Novo governo na Tunísia

Al-Jazeera - Ben Ali allies dropped from cabine:

Mohammed Ghannouchi, the Tunisian prime minister, has reshuffled the interim government, dropping key ministers from the heavily criticised government of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. (...)

The new cabinet includes 12 new ministers and keeps nine from the previous set-up. Among those replaced with independents were the ministers of interior and defence. (...)

Protesters, who earlier on Thursday stormed police barricades in Tunis, the Tunisian capital, had been calling for a purge of Ben Ali loyalists. (...)

Tunisia's powerful labour union, UGTT, will not join the new government itself but said it would approve of Ghannouchi staying in power, a factor that could help appease protesters demanding that the government be purged of members of the RCD.
   
The union has a large membership and has been involved in organising some demonstrations.

In what is being seen as an attempt to ease the tension on the street, the union decided to cancel a big protest rally scheduled for Friday.

However, Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Tunis, later said that the union appeared to backtracking from that position and was now unhappy with the announcement. (...)

Ahelbarra said it was, therefore, unclear if the reshuffle would be enough to placate the thousands of demonstrators who continued to throng the main Tunis boulevard, Bourguiba Avenue, demanding that the transitional government resign.

"Some people are saying that this is quite significant and it will send people back to their homes, on the other hand the thousands who have been demonstrating outside the government compound are saying this is not enough," he said.

"They would like to see the prime minister himself go because he is a reminder of the old regime."

Earlier on Thursday, protesters broke through police lines outside Ghannouchi's office, where hundreds of demonstrators have pledged to camp out until the government is gone.