Prime Minister Claims Power in Tunisia as President Flees

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
NYT

TUNIS — President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia has left the country amid growing chaos in the streets, French diplomats say, and the prime minister went on state television Friday night to say he is temporarily in charge.

A French Foreign Ministry official said authorities did not know where the president had gone, and representatives of the president were not immediately available to confirm the report.

The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement Friday evening saying that “France has received no request to welcome Mr. Ben Ali,” carefully not using any title for him. In case of such a request, the statement said, “France will respond in agreement with the Tunisian constitutional authorities.”

There were also unconfirmed reports that Tunisia’s airspace had been closed.

(More here.)