Islamists are poised to do well in elections this month in Tunisia, the first of the Arab Spring countries to choose new representatives. But the nation’s prime minister has a message for the West: Don’t worry. “All Islamist parties are not the same,” Beji Caid Essebsi said in an interview Wednesday. Opinion polls indicate that an Islamist party, Ennahdha, could get the most votes in the Oct. 23 balloting, in which voters will choose an assembly to rewrite Tunisia’s constitution. Read full article > >

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Tunisian leader says Islamists won’t undo secular system

Islamists are poised to do well in elections this month in Tunisia, the first of the “Arab Spring” countries to choose new representatives . But the nation’s prime minister has a message for the West: Fear not. “All Islamist parties are not the same,” Beji Caid Essebsi said in an interview Wednesday. Indeed, American officials are cautiously optimistic about Tunisia’s chances of transitioning to democracy. The election features a dizzying array of over 100 parties, and is being overseen by an independent commission. Read full article > >

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Tunisian leader to the West: Do not fear Islamists

Possibly will be granted exile in Tunisia.

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Gaddafi Preparing to Flee: Report

Police use tear gas and truncheons to break up an unauthorised rally in Tunisia as protesters complain of lack of reform since the January uprising.

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Tunisia police battle protesters

Tunisia’s former security chief is acquitted of forging passports for ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family when they fled in January.

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Tunisia security chief acquitted

Tunisia’s interim government delays the country’s first elections by three months, scheduling the vote for an assembly to rewrite the constitution for October.

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Tunisia announces election delay

The bodies of some 150 migrants have been found off Tunisia’s coast after a boat destined for Europe capsized, UN and Red Cross officials say.

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150 boat migrants die off Tunisia

In early March, the leadership at Al Jazeera, the most popular Arab language satellite news station, sat down with National Public Radio to discuss the difficulties of independent, investigative journalism in the Middle East, in light of the Dubai based organization’s successful coverage of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.

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Al-Jazeera in the Crosshairs: Balanced Reporting or Sectarian Bias?

The world’s leading industrialized countries said here on Friday they would help revive the economies of Egypt and Tunisia, though few details were released.

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Group of 8 Pledges to Aid Egypt and Tunisia

A camp in Tunisia for people fleeing the conflict in Libya is nearly completely destroyed in deadly clashes also involving local residents, the UN says.

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Tunisian clashes ‘destroy camp’

President Obama and a group of other world leaders are expected Thursday to discuss how they will offer financial assistance to Tunisia and Egypt as those two nations seek to transition to more democratic governments. The president will attend sessions with the Group of Eight industrialized nations in Deauville, France on Thursday, continuing his four-country trip to Europe. Those nations could make a group financial pledge to Egypt and Tunisia, building on Obama’s promise last week of $2 billion in loan guarantees and debt relief for Egypt. Read full article > >

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Obama heads to G-8 meeting in Deauville, France

President Obama unveils a series of economic initiatives to encourage democracy in the Middle East and North Africa, including aid for Tunisia and a total of $2 billion in debt relief and loan guarantees for Egypt’s fledgling government. Read full article > >

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Obama outlines economic aid to Mideast and North Africa

Tunisian security forces say Muammar Gaddafi’s wife, Safiya, and his daughter Aisha have fled from Libya and are currently in a refugee camp on the island of Djerba. Gaddafi’s oldest son, Muhammed Muammar, was also reported to have gone to Tunisia for…

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Gaddafi’s Wife, Daughter Flee Libya

He may be gone, but his voice still commands attention. In a newly released audio tape, Osama bin Laden is heard rejoicing in the string of uprisings in the Arab world, which have toppled autocratic rulers from Tunisia to Egypt. According to al Qaeda,…

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New bin Laden Tape Surfaces

Authorities in Tunisia lift an overnight curfew imposed on the capital Tunis 10 days ago amid unrest following January’s uprising.

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Tunisia lifts overnight curfew