Arab Spring.. Mohamed Bouazizi 
The consequences of a young unemployed Tunisian, Mohamed Bouazizi, setting himself on fire, continues to reverberate through Tunisia and North Africa. The actual grievance of Mohamed Bouazizi was that when he had tried to sell vegetables to raise some money, on 17 December, he had been prevented by municipal inspectors. This, however, came on top of a long period of intense frustration.

Born:Tarek al-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi

29 March 1984 Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia

Died 4 January 2011 (aged 26) Ben Arous, Tunisia

Cause of death Burns caused by self-immolation

Resting place Garaat Bennour cemetery

Other names Basboosa

Occupation Street vendor

Known for Self-immolation

He was severely burnt and died two weeks later. News of his death spread on the internet, setting off a chain of demonstrations, catching almost everyone outside Tunisia by surprise. The intense public anger peaked in the capital, Tunis, over the weekend of 8-9 January, leading to the collapse of the government of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, an autocratic regime that had been in power for 23 years.
An interim administration took power, supported by the Army, and this has promised elections within six months. The administration initially had many members drawn from the previous regime and while some of these subsequently stood down, opposition to the inclusion of any former government ministers continued. Significant moves by the interim government included the release of many political prisoners, some of whom had been detained for more than a decade, and a willingness to allow the safe return to Tunisia of some key exiled political leaders, most notably Mr Rashid Ghannouchi, the leader of the banned Islamist party, al-Nahda (no relation to the interim Prime Minister, Mr Mohammed Ghannouchi).
Following the extraordinarily rapid pace of change in Tunisia, massive unrest in Egypt, demonstrations and self-immolations in several other countries across North Africa and the Middle East, questions have been raised over the likelihood that Tunisia heralds a transformation across the region, and whether that will involve the ascendancy of Islamist political parties.