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Tunisia starts period of mourning

Police and protesters in Tunis, 20 January 2011Protests have continued against the deposed leader’s political party

Tunisia is beginning three days of mourning to honour those who died in the unrest that led to the fall of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

At least 78 people have been killed since a wave of protests began last in January.

A new, interim government has faced continuing protests against Mr Ben Ali’s RCD party remaining in office.

It has confirmed it will recognise banned political groups and provide an amnesty for political prisoners.

The announcement came as the government held its first cabinet meeting.

Cabinet ministers said earlier this week that all political prisoners had already been freed.

Human rights group Amnesty International welcomed that move, but said it had received information that several political prisoners linked to the banned Islamist party Ennahda were still in detention.

Tunisia’s new cabinet has promised to hold free and fair elections within six months but has given no dates. The constitution says they should be held within six months.

There were demonstrations in Tunis on Thursday near offices of Mr Ben Ali’s RCD party, as well as reports of rallies in the towns of Gafsa and Kef.

Fall from power17 Dec: Man sets himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid over lack of jobs, sparking protests24 Dec: Protester shot dead in central Tunisia28 Dec: Protests spread to Tunis8-10 Jan: Dozens of deaths reported in crackdown on protests12 Jan: Interior minister sacked13 Jan: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali promises to step down in 201414 Jan: Mr Ben Ali dissolves parliament after new mass rally, then steps down and flees15 Jan: Parliamentary Speaker Foued Mebazaa sworn in as interim president

Demonstrators are demanding that all members of the RCD party be excluded from any future administration.

Last week four opposition ministers quit the cabinet just one day after it was formed, demanding the exclusion of RCD ministers.

Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi, interim President Fouad Mebazaa – the speaker of the lower house of parliament – and several ministers have quit the RCD to try to distance themselves from Mr Ben Ali.

The RCD has also dissolved its central committee.

It has been a week since Mr Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia following a wave of demonstrations.

The UN says as many as 100 people died as the police cracked down on the protests, which started to spread after a man set himself on fire in central Tunisia on 17 December.

Correspondents say political debate in the media and the street has opened up remarkably quickly in a country where political dissent had previously been strictly suppressed.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Alan Johnson officer faces probe

Leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband (left) and former shadow chancellor Alan JohnsonEd Miliband said he had accepted Alan Johnson’s resignation “with great regret”
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An officer who protected Alan Johnson and his wife when he was home secretary has been referred to Scotland Yard’s standards watchdog, it has emerged.

The news came hours after Mr Johnson stepped down as shadow chancellor on Thursday, citing family reasons.

The Labour MP, 60, gave no details but there have been widespread rumours about the state of his marriage.

Scotland Yard said a constable had been referred to its Directorate of Professional Standards.

The directorate investigates complaints about officers’ conduct.

The Metropolitan Police statement said only that “certain matters regarding a constable were referred to the Directorate of Professional Standards”, adding “we are not in a position to discuss this matter any further.”

Ed Balls is preparing to take on the job of shadow chancellor following Mr Johnson’s sudden resignation after just three-and-a-half months in the job.

Mr Johnson said he had “found it difficult” to cope with issues in his private life while shadow chancellor.

In a statement, the former postman and trade union leader said: “I have decided to resign from the shadow cabinet for personal reasons to do with my family.”

“Economic policy is unchanged. Actually Ed and I have similar views”

Ed Miliband Labour leader

Mr Johnson, who will remain as MP for Hull West, has refused to comment further and has not given any interviews.

Mr Johnson has been married to his second wife Laura for almost 20 years and the couple have a 10-year-old son.

Shadow minister Tessa Jowell told BBC Two’s Newsnight she did not know why Mr Johnson had resigned but added: “He’s clearly very distressed.

“It’s clearly a very, very difficult time for him.”

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said the resignation had “come out of the blue” and it was not one of those stories that people had been gossiping about and wondering if it would become public.

However, he said Westminster was now “abuzz with rumours about his marriage” and stressed Mr Johnson had not been “pushed out” because of his handling of the shadow chancellorship.

“This is a deeply uncomfortable personal story which I fear Alan Johnson may see spread out in newspapers and will have to tackle in public as well as in private,” he added.

Mr Miliband told the BBC he had accepted the resignation “with great regret” and Mr Johnson’s reasons for standing down had “nothing to do with the job” of shadow chancellor.

Mr Johnson, an MP since 1997, served as home secretary, health secretary and education secretary under Gordon Brown, but his economic credentials had been brought into question after several recent gaffes.

NEW SHADOW CABINETShadow chancellor – Ed BallsShadow home secretary – Yvette CooperShadow foreign secretary – Douglas AlexanderShadow Cabinet Office minister – Tessa JowellShadow work and pensions secretary – Liam ByrneAssessing the political impact In Quotes: Johnson quits reaction At a glance: New shadow cabinet Profile: Alan Johnson Profile: Ed Balls

In an interview he appeared not to know the rate of National Insurance paid by employers, and he was also reported to have clashed with his party leader over the policy of introducing a graduate tax to replace university tuition fees.

His resignation left Labour leader Ed Miliband facing his biggest test since being elected, forcing him to reshuffle his shadow cabinet less than four months into the job.

Mr Miliband installed Mr Balls as shadow chancellor, having overlooked him last October.

A key ally of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Mr Balls has publicly disagreed with the party’s policy to halve the budget deficit in four years.

But Mr Miliband stressed there would be no change in economic policy.

“Ed brings great expertise to this role and I look forward to working with him on the direction Alan and I have set out,” he said.

“Economic policy is unchanged. Actually Ed and I have similar views.”

BBC political correspondent Vicki Young said Mr Balls had been handed the brief he always wanted.

“A far more combative character than his predecessor, he will relish the opportunity to attack the government,” she said.

But his close association with the Mr Brown gave the coalition ammunition, she added.

Simon Hughes, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, told BBC One’s Question Time: “You have got the history of raiding the pensions, selling gold at lowest possible rate and the huge deficit that’s left.

“So I think he (Balls) is now absolutely the man who can be pinned with the responsibility for the mega-debt that we are all having to pay off.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.