Tunisia

US President Barack Obama’s discourse, yesterday marked a “new chapter" in diplomacy after the Arab Spring uprisings, the leader explained. Talking from the state department, shifting from a military to a diplomatic emphasis, Mr Obama insisted on the interrelated nature of the US-Middle East relationship: “ though these countries may be a great distance from our shores, we know that our own future is bound to this region by the forces of economics and security; history and faith”, he said.

A recording allegedly made by former Al-Qaeda number one Osama Bin Laden shortly before he died has been released. The 12 minute long message sees him praise the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt and speak of a "rare historic opportunity" for Muslims to rise up against the "tyrants". He repeatedly refers to and encourages the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt but does not mention Bahrain, Syria, Libya or even Yemen.

One of the "forgotten" former headline stories was the catastrophic flooding in Queensland, Australia. Here is a snippet of what has been happening.

Shares in TUI Travel were up on the FTSE 100 in morning trading after the company issued a trading update ahead of its interim statement for the six months ended 31 March.

Libya appears to be in, or at least on the verge of, a civil war between Colonel Gaddafi loyalists and armed rebels who just a few weeks ago were merely anti-government protestors.

On 17 December 2010, a Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire because a female municipal official and her aides had had his goods confiscated. This sparked protests against the Government for a variety of grievances, social, economic and political.

Shares in British banks were down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading as political unrest in Libya escalated over the weekend.

Shares in Thomas Cook were up on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the travel agent reported a rise in revenue and a fall in losses in the first quarter.

Shares in TUI Travel were down on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading after the group said that unrest in Tunisia and Egypt could cost it £30 million in the second quarter.