Tunisia Takes the Arab Spring Forward and Turkey Totters with Quake Recovery

Tunisia lays the foundation for a new Arab political system, forging the Arab Spring into its next phase, as it goes to the polls for the first time since the Revolution; Turkey tries to find its feet on shaken foundations post Eastern Earthquake; Palestinian prisoners take advantage of freedom with a romantic head-start; And Mrs. Assad perspective of her husband's crackdown.

Tunisia tastes first elections in the new post revolution era

Foreign Policy Lynch [5]

Tunisia's Election

"Tunisians are voting [today] for a Constitutional Assembly, ten months after the fall of President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali. Despite considerable turbulence along the way, including growing political polarization and ongoing economic frustration, the early reports on election day are encouraging. Turnout is high and voters enthusiastic, and thus far there are few signs of any official manipulation or fraud. This is an exciting day for Tunisia and for the whole Arab world."

The Lede [6]

In Turkey, Scenes From the Quake Zone

(See left) "Video reports poured out of Turkey on Sunday after a powerful earthquake struck the country’s eastern region, collapsing buildings and causing widespread panic."

Sugar and Spice [7]

Are you smart? the missing dollar quiz is for you

"You saw a shirt worth $97, you didn’t have cash and so you decided to borrow $50 from your dad and $50 from your mom…now you have $100."

Middle East Monitor [8]

Nizar and Ahlam; Fatah and Hamas: from an Israeli cell to a wedding ceremony

Freedom tastes good when it's full of romance... "He was sentenced to life in prison and she was sentenced to 16 consecutive life terms. He is affiliated to Fatah; she is a member of Hamas. Today, however, Nizar Al-Tamimi, 38, and his cousin Ahlam Al-Tamimi, 31, are both free and are going to be married in Amman, Jordan."

Free Syria: "Freedom is our right" [9]

So, what do you think of your husband’s brutal crackdown, Mrs Assad?

From the Independent: "What did Syria’s First Lady, supposedly a force for compassion, say when aid workers confronted her about the bloody crackdown? Alastair Beach reports Vogue magazine famously called her a « rose in the desert », while Paris Match proclaimed she was the « element of light in a country full of shadow zones ». But when Syria’s glamorous First Lady invited a group of aid workers to discuss the security situation with her last month, she appeared to have lost her gloss."