Q&A: Tunisia crisis

Image caption, Could the protests be the beginning of the end for the Tunisian regime?

A new unity government is due to meet this week. It was announced on 17 January, three days after President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali stepped down and fled the country following weeks of anti-government protests and clashes with police. Until recently, the north African nation - a popular tourist destination - had been seen as a haven of stability and relative prosperity, albeit one ruled with an iron first.