New floods hit southern Australia as north mops up

Sun, 16 Jan 2011

Sydney - More than 30 towns in south-eastern Australia were hit with record floods Sunday as the north of the country mopped up from devastating floodwaters.

More than 3,000 people in towns across the State of Victoria were forced to leave their homes as floods rose to record levels, submerging 13,000 properties.

In Melbourne 8,000 homes lost power as high winds and rain squalls struck the city.

In Tasmania roads and bridges were severely damaged by flash floods and 500 people were evacuated as unseasonal heavy rains struck the north of the island.

Several towns in northern New South Wales are still cut off by high waters leaving 6,000 people stranded.

In the Queensland capital Brisbane thousands of volunteers turned out for a second day helping residents whose homes were hit by the flood clean up mud and debris left by receding floodwaters.

But inland the search continued for 15 people still missing since flash floods roared through towns upriver from Brisbane last Monday and Tuesday. Sixteen bodies have been found so far.

The floods came after four weeks of heavy rains in the entire eastern half of the Australian continent.

Climatologists warn wet weather will continue in the region for several more months due to a stronger-than-normal effect of the warm Pacific Ocean current known as La Nina.

Australian Bureau of Meteorology climatologist Agata Imielska said La Nina could last until March and global warming may be playing a role in keeping La Nina stronger and lasting longer.

"In 2010, we had record warmest sea surface temperatures and that has implications upon weather," Imielska told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Professor Neville Nicholls of Monash University in Melbourne said there was still not enough research to prove the floods and warm oceans were linked to global warming.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362527,australia-north-mops-up.html.

Brazil flooding death toll exceeds 600

Sun, 16 Jan 2011

Rio de Janeiro - The death toll from Brazil's weather catastrophe rose to 608 on Saturday as rescue teams continued to unearth bodies from rubble and mudslides, fire and rescue officials said.

Another 100 people were reported missing.

The disaster centers on the state of Rio de Janeiro, the hilly countryside around the city of Rio. Worst hit are the cities Nova Friburgo, with 271 dead, and Teresopolis - about 100 km from Rio - with 261 dead. In the historic city of Petropolis, home to luxury vacation villas, there were 55 dead.

Brazil has mounted its largest rescue and recovery operation in history. Thousands of rescue workers, firefighters and civil defense officials, police officers, soldiers and volunteers have deployed.

In some areas, clean water and food has run out. Electricity remains down days after the storms on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meteorologists expect a new wave of heavy rainfall on Sunday in the mountainous Serrana-Region. The governor of the state of Rio, Sergio Cabral, has designated a seven-day official period of mourning over the coming week.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362528,death-toll-exceeds-600.html.

Indonesia backs East Timor's bid to join ASEAN

Sun, 16 Jan 2011

Jakarta - Indonesia said Sunday that it would support East Timor's bid to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

"Right now ASEAN has 10 members and we have heard that Timor Leste (East Timor) wishes to join and we openly support it," Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency.

The tiny state with a population of 1 million was occupied by Indonesia from 1975-99 and suffered a rampage by pro-Indonesia militias after a referendum on its independence.

The regional bloc's foreign ministers met in Indonesia on the weekend to discuss the ASEAN community and its role in a global context.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362545,timors-bid-join-asean.html.

Libya's Gaddafi pained by Tunisian revolt, blames WikiLeaks

Sun, 16 Jan 2011

Cairo/Tripoli - Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi said he was pained by events in Tunisia surrounding the overthrow of former president Zine al-Abedine ben Ali, Libyan television reported Sunday.

"I am concerned for the people of Tunisia, whose sons are dying each day," Gaddafi said overnight in a televised statement addressing people in neighboring Tunisia.

"And for what? In order for someone to become president instead of Ben Ali?" he added.

"I do not know these new people, but we all knew Ben Ali and the transformation that was achieved in Tunisia. Why are you destroying all of that?" he asked.

Gaddafi warned Tunisians against being tricked by "WikiLeaks which publishes information written by lying ambassadors in order to create chaos."

Last month, WikiLeaks released a cable sent by the US embassy in Tunis in which Ben Ali's family was described as a "quasi mafia" due to its "organized corruption."

The cable described abuse, corruption, and lack of political freedom in Tunisia under Ben Ali.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362555,tunisian-revolt-blames-wikileaks.html.

New Tunisian president calls for unity government

Sat, 15 Jan 2011

Tunis/Paris - Tunisia's new interim president Foued Mbazaa on Saturday ordered his prime minister to propose a unity government to run the country in the wake of the departure of Zine el-Abidine ben Ali.

Mbazaa, the former speaker of parliament, was sworn in as president Saturday a day after autocratic Ben Ali, president of 23 years, was ousted by a popular uprising.

Shortly after his inauguration he instructed Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi to come up with a government composed of ruling party and opposition members to govern until the next elections, which must be held within 60 days, according to the constitution.

The opposition, which was neutered under Ben Ali's rule, has been demanding to play a part in running the country, saying the current administration is corrupt and tainted by the police's killing of dozens of demonstrators.

Tunis was under curfew Saturday night and army tanks were patrolling the streets after a day in which the widespread relief at Ben Ali's departure was tempered with concern over what lay ahead.

Hundreds of European holidaymakers have fled the country. German tour operators canceled all flights to Tunisia. However, many other European tourists remain stranded in the country.

Looters and prisoners in several towns took advantage of the power vacuum to run amok.

A prison, in the central town of Kasserine, was in flames and prisoners were on the run after taking advantage of the power vacuum to stage a breakout, eyewitnesses said Saturday afternoon.

There was no information yet on injuries or fatalities.

That breakout followed a strike for freedom earlier at a prison in the coastal city of Monastir. That attempt ended in tragedy, with upwards of 50 people reported killed when the prison caught fire, medical sources and eyewitnesses said.

The blaze apparently started when prison inmates began setting their mattresses on fire. Then, according to eyewitness accounts, several prisoners seeking to escape were shot dead by prison guards.

Tunisia has been under a state of emergency since Friday.

In a show of force aimed at restoring order, troops marched through the center of Tunis and helicopters circling through columns of smoke wafting up from the rubble of four weeks of rioting.

An army commander on Saturday blamed Ben Ali's presidential guard for the looting and disorder and said the army and police had arrested hundreds of presidential guard members.

Several supermarkets and residential buildings in Tunis were set ablaze or looted and one hospital was attacked. Several of the targeted buildings were owned by relatives of Ben Ali.

Mbazaa was named interim president by the constitutional council, which declared that Ben Ali had left a "definitive vacancy."

Prime Minister Ghannouchi had initially declared he would fill that vacancy in the interim, with support from the army.

But the constitution says the speaker of parliament, not the prime minister, takes over if the presidency is vacated.

Ben Ali fled after a month-long popular revolt that began when an unemployed school graduate trying to eke out a living selling vegetables fatally set himself alight in front of a government building on December 17.

His action sparked protests over unemployment which spread to all corners of the country and became aimed at Ben Ali.

After failing to appease the situation with promises to step down in 2014 and to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, Ben Ali left for Saudi Arabia.

Saudi officials welcomed Ben Ali and his family, while also wishing "security and stability" to the people of Tunisia, the SPA news agency reported.

According to French media, Ben Ali first tried to land in France but was turned away.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362509,president-calls-unity-government.html.

Syrian premier visits Iraq in bid to improve bilateral ties

Sat, 15 Jan 2011

Baghdad - Syrian Prime Minister Naji Otri met with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad on Saturday in an attempt to boost relations, which had become strained after Baghdad accused Damascus of supporting Iraqi insurgents.

Otri discussed with Nuri al-Maliki ways of improving cooperation in economy, trade, oil, transport and electricity as well as investments and economic partnership.

During the visit, an agreement was reached to grant Iraqis entry visas into Syria on the border points and airports between both countries, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

Otri led a governmental delegation, that included the ministers of finance, foreign affairs, petroleum and mineral resources.

Otari congratulated al-Maliki on forming his new government, Syria's official news agency reported.

An August 2009 blast in Baghdad that left more than 100 dead led to a diplomatic spat between Iraq and Syria, as Baghdad blamed the attacks on loyalists to Saddam Hussein's Baath party in Syria.

The two governments recalled their respective ambassadors after Damascus refused to hand over two suspects.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362498,bid-improve-bilateral-ties.html.

Chavez could give up extra powers before they expire

Sat, 15 Jan 2011

Caracas - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Saturday declared he would be willing to give up extra emergency powers before an 18- month sunset provision had expired.

Speaking to Parliament, Chavez said he could even give them up within four to five months.

"I have no problem with that," Chavez said.

Parliament in December gave Chavez the power to govern by decree for 18 months, in order to deal with an emergency caused by heavy rainfall. The measure was called "Ley Habilitante" - or state of exception.

He used it to enact decrees on finance, economy and security policy.

But when opposition forces returned to the new Parliament in January after an absence of five years, they raised sharp criticism of the arrangement.

"I was charged with being a dictator, because this very same Parliament had given me the Ley Habilitante. How can you say that this is a dictatorship?" Chavez asked.

The leftwing populist president governed without opposition in Parliament for the preceding period, after they had boycotted the 2005 elections. But they rallied in the 2010 vote and denied Chavez and his supporters a two-thirds majority.

Chavez argued in December that he needed special powers because of massive flooding, in order to help the 120,000 Venezuelans left homeless.

It was the fourth time since Chavez took office in 1999 that he has governed by decree. By getting 18 months of sole power in December, Chavez had ensured himself a strong stance leading up to the 2010 presidential elections.

The move brought condemnation by opposition forces and from the United States, which charged Chavez had found another way to justify "autocratic powers" in violation of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/362522,chavez-give-powers-expire.html.