7.48pm: As the Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali flees his country, we are bringing our live coverage to an end. Our correspondent in Tunis, Angelique Chrisafis, has just filed this excellent piece after spending a day on the streets. And here's our latest news story.

Here's a summary of the day's events.

• Tunisia's president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, has fled the country after days of street riots forced him out. The prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi, has assumed power and promised to "respect the constitution and implement the political, economic and social reforms that have been announced".

• A state of emergency has been declared in the country. Twelve people were killed in overnight clashes between demonstrators and police. Tunis airport has been surrounded by the military and Tunisian airspace closed. Gunfire has been heard on the streets tonight.

• Our correspondent, Angelique Chrisafis, reports that French police are awaiting the arrival of Bin Ali's plane in Paris. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said France – the former occupying power – recognises the "constitutional transition" in Tunisia.

• The UK Foreign Office is advising against travel to the country. A number of tour operators have suspended flights and are making plans to evacuate holidaymakers.

Thanks very much for all your comments and good night.

7.18pm: A big question now, which some of you have raised in the comments below, is the repercussions of Ben Ali's overthrow around the region.

This is what the Associated Press says in its latest dispatch from Tunis:

The shakeup was certain to have repercussions in the Arab world and beyond as a sign that even a leader as entrenched and powerful as Ben Ali could be brought down by massive public outrage.

Commenter @clunie mentions Egypt, where Hosni Mubarak leads an autocratic government that is unpopular among many sections of the population. Unrest has been put down brutally.

And in his Financial Times blog today, the paper's chief foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman draws a parallel with Egypt:

It is all strangely reminiscent of Egypt, where President Hosni Mubarak is now 82-years-old – and has not yet announced whether he will run for re-election later this year. Will his attitude be affected by developments in Tunisia?

He goes on:



The potential for unrest is not confined to North Africa. Saudi Arabia, the only Arab country that is a member of the G20, also fits the profile. King Abdullah is now in his eighties and is ailing. Despite its massive oil wealth, the country also suffers from high youth unemployment.

7.00pm: The opposition leader Najib Chebbi, one of Ben Ali's most outspoken critics, described the events as a "regime change". Reuters quoted him as saying to I-Tele TV in France:

This is a crucial moment. There is a change of regime under way. Now it's the succession. It must lead to profound reforms, to reform the law and let the people choose.

6.55pm: To @omarov and the pleas from others in the comments for more journalism from north Africa, our excellent Paris correspondent Angelique Chrisafis is in Tunis, has been on the streets today, and she is filing a report as we speak. I've just spoken to our foreign desk, who say Angelique will stay in Tunisia for the weekend at least.

6.46pm: The reports that Ben Ali had arrived in Paris seem pretty easily dismissed. Tunisair's shortest flight time is around two and half hours, and the reports that Ben Ali had left Tunis came only about an hour ago.

6.40pm: The White House has issued a statement saying the US believes the Tunisian people have the "right to choose their leaders" and will monitor the latest developments there closely.

6.31pm: Some more information on the new president. He is a long-term ally of the former president, having joined the cabinet when Ben Ali assumed power in 1987. Ben Ali appointed him prime minister in 1999.

Ghannouchi has had a high profile role during the unrest of the past few days, announcing the sacking of the interior minister earlier this week. Ghannouchi also gave interviews to the international media defending Tunisia's handling of the protests.

6.26pm: There are conflicting reports about Ben Ali's whereabouts. The office of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has said it has "no information" that he had arrived in Paris. Reuters said:

Two officials at the French Foreign ministry said they did not know whether he had arrived in the country and were still checking.

6.11pm: Meanwhile, on the streets of Tunis, our correspondent Angelique Chrisafis says police are still cracking down on demonstrators.

Individual protestors still being dragged off by plain clothes police on bourguiba ave #sidibouzid

6.04pm: Our correspondent in Rome, John Hooper, reports that Italy's Adnkronos news agency says Ben Ali has arrived in Malta "under Libyan protection".

5.59pm: In his television address, prime minister Mohamed Ghannouchi said he had taken over from Ben Ali on an interim basis. This is what he said, according to Reuters:

I vow that I will respect the constitution and implement the political, economic and social reforms that have been announced ... in consultation with all political sides including political parties and civil society.

5.57pm: Al-Jazeera's reporter in Paris, Jacky Rowland, says it appears that the prime minister has led an "internal coup". This is the same manner by which Ben Ali came to power in 1987, overthrowing the sitting president, Habib Bourguiba.

5.47pm: The Tunisian prime minister, Mohammed Ghannouchi, says in a TV address that president Ben Ali is "temporarily unable to exercise his duties", according to Reuters. The prime minister says he is assuming control of the country, according to reports on Twitter from others who are watching the address on television.

5.36pm: The Doha-based news network Al-Jazeera is reporting on its website that president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has left the country and the army has taken control.

5.29pm: The position of the president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, appears precarious. It is not clear whether the order to take control of the airport came at the instigation of the president or the military high command.

5.23pm: It appears there are big developments afoot in Tunis. AFP is reporting that the military has taken over the airport, and Reuters says state television has declared that a "major announcement" is to be made to the Tunisian people "soon".

Air France has confirmed that the airspace around Tunis has been closed, and it has suspended flights. (This is Matt Wells taking over from Paul Owen.)

5.00pm: Events in Tunisia are moving fast, so here is a summary of this evening's main developments:

• Tunisia's president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, has fired his government and called early elections for six months' time, following days of rioting. A national unity government involving a key opposition figure is possible, foreign minister Kamel Morjane has said.

• A state of emergency has been declared in the country.

• Twelve people were killed in overnight clashes between demonstrators and police. There are reports Tunis airport has been surrounded by the military and Tunisian airspace closed.

• The UK Foreign Office is advising against travel to the country. A number of tour operators have suspended flights and are making plans to evacuate holidaymakers.

My colleague Angelique Chrisafis will be filing from Tunisia soon; you will be able to find her story here along with the rest of the Guardian's coverage of this situation.

4.54pm: Reuters news agency has just sent the following:

MILITARY SURROUNDING TUNIS AIRPORT - AIRPORT OFFICIAL

4.41pm: Jonathan Rugman of Channel 4 News has tweeted this:

Afp reporting Tunis airport and airspace closed by army. Jonathan Rugman

jrug

4.34pm: Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has dominated political life in Tunisia and sidelined rivals since he seized power in 1987, declaring Habib Bourguiba, the country's independence leader, medically unfit to remain president. The Economist reports that Ben Ali then "turned Tunisia into a police state known for its efficiency. Occasional worries about authoritarian tendencies in more relaxed North African states such as Morocco were frequently referred to as 'Ben-Alisation'."

The magazine adds:

Mr Ben Ali has faced protests before, but never on this scale. For the first time since he came to power, the ubiquitous presidential portraits that adorn many buildings have been ripped down and burned, while protesters chant colourful insults aimed at Mr Ben Ali and his acquisitive wife, Leila Trabelsi.

4.30pm: More from Reuters on foreign minister Kamel Morjane's suggestion a national unity government could be formed. Asked about forming a coalition government that included opposition leaders such as Najib Chebbi, he said:

I think that is feasible and I think it would be entirely normal.

Chebbi is one of Ben Ali's most outspoken internal opponents and the man western diplomats view as the most credible opposition figure in the opposition. He said the president had done the right thing yesterday:

But what remains [to be seen] is how will this be carried out and I ask that a coalition government be created.

4.25pm: Reuters has news of the death toll so far from the protests:

Medical sources and a witness said 12 more people were killed in overnight clashes in the capital and the northeastern town of Ras Jebel. Before the latest deaths emerged, the official death toll in almost a month of violence was 23, while the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights said it had a list of at least 66 people killed.

The report continues with an account of events in the capital today:

On Friday, state television flashed the announcement: "The president has decided to dismiss the government and to hold legislative elections within six months." It gave no details. But protests continued in the capital and other cities on Friday. Around 8,000 people rallied outside the interior ministry in central Tunis, chanting "Ben Ali, leave!" and "Ben Ali, assassin!" After police fired teargas and wielded their truncheons, crowds of youths retreated a little way from the building and started throwing stones at the police, who responded with more tear gas grenades. Reporters also heard gunfire nearby. For the Tunis protesters, Ben Ali's promise to quit and cut essential food prices was not enough. "We don't want bread or anything else, we just want him to leave," they chanted. "After that we will eat whatever we have to." The UGTT trade union confederation had called for a general strike, which analysts said would test of whether the president had managed to calm public anger with his speech.

4.22pm: My colleague Ian Black, the Guardian's Middle East editor, sends this video from Facebook.

4.20pm: Paul Owen here, taking over from Mark Tran.

A British holidaymaker who has returned from Tunisia has been telling BBC News about her experience of the protests: "It was not aimed at us. It was frightening but you felt safe in the hotels." She said a French journalist had been shot in the leg by the police.

The BBC is reporting a 5pm-7am curfew, with no gatherings of three people or more allowed. Unofficial reports are that five people have been killed today.

The BBC's correspondent in Tunisia says young people protesting will not be placated by promises of change in years to come: "they want change now."

4.14pm: State television reports that firearms will be used if orders from the security forces are not obeyed.

4.11pm: Tunisia has declared a state of emergency, reports the AFP news agency.

4.10pm: Holiday operator Thomas Cook is evacuating around 1,800 British and Irish tourists and 2,000 Germans from Tunisia, following advice from the Foreign Office not to travel to Tunisia unless it is essential.

4.00pm: Events have been moving fast in Tunisia and here is a summary of key developments today:

• Police have been firing tear gas and beating up protesters outside the interior ministry in Tunis.

• 12 people have been reported dead after yesterday's demonstrations.

• President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has dismissed his entire government and has said there will be early elections in six months.

• A unity government is possible, foreign minister Kamel Morjane has said.

3.52pm: Sam, a Tunisian who does not wish to give his full name, writes a powerful piece on Comment is free on the sense of liberation people feel after years of living under the absolute rule of Ben Ali:

And for the first time, we see the opportunity to rebel, to take revenge on the "royal" family who has taken everything, to overturn the established order that has accompanied our youth. An educated youth, which is tired and ready to sacrifice all the symbols of the former autocratic Tunisia with a new revolution: the Jasmin Revolution – the true one.

3.51pm: If you can read French, you can follow Le Monde's live blog of the crisis in Tunisia here.

3.44pm: My colleague Peter Walker has filed a news story on the situation. His story begins:

Tunisia's president has dismissed his entire government and is calling early legislative elections, his spokesman announced today, after days of bloody clashes between security forces and protesters. The state news agency said president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali would call fresh legislative elections in six months. The news came after riot police fired teargas at a peaceful demonstration and gunshots were heard in central Tunis, where thousands of people had gathered to demand Ben Ali's immediate resignation.

3.42pm: Here is a link to follow live postings on Facebook about the situation from people on the Tunisian side. (Thanks to yaramo in the comments.)

3.41pm: The announcement from Ben Ali that elections would be held in six months is a big concession since last night when he said he would leave leave office at the end of his term in 2014. But will demonstrators be satisfied with that? Today they were demanding his immediate departure.

3.37pm: Warning: This is dramatic footage of a protester lying on the ground after apparently being shot by snipers. The video is dated yesterday.

It is reminiscent of the video of Neda Agha-Soltan during the protests in Iran.

3.33pm: My colleagues on the Guardian video desk have sent this video of Tunisians protesting against Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, the president. To recap, they are calling on him to go immediately, despite his pledge not to seek re-election in 2014.

3.32pm: Mohamed Abdel Samad (theeproducer) tweets:

@Dima_Khatib my fear is the fate of the Animal Farm, get rid of 1 thief to replace him with 10 more" Mohamed Abdel Samad

theeproducer

3.22pm: The Tunisian state news agency is also reporting that Ben Ali is calling early legislative elections in six months.

It looks like Ben Ali is trying desperately trying to keep himself from being overwhelmed by the rush of events.

3.21pm: Amnesty International has called on the Tunisian authorities to release or charge two men arrested, after one of them gave media interviews about the protests.

Here is Amnesty's statement:

Hamma Hammami, spokesperson for the banned Tunisian Workers' Communist party (Parti Communiste des Ouvriers Tunisiens, PCOT) was arrested at his home in Tunis on 12 January. Around 20 members of the presidential security unit are reported to have detained him together with his colleague, Mohamed Mzem, a lawyer, and Mounia Obaid, a friend who was later released. Hamma Hammami's family believe he was arrested for speaking to journalists about the protests in the country.

3.20pm: The Tunisian state news agency says Ben Ali is dismissing the government amid rioting, AP reports.

3.06pm: Euronews has footage of protests from overnight. Some people turned out in support of Ben Ali after his address to the nation.

2.56pm: Here is an AP account of the latest clashes:

Tunisian police fired rounds of tear gas at thousands of protesters in the capital Friday after some climbed atop the roof of the interior ministry, a symbol of the iron-fisted government they want to oust. The demonstrators were marching through Tunis to demand the resignation of the country's autocratic leader, President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Many shouted "Ben Ali, out!" and "Ben Ali, assassin!" Another poster read "We won't forget," a reference to the rioters killed, many by police bullets. Hundreds of police with shields and riot gear blocked the avenue Friday in front of the interior ministry, where over the years there have been reports of torture. The march was organised by Tunisia's only legal trade union, which also went ahead with a symbolic two-hour strike. Plainclothes policemen were seen kicking unarmed protesters and beating them with batons.

Reuters is reporting that 12 people were killed in overnight clashes in Tunis and the northeastern town of Ras Jebel, citing two medical sources and a witness. Ten of the victims were killed after clashes in the capital, two sources from Charles Nicolle hospital told Reuters.

2.51pm: It would be surprising if Arab leaders were not afraid of the Tunisian example spreading. Reuters is reporting on protests in Jordan:

Food price protests sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East reached Jordan on Friday, when hundreds of protesters chanted slogans against Prime Minister Samir al-Rifai in the southern city of Karak. The peaceful protest was held despite hastily announced government measures to curb commodity and fuel prices. Similar demonstrations were held in three other towns and cities across the country, witnesses said. "We are protesting the policies of the government - high prices and repeated taxation that made the Jordanian people revolt," Tawfiq al-Batoush, a former head of Karak municipality, told Reuters at the protest outside Karak's Al Omari mosque.

2.48pm: Things seem to have taken a serious turn for the worse. Angelique Chrisafis is tweeting:

Gunshots are now ringing around us and in the other sidestreets around interior ministry.

An earlier tweet from her:

Running battles amid extreme violence from police. Protestors being chased onto rooftops. This is turning very, very bad.

This is very bad news for Ben Ali who must have been hoping that his concessions announced yesterday would calm things down. Instead the protesters seem to have been emboldened.

2.42pm: Some tweeters are lumping Ben Ali together with Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, another long-time ruler in the Arab world. "Mubarak & Ben Ali united in repression. Let the Arab street rise up in unison against the stupid Arab regime," tweets Hisham_G.

2.29pm: Reuters says gunshots rang out as police fired teargas to disperse some 8,000 protesters outside the interior ministry in Tunis. The Associated Press says tear gas was fired after demonstrators climbed on to the roof of the building.

2.18pm: Here is an Audioboo featuring the Guardian's Angelique Chrisafis speaking to my colleague Peter Walker from outside the interior ministry in Tunis.

Thousands of demonstrators were chanting: "Bread, water, Ben Ali out."

2.08pm: A recap of what led us here. The man who set off the chain of events that has shattered Tunisia's carefully constructed facade of stability is Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old living in the provincial town of Sidi Bouzid, who had a university degree but no work. To earn some money he took to selling fruit and vegetables in the street without a licence. When the authorities stopped him and confiscated his produce, he was so angry that he set himself on fire and died. Writing about the episode last month, the Guardian's Brian Whitaker said Tunisia's crisis reminded him of the fall of the Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu.

So, what we are seeing, firstly, is the failure of a system constructed by the regime over many years to prevent people from organising, communicating and agitating. Secondly, we are seeing relatively large numbers of people casting off their fear of the regime. Despite the very real risk of arrest and torture, they are refusing to be intimidated. Finally, we are seeing the breakdown of a long-standing devil's compact where, in return for submitting to life under a dictatorship, people's economic and welfare needs are supposedly taken care of by the state.

2.00pm: A notable feature of this crisis has been the deafening silence from the political class in France, Tunisia's former colonial power and its main economic partner – a fact noted here by Le Monde. A north Africa expert I spoke to this week, Dr Claire Spencer, said France was probably working behind the scenes to put pressure on Ben Ali to make concessions. Now, perhaps sensing which way the political winds are blowing (not in his favour), the French are beginning to speak up. Reuters has this:

France on Friday urged Tunisian president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to deliver on promises that it called a step in the right direction and called on him to do his utmost to restore peace after deadly riots. "We urge an end to the violence and the Tunisian president's commitments on this front have been positively noted," foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said of Ben Ali's promises to bow out as leader in 2014, allow free media and order police to stop shooting protestors. "The steps the president announced go in the right direction and we hope they will be implemented."

Spencer, from the Chatham House foreign affairs thinktank, made the point that the existence of a large educated and skilled population plus coherent demands from the unions showed that the opportunity for dialogue was there, should the government take it. The big question, though, is whether the regime can move fast enough to respond to demands for change. The evidence from today is that Ben Ali's concessions may be too little, too late. Tunisians want him out now, and not in three years' time.

1.28pm: Is this the first WikiLeaks revolution, asks Elizabeth Dickinson at Foreign Policy.

As in the recent so-called "Twitter revolutions" in Moldova and Iran, there was clearly lots wrong with Tunisia before Julian Assange ever got hold of the diplomatic cables. Rather, WikiLeaks acted as a catalyst: both a trigger and a tool for political outcry. Which is probably the best compliment one could give the whistleblower site.

Ian Black, our Middle East specialist, wrote about the WikiLeaks cable in question in December, quoting the US ambassador, Robert Godec:

"The problem is clear," wrote ambassador Robert Godec in July 2009, in a secret dispatch released by Beirut's al-Akhbar newspaper. "Tunisia has been ruled by the same president for 22 years. He has no successor. And, while President Ben Ali deserves credit for continuing many of the progressive policies of President Bourguiba, he and his regime have lost touch with the Tunisian people. They tolerate no advice or criticism, whether domestic or international. Increasingly, they rely on the police for control and focus on preserving power."

1.18pm: It is supposed to be a beacon of calm and stability in North Africa and the Arab world, but Tunisia has been shaken by protests that have claimed the lives of at least 23 people – human rights groups put the number at over 60.

The protests were sparked off last month after an unemployed graduate set himself on fire when police tried to stop him selling vegetables without a permit. He later died.

What started out as demonstrations against high unemployment have turned into the biggest challenge for President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who has been in power for 23 years.

Thousands angered by corruption and a regime intolerent of dissent turned out in Tunis today to demand his immediate resignation, despite his pledges last night not to seek re-election in 2014. The rest of the Arab world is watching developments nervously amid fears of "contagion".

• Here is our latest story, from Angelique Chrisafis, who is in Tunis.

• Thomas Cook is flying back some 1,800 holiday makers from the country afte the Foreign Office advised against all but esseential travel there.