hong's comments were in response to a note that the Philippines filed with the United Nations, claiming its sovereignty over parts of China's Nansha Islands, referred to as the Kalayaan Island Group by Manila, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Italy

Lower house cuts PM's trial

Italy's lower house of parliament voted on Wednesday to cut the length of some criminal trials, approving a measure that is likely to end Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's trial for bribing his lawyer David Mills.

Amid boos and cries from the opposition benches, the lower house voted by 314 to 296 to pass the bill, which cuts the length of trials for defendants who do not have prior convictions. The measure would cut eight months from the Mills trial, effectively bringing it to an end in the summer rather than the start of 2012.

Cote d'Ivoire

Gbagbo sent to secret location

Cote d'Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara has begun to assert his new authority by sending his captured rival Laurent Gbagbo to a secret location and restarting vital cocoa exports.

Seeking to heal a nation broken by a four-month crisis pitting him against his predecessor Gbagbo, Ouattara also called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to probe massacres carried out in the west of the country. "I will speak shortly with the ICC's chief prosecutor so the court can begin investigations," Ouattara said.

Finland

Close election expected

Finland's general election on Sunday is set to be a nail-biter, as three mainstream parties brace for the meteoric rise of the once tiny populist, rightwing nationalist True Finns Party.

The conservative, pro-EU National Coalition, a junior partner in the current center-right coalition, has topped every national poll for months - although often by only a percentage point or two - and looks set to pry the prime minister position from the traditionally agrarian Centre Party. Tampere University political analyst Ilkka Ruostetsaari said however that the two ruling coalition members and the opposition Social Democrats are basically vying neck-and-neck for the top spot.

Tunisia

Ex-president faces charges

Tunisian authorities have prepared 18 legal cases against former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, including "voluntary manslaughter" and "drug trafficking", the state TAP news agency said on Wednesday. The revelation was made by Justice Minister Lazhar Karoui Chebbi in an interview aired on state television, TAP said.

Other charges include "conspiring against the state" and "drug use". The news agency quoted Chebbi as saying a total of 44 legal cases had been prepared by his ministry against Ben Ali, his family and his inner circle.

China Daily-Reuters-AFP

(China Daily 04/15/2011 page12)