Fiscal hawk joins Japan cabinet

Prime minister announces new ministers in reshuffle as part of bid to revive the country's struggling economy. Last Modified: 14 Jan 2011 06:15 GMT

Veteran politician Kaoru Yosano has been named the new minister for economic and fiscal policy [Reuters] Japan's prime minister has reshuffled his cabinet in a bid to revive the county's faltering economy and tackle reforms. Naoto Kan announced the new ministers for fiscal policy, trade, justice and transport on Friday. But he kept other important posts, including foreign, finance and defence, unchanged. The most notable changes include Kaoru Yosano, a 72-year-old independent fiscal conservative who has advocated raising the five per cent sales tax, and who will become minister for economic and fiscal policy. Yosano held a number of senior government positions under the former Liberal Democratic Party government, and is viewed as a leader who can foster consensus across party lines. "Japan's fiscal policy will hit a dead end if it is left as it is," Yosano said. "I share the prime minister's thinking on the need to reform the public finances and social security." 'Difficult time' Yukio Edano, the ruling centre-left Democratic Party of Japan's acting secretary-general, will take over as chief cabinet secretary. "For Japan and the DPJ government, this cabinet reshuffle has come at a particularly difficult time," Edano, who replaces Yoshito Sengoku, said. "We see a good balance of old and young. This allows each one of us to make the most of ourselves." Kan's new cabinet, his third since taking office last June, will aim to push for reforms in the face of a string of problems including a rapidly ageing population, growing national debt and a struggling economy. He has faced criticism from fellow party members that his administration was failing to tackle urgent problems confronting the country.

Source: Agencies

Australia doubles troops for floods

PM deploys more forces as receding waters reveal mountains of muddy wreckage in Australia's third largest city. Last Modified: 14 Jan 2011 06:42 GMT

The number of soldiers sent to Brisbane marks Australia's largest deployment for a natural disaster since 1974 [AFP] Julia Gillard, Australia's prime minister, has doubled the number of soldiers involved in the country's flood recovery effort to 1,200. The deployment of troops to the country's northeast on Friday marks Australia's largest for a natural disaster since Cyclone Tracy destroyed the northern city of Darwin in 1974. "Now is the right time to dramatically increase the number of defence personnel who are working in Queensland to assist with the Queensland floods," Gillard said. Weeks of flooding across Australia's northeast have caused at least 27 deaths, and 55 people are still missing. At least 36,000 homes and businesses in Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city, were swamped by the muddy waters following months of driving rain that fell across the northeast. In towns upstream of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, soldiers picked their way through debris looking for more victims. Anna Bligh, the state premier of Queensland, said: "There is a lot of heartache and grief as people start to see for the first time what has happened to their homes and their streets." Floodwaters receding Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay, reporting from Brisbane, said: "Thick brown sludge has been left behind after the waters receded all through people's homes. "Today is day one of the clean up operation as soldiers have been instructed to take everything out that has been severely damaged." Military aircraft have been used to evacuate flood-hit residents, transport supplies and conduct search-and-rescue operations during the floods and will also assist in engineering work to rebuild roads and buildings. In some parts of Queensland, residents returned to see what remained of their homes and businesses as deadly floodwaters that swamped entire neighbourhoods receded. The Queensland state premier urged locals to help each other as the city of two million people began its daunting "post-war" rebuilding effort. The river had dropped two metres from its peak of 4.46 metres reached on Thursday, exposing damage that will add dramatically to Queensland's estimated flood reconstruction bill of $5 billion.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Hariri seeks support for Lebanon

Caretaker PM heads home following talks in Turkey, two days after Hezbollah-led walkout led to fall of his government. Last Modified: 14 Jan 2011 10:04 GMT

The Hezbollah movement of Hassan Nasrallah, left, says it will nominate a leader with a history of 'resistance' [AFP] Saad Hariri, Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, is returning to Beirut after a stop in Turkey as part of an international tour to gather support following the collapse of his coalition government. Hariri had been visiting the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Friday for talks with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister. The meeting followed separate talks with Barack Obama, the US president, in Washington, DC, and Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, in Paris. Hariri's tour was aimed at rallying support for his suffering March 14 alliance, a predominantly Sunni-Christian political coalition that has received the backing of Saudi Arabia and the West. His allies hold a majority in Lebanon's parliament. But the opposition March 8 alliance, led by Hezbollah, the mainly Shia Muslim nationalist group, brought his government down on Wednesday by leading 11 ministers to drop out of the 30-member cabinet. Michel Sleiman, Lebanon's president, has asked Hariri to remain as caretaker prime minister until the country's political crisis is resolved. Sleiman is currently polling members of parliament to determine who should be nominated as the next prime minister; the March 8 alliance has said it will not accept Hariri, whose coalition won a 2009 parliamentary election. Nabih Berri, the Lebanese parliament speaker, said Sleiman will launch formal talks on Monday to create a new government. Tribunal disagreements Lebanon's opposition March 8 alliance resigned from the cabinet over disagreements arising from a UN investigation into the 2005 assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister and Saad Hariri's father. There had been growing political tension in Lebanon amid signs that Hezbollah members could be indicted by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). Hezbollah, which has denied any role in al-Hariri's assassination, has denounced the tribunal into the 2005 killing as an "Israeli project'' and urged al-Hariri to reject any findings by the court. Ten ministers tendered their resignations on Wednesday after reports that Hariri had refused their call to convene a cabinet meeting to discuss controversial issues including the investigation. In depth Profile: Rafiq al-Hariri Timeline: Al-Hariri investigation Focus: Lebanon simmers as Hezbollah braces itself Focus: Split remains over Hariri tribunal Inside Story: Hezbollah talks tough An eleventh member, Adnan Sayyed Hussein, later stood down from the cabinet, automatically bringing down Hariri's government. Edward Bell, an analyst for the Middle East and North Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told Al Jazeera that Lebanon is likely to enter a stage of several months without any government while negotiations on its formation are held. "The external player with the best chance at diffusing the situation is Syria as it maintains contact with all parties, both inside and outside of Lebanon, and can apply pressure on Hezbollah to reach a consensus with other Lebanese parties," Bell said. Mohammed Raad, a Hezbollah MP, said that the party would nominate for the premiership a leader with "a history of resistance" when Sleiman attempts to start building a new government, but he stopped short of giving names. Hariri's bloc is expected to rule out the nomination of anyone other than the outgoing prime minister. "I do not see a government in the country without Saad al-Hariri," Boutros Harb, a parliamentarian close to Hariri, said. The standoff between Hariri's camp and Hezbollah over the STL has already paralysed the government for months and sparked concerns of sectarian violence similar to the one that brought the country close to civil war in May 2008.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Brazil flooding toll passes 500

Many more people feared dead as rescuers struggle to reach remote communities battered by torrents of water and mud Last Modified: 14 Jan 2011 05:36 GMT

Rescue workers have begun digging through the rubble of homes flattened in the disaster [EPA] At least 537 people have been killed and many more are feared dead after floods and landslides devastated towns and villages in a mountainous area near Rio de Janeiro. The mayor of of the town of Teresopolis, where at least 223 people are believed to have died and hundreds more feared buried under the rubble of their homes after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in less than 24 hours, said that the death toll would rise as emergency workers reach outlying communities. "The death toll is going to climb a lot. There are a lot of people buried who can't get help because rescue teams can't get there," Jorge Mario said on Thursday. "There are three or four neighbourhoods that were totally destroyed in rural areas. There are hardly any houses standing there and all the roads and bridges are destroyed." Television images of the three towns hit by the torrents of water and mud showed emergency workers going through the ruins of collapsed homes in a search for survivors, but often finding only bodies. Morgue 'overflowing' Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from Teresopolis, said the makeshift morgue set up at the city's main police station was overflowing with bodies. "They literally don't have any more room for bodies and they are thinking about sending corpses to the main football stadium in town. That gives you an idea of the gravity of the situation they are facing," he said. "I was in some of the most affected areas today ... and they were literally pulling out dozens of bodies while I was there. "Clearly the death toll is, no question, going to go up because this is clearly shaping up to be one of the worst natural disasters Brazil has ever faced." Survivors recounted the horrors of watching homes swept away by walls of earth and water and of frantic efforts to dig with bare hands to reach trapped neighbours. "We were like zombies, covered in mud, in the dark, digging and digging," Geisa Carvalho, a local resident, told the Associated Press news agency. Geisa and her mother Vania Ramos were awoken by a loud rumble as tons of earth slid down a sheer rock face onto their neighbourhood. "I don't even have the words to describe what I've seen," Ramos said. "A lot of our friends are dead or missing. There are people we may never find." More than 13,500 people have been left homeless ater the surging waters toppled their houses. "Most of them are going to stay with friends of family ... but [officials] are trying to set up tent cities here now in the next two to three days for people who need that," our correspondent said. Supplies running short Residents said they had no food, water or medication, and many made the long walk to the main area of Teresopolis to get help. The effect on other remote communities is still to be established as destroyed roads have made it impossible for rescue operations to reach them. The government said it was sending 210 troops from the National Public Security Force, including officials to help identify bodies. Two navy helicopters were assisting rescue operations and the navy was also sending a mobile field hospital to the area. Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's president, called the situation a tragedy after flying over the scene. "Housing in areas of risk is the rule in Brazil rather than the exception," she said after visiting Nova Friburgo, where much of the damage was done to homes built precariously at the base of steep hills. "When there aren't housing policies, where are people who earn no more than twice the minimum wage going to live?" Rouseff signed a measure on Wednesday sending $461m to towns in Rio and Sao Paulo states that were damaged during the rains. The money will go towards repairing infrastructure and preventing future disasters. Heavy rains, common during Brazil's summer wet season, were intensified this week by a cold front which doubled the usual precipitation.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Tunisians rally against government

Thousands gather in front of interior ministry day after president's speech offering sweeping concessions. Last Modified: 14 Jan 2011 11:12 GMT

Aiming to ease tensions, Ben Ali, left, met Abdessalam Jrad, head of Tunisia's General Labour Union, on Thursday [EPA] Thousands of demonstrators have marched through the capital of Tunisia and gathered in front of the interior ministry, shouting chants and demanding the resignation of the president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, even after he delivered a speech offering major concessions to the opposition. Protesters shouted slogans such as "Ben Ali, leave!" and "Ben Ali, thank you but that's enough!" according to the Reuters news agency. By midday, local time, the government had made no response to the protesters, and Tunisians on the scene writing about the demonstration on Twitter said that police had so far not taken any violent action. In a televised address on Thursday night, Ben Ali, who has been in power since 1987, vowed not to seek re-election in 2014. He also promised to institute widespread reforms, introduce more freedoms into society, and to investigate the killings of protesters during demonstrations that have spread throughout the country over the past month. Twitter user MajdiKhan posted images of police standing by as protesters shouted anti-government slogans in front of the interior ministry. Ben Ali responded to the widespread unrest that has engulfed the country by making a televised address on Thursday night in which he announced unprecedented concessions to a population he has ruled with strict authoritarian powers for 23 years. Kamel Morjane, the foreign minister, said on Friday that Ben Ali is prepared to hold new legislative elections before the 2014 poll. After Ben Ali's speech, the government appeared to immediately lift its heavy hand from the media, allowing opposition figures onto television and lifting bans on formerly censored websites such as YouTube. Nevertheless, unions planned to hold a general strike in Tunis and some other regions on Friday. The Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights said that eight people had been killed in and around Tunis overnight between Thursday and Friday. The group has tallied 66 deaths since the protests began, and sources told Al Jazeera on Thursday that at least 13 people had been killed in the past two days alone. Ben Ali's about-face was met, at least initially, with limited approval from Tunisia's opposition. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Tunis on Friday, Najib Chebbi, a former leader of the opposition Progressive Democratic Party and managing editor of the weekly Mawkis newspaper, told Al Jazeera: "What we need now is not speeches or compromises, but a mechanism to carry them out. "The ruling party cannot keep its monopoly on political life. We are under a one-party system and the failure of this system has produced these protests." The Progressive Democratic Party holds no seats in parliament, and Chebbi has asked Ben Ali to form a coalition government. 'Shootings continue But even as Ben Ali spoke on Thursday, the AFP news agency reported that two more protesters had been killed in central Tunisia. Dozens have died since December 17, when a 26-year-old unemployed university graduate set himself on fire in protest in the town of Sidi Bouzid. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that two young men were shot and killed in the town of Sliman, though it was unclear whether they were the same two protesters the AFP reported to have died. The Lebanese social media aggregation website Nawaat posted videos of people who had reportedly been shotby police on Thursday night and taken to a hospital in the Kaireddine neighborhood of the capital. Video posted by Nawaat appears to shows doctors tending to people shot by Tunisian police the same night Ben Ali ordered security forces to cease fire In one, men can be seen praying over the body of a dead man whose head is wrapped in white bandages, with a spot of blood showing through. A younger man who is wounded explains that the police shouted at his group that "they rule this country, and we answered ... you don't rule this country". The protesters were peaceful, the man said, but the police fired live ammunition and aimed indiscriminately. "All the kids are young, 20 to 22 years old. They are students and professionals, not thugs as they say," he says "The police provokes the youth so the youth comes out and reacts ... This is God's will, what can we do." In another video, a man suffering from a bullet wound dies as a nurse tries to save him. The death toll includes seven people who committed suicide in protest over unemployment and economic hardships. The rest were reportedly killed by the Tunisian security forces. French and Swiss citizens visiting their native country were among those killed, the two European governments said. Freedoms promised In his speech, Ben Ali ordered state security forces not to fire at demonstrators and vowed to cut the prices of staples such as sugar, bread, and milk. "Enough firing of real bullets," he said. "I refuse to see new victims fall." Ben Ali also promised to introduce more freedoms of information, assembly and speech in a society that has grown used to extreme censorship. Follow Al Jazeera's complete coverage After Ben Ali's speech, changes seemed to occur almost immediately, according to Reuters. Taoufik Ayachi, an opposition figure, and Naji Baghouri, a former journalists' union chief, appeared on television - an unheard-of event. Websites that were formerly blocked, such as YouTube, Dailymotion and the site for French newspaper Le Monde, suddenly became available. "I understand the Tunisians, I understand their demands. I am sad about what is happening now after 50 years of service to the country, military service, all the different posts, 23 years of the presidency," Ben Ali said. "We need to reach 2014 with proper reconciliation." Ben Ali has been elected four times, never with less than 89 per cent of the vote. In Tunis, following the president's televised address, crowds ignored a recently imposed curfew and celebrated in the street on Thursday night, waving flags and honking horns. Some chanted Ben Ali's name. Ismail Smida, a trade union activist from the city of Tataouine, 500km south of Tunis, told Reuters that "everything has changed" and "there is only joy here now." 'Difficult mission' Amid the excitement of impending social change, many activists greeted Ben Ali's promises with caution. "People are still cautious and doubt these words," one activist told Al Jazeera. "Turning his words into action will be a very difficult mission." "The speech opens up possibilities," Mustapha Ben Jaafar, head of the Democratic Forum for Work and Liberties, told AFP. "[But] these intentions still have to be applied." Rafik Ouerchefani, a supporter of the centre-left Ettajdid party, told Al Jazeera that he was sceptical that Ben Ali's promises would be delivered. "I am happy with the speech, but let's not forget the dead," he said. He said he was relieved that Ben Ali would not be standing down immediately, as time was needed for the country to prepare for a genuinely democratic election. After decades of being stifled, he said opposition parties must work to prepare candidates capable of taking over the role of president. "This is already a major victory, now we must work towards the alternative: what happens post-Ben Ali," he said.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Michaela McAreavey's body brought home to Ireland on Friday

The body of murdered honeymooner Michaela McAreavey has arrived in London and will travel to her home in Northern Ireland later today.

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Her coffin is being accompanied by her husband John McAreavey, her brother, father-in-law and brother-in-law.

Michaela McAreavey's body is being escorted home to Northern Ireland today (PA)

Plans for the 27-year-old teacher's funeral have been confirmed and will take place at St Malachy's Church in Co Tyrone, where she recently wed.

A statement from Ms McAreavey's family thanked friends, relatives and the public for their support.

'The distance from Mauritius has only increased our sense of isolation and separation from our beloved Michaela and her husband John.

'Now as two heartbroken and devastated families, together we can share our grief and our love for Michaela and provide support and comfort to John,' they said.

'As Michaela returns home we respectfully ask for full privacy to allow our two families, united in sorrow, to have the space and time to spend with a much loved wife, daughter and sister.'

Ms McAreavey was found strangled in her room at the luxury Legends Hotel in Mauritius on Monday.

It is believed that she interrupted burglars who were rummaging for her purse, which contained just a small amount of cash.

Three workers from the hotel have appeared in court and have been charged in connection with the murder.

Two of the men, Avinash Treebhoowoon, 29, and Sandip Moneea, 41, face murder charges, while the third, Raj Theekoy, 33, is being held on a conspiracy charge.

All three have been remanded in police custody and will return to court on Wednesday, when they are expected to be formally charged or released.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/852693-michaela-mcareaveys-body-brought-home-to-ireland-on-friday#ixzz1B0WVOAhG

Michaela McAreavey's body due back in N. Ireland

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AFP – Mortuary workers carry a coffin containing the body of Michaela McAreavey in Mauritius, the daughter …

by Jean-Marc Poche – 2 hrs 16 mins ago

PORT LOUIS (AFP) – The body of Michaela McAreavey, the daughter of a prominent Irish sports personality murdered whilst on her honeymoon in Mauritius, is due to arrive back in Ireland on Friday.

An official at the Mauritius Foreign Affairs Ministry, Lam Chiou Yee, said the body, which was handed over to her family for the flight back to Ireland via London, was transported aboard an Air Mauritius flight on Thursday.

Donald Payen, a senior official with Air Mauritius, told AFP everything had been done to enable the body to be repatriated, accompanied by members of her family, on Thursday evening.

Michaela McAreavey was found by her husband John and hotel staff on Monday, strangled in their hotel room at the upmarket Legends hotel, on Mauritius' northern coast.

The death has stunned Ireland -- the 27-year-old teacher and former beauty queen was the daughter of Tyrone Gaelic football boss Mickey Harte, one of Ireland's best-known sporting figures.

Police staged a re-enactment of the crime at Legends Thursday -- standard procedure in all homicide andmurder cases in Mauritius.

The three Legends staff were provisionally charged with murder and complicity to murder Wednesday.

One of them has admitted stealing from the McAreaveys' room.

The three accused are Avinash Treebohun, a 29-year-old room attendant and Sandip Moneaa, a 41-year-old floor supervisor, both charged with murder, and Raj Theekoy, 33, also a room attendant who is charged with complicity to murder. All three remain in police custody.

One of the three men is believed to have used an electronic key card to open the couple's room shortly before the victim died.

Mauritius police chief Dhun Iswar Rampersad told reporters Thursday that Theekoy had admitted to hearing noises from room 1205 and to having seen one of his friends coming out of the room a few minutes later, apparently "in a strange state".

Police then questioned Treebohun and he "confessed to police that a few minutes before the victim came in they (Treebohun and Moneaa) were in the room stealing purses full of money and jewellery that were on the table," Rampersad said.

The victim's brother Mark Harte and Brian McAreavey, the brother of the bridegroom have been on the island since Wednesday and other family members arrived Thursday.

Irish media have reported that Dublin's ambassador to South Africa Brendan McMahon has also been on the island to give consular assistance.

Mickey Harte, distraught over his daughter's death, cancelled initial plans to come to collect the body, Tourism Minister Nando Bodha told AFP.

Mauritius officials, anxious to limit the damage to its crucial tourism sector, have been at pains to emphasise that such crimes are almost unheard of on the island.

Gaelic football is the most popular sports in Ireland and top players and managers are celebrities.