Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Tunis today to take part in a strategic dialogue aimed at bolstering political and economic ties with the North African nation.

In a statement posted on Twitter, IS said the attack in the Sidi Bouzid region was carried out by "two soldiers of the caliphate who attacked two military sites with small arms."

Three Tunisian police and a suspected jihadist were killed today in clashes in the centre of the country, the interior ministry said.

Tunisian authorities said on Saturday there were developments in the investigation into the attack on the national museum claimed by the Islamic State group that killed 20 foreign tourists.

Tunisia's main trade union confederation and other civil society groups called for a silent demonstration today outside the Tunis museum where 17 foreign tourists and two Tunisians were killed.

Tunisia's largest political party has chosen an official of the old regime and a former interior minister as its candidate for prime minister and tasked him with forming a coalition to run the country.

Anti-Islamist Beji Caid Essebsi, 88, was sworn-in today as Tunisia's first freely elected President vowing to work for national reconciliation, four years after an uprising that sparked the Arab Spring.

Newly elected Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi will be sworn in Wednesday at a ceremony in the parliament, which is dominated by his anti-Islamist Nidaa Tounes party, officials said.

Tunisian authorities have arrested a blogger as he returned from a trip abroad weeks after he was convicted of defaming army officers, his lawyer said Thursday.

A factfile on Tunisia, which holds its first multi-candidate presidential election today in the final stage of a post-revolution transition.

Tunisia said its forces killed a "terror" suspect in a dawn raid Sunday and separately foiled a political assassination, like the one that has plunged the country into crisis.

More than 1,000 people demonstrated on Saturday on the 40th day of mourning after the murder of opposition leader Chokri Belaid, a critic of the ruling Islamists whose death plunged Tunisia into turmoil.

A Tunisian military court has convicted the former President in absentia of inciting violence and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown in a month-long popular uprising last year and fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011.

A cartoon video which recounts the unrest in the Middle East using the Angry Birds characters is racking up the views on YouTube.

Tunisia is marking the one-year anniversary of the revolution that ended the dictatorship of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali - and sparked uprisings around the Arab world - with prudent optimism.

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Tunis today to take part in a strategic dialogue aimed at bolstering political and economic ties with the North African nation.

In a statement posted on Twitter, IS said the attack in the Sidi Bouzid region was carried out by "two soldiers of the caliphate who attacked two military sites with small arms."

Three Tunisian police and a suspected jihadist were killed today in clashes in the centre of the country, the interior ministry said.

Tunisian authorities said on Saturday there were developments in the investigation into the attack on the national museum claimed by the Islamic State group that killed 20 foreign tourists.

Tunisia's main trade union confederation and other civil society groups called for a silent demonstration today outside the Tunis museum where 17 foreign tourists and two Tunisians were killed.

Tunisia's largest political party has chosen an official of the old regime and a former interior minister as its candidate for prime minister and tasked him with forming a coalition to run the country.

Anti-Islamist Beji Caid Essebsi, 88, was sworn-in today as Tunisia's first freely elected President vowing to work for national reconciliation, four years after an uprising that sparked the Arab Spring.

Newly elected Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi will be sworn in Wednesday at a ceremony in the parliament, which is dominated by his anti-Islamist Nidaa Tounes party, officials said.

Tunisian authorities have arrested a blogger as he returned from a trip abroad weeks after he was convicted of defaming army officers, his lawyer said Thursday.

A factfile on Tunisia, which holds its first multi-candidate presidential election today in the final stage of a post-revolution transition.

Tunisia said its forces killed a "terror" suspect in a dawn raid Sunday and separately foiled a political assassination, like the one that has plunged the country into crisis.

More than 1,000 people demonstrated on Saturday on the 40th day of mourning after the murder of opposition leader Chokri Belaid, a critic of the ruling Islamists whose death plunged Tunisia into turmoil.

A Tunisian military court has convicted the former President in absentia of inciting violence and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown in a month-long popular uprising last year and fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011.

A cartoon video which recounts the unrest in the Middle East using the Angry Birds characters is racking up the views on YouTube.

Tunisia is marking the one-year anniversary of the revolution that ended the dictatorship of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali - and sparked uprisings around the Arab world - with prudent optimism.