_Section

Despite predictions that liberal, leftist and secular forces would be the main rivals to the FJP (Freedom and Justice Party), a combination of factors led to a disappointing performance.

Cairo – Morocco’s legislative elections, that took place a year early following constitutional changes as part of the kingdom’s response to the Arab Spring, resulted in a triumphant victory for the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD). It gained 107 of 395 seats, just over 27%, making it by far the largest party in parliament.

Paris – The Palestinian flag was raised for the first time at the Paris headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the agency marked Palestine’s admission as a full member.

Reporters Without Borders roundly condemns the two-year jail sentence that the supreme military court of appeals in Cairo imposed today on Maikel Nabil Sanad, a blogger who has been held since March on a charge of insulting the military in a blog entry.

About two hundred Arabs of different nationalities attended the First Forum for The Awakening of the Arab Peoples. They analyzed the ‘Arab Spring’ and decided to start generating an environment of sharing and joint proposals that can help, somehow, the revolutions that are now taking place in their respective countries.

The Israeli prison service announced on Wednesday the names of the
detainees who will be released in the second phase of the swap deal which is
planned to be concluded next Sunday.

The first phase was implemented on Oct 18, and witnessed the release
of 447 Palestinian prisoners in exchange of the former captured Israeli soldier Gila’ad Shalit.

Dr Ibrahim Nahel Othman (alias Khaled Al-Hakim, member of Damas Doctors coordination committee), was killed last Saturday by security forces of Bachar Al-Assad in a northern village of Syria. He was helping the wounded activists protesting each day against the Syrian regime.
(from «la Mort en Vienne», Ossama Mohamed syrian filmmaker, Vienna
international film festival 2011)

World without Wars and Violence has been observing the dramatic events taking place in Syria in recent months with profound concern. It is clear that the non-violent popular protests in Tunisia and Egypt were not taken as models in the case of Libya.

Reporters Without Borders condemns the violence used by police and soldiers to disperse yesterday’s demonstration by journalists – mostly women – outside the presidential palace in Tegucigalpa to demand justice for the 24 journalists killed since 2003, 17 of them since the June 2009 coup d’état. The latest journalist to be murdered, last week, was a woman.

Cairo – ”You proved that you are right, that we were wrong. You are catalysts for reforms. Recognise your capabilities for changing the world”, said Qatar’s first lady Sheikha Moza in Doha to 400 “leaders of tomorrow” from 100 countries.