Opposition tear gas attack halts Kosovo parliament

KOSOVO: Lawmakers in Kosovo approved a contentious and longpending border demarcation deal with Montenegro yesterday despite the opposition’s use of tear gas to prevent a vote.

The 120-seat parliament voted 80-11 to endorse the deal, ensuring its passage with the minimum twothirds support required.

The European Union has set the border agreement as a precondition for Kosovo’s citizens to travel without visas in Europe’s Schengen travel zone

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli said he was hopeful the EU would let Kosovars enjoy visa-free travel, as citizens of other Balkan countries already do.

The opposition Self-Determination Party says Kosovo will lose 8200 hectares of its territory under the agreement, which was reached in August 2015. The previous government and international experts deny this.

Opposition leader Albin Kurti complained that most of the party’s lawmakers were barred from the vote or taken away by police for questioning after a tear gas canister was set off in the assembly chamber.

‘‘Today, 80 lawmakers joined the treason of President [Hashim] Thaci, joined the violation of Kosovo’s constitution and its territorial integrity,’' Kurti said.

At least two lawmakers were injured. Amid the chaos, the session failed four consecutive times to call the vote, but Veseli insisted it would take place.

‘‘Today, the trauma of the Montenegro border demarcation will end. The vote will be held today,’' he said.

Police entered parliament and forced out a small group of opposition lawmakers, who had refused to leave since the morning. Eight of them were barred from taking part in the session, and seven were taken away for questioning. It was not clear if they were the same lawmakers who were barred from parliament.

Police also searched every person entering the chamber.

The opposition party, now divided in two because of internal frictions, has used tear gas and similar tactics to disrupt parliament over the past three years.

The collapse of votes for the border demarcation agreement and another proposal seeking to give more rights to Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority toppled the previous government and took the country to an early election last year.

Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said there were enough votes to pass the border deal. But the two-thirds threshold required defections from the opposition ranks. One opposition lawmaker joined a governing majority party.

– AP AUSTRALIA: Six media organisations have been knocked back in their bid to join the fight against Australian actor Rebel Wilson’s record A$4.5 million defamation payout.

The Pitch Perfect star was last September awarded Australia’s highest defamation damages, after successfully proving that Bauer Media painted her as a serial liar in articles published in 2015.

Bauer subsequently indicated its intention to appeal the payout, comprising A$650,000 in general damages and A$3,917,472 in special damages, with the matter listed for April.

The Seven and Nine networks, News Corp, Fairfax, Macquarie Media and the ABC applied to ‘‘intervene’’ in the proceedings, planning to argue that the payout was inconsistent with previous defamation awards.

Barrister David Collins, QC, acting for the media organisations, said his clients wanted to make additional submissions to Bauer’s claims, noting that legislation was in place to provide an approximate median value of such payouts.

But Wilson’s lawyer, Renee Enbom, said the application to intervene in the appeal should be refused.

‘‘The application is an inappropriate attempt by media organisations to bolster another media organisation’s appeal against a successful plaintiff,’’ she argued.

‘‘I don’t think the interveners raise a discrete point.

‘‘Bauer Media’s intents are aligned with the interveners’ intent.’’

Justice Pamela Tate agreed, stating that while the six media organisations had a ‘‘significant interest’’ in the case, she and Justice David Beach were not persuaded that their arguments would be useful.

She said the issue of capping damages for non-economic loss would already be covered in Bauer’s submissions. – AAP