国际英语新闻：Police fire tear gas at Tunisian protestors

CAIRO, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Police in Tunisia have fired tear gas at anti-government protestors to disperse demonstrations outside the prime minister's office, Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV reported.

The confrontation comes after hundreds of Tunisians gathered overnight outside the building in the capital in defiance of a curfew order and in an attempt to force the government to resign.

Protestors said that it is necessary to remove all old-regime figures from the leadership and the abolition of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's powerful RCD party.

Schools were set to reopen Monday after weeks of closure amid unrest, but teachers went on strike. Some students joined the demonstrations instead of heading to their classrooms.

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi, who has been in place since 1999, has vowed to quit after holding the North African country's first fair polls following the ouster of Ben Ali.

Ghannouchi has promised parliamentary and presidential elections within six months, but no dates have been set.

Ben Ali, who had been in power since 1987, fled to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14, following mass protests against his government over unemployment, price hike and corruption.