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2011 in figures: 66 journalists killed (16% more than in 2010), 1,044 journalists arrested, 1,959 journalists physically attacked or threatened,
499 media censored, 71 journalists kidnapped, 73 journalists fled their country, 5 netizens killed, 199 bloggers and netizens arrested, 62 bloggers and netizens physically attacked, 68 countries subject to Internet censorship

A tiny courtroom was yesterday the scene of the first of a four day hearing to decide if the City of London can evict the Occupy LSX campsite by St Paul’s Cathedral. At the same time a breather was given to the protesters as the Judge dealing with UBS (which used to mean Union Bank of Switzerland) request to vacate the Bank of Ideas postponed the case till January.

Reporters Without Borders expresses its deepest sympathy to the family
and colleagues of the journalist Abdisalan Sheikh Hassan, shot dead
yesterday by a man in military uniform in the Hamar Jajab district of
Mogadishu.

The world will remember Mr. Vaclav Havel as a great man who took several personal great risks to improve the situation in his country, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Sunday, the day that the Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician died died in his sleep at dawn after a lengthy illness, at the age of 75.

A survivor of the Hiroshima bombing urged a library full of students at Brooklyn International High School to work towards a world without war.

Setsuko Thurlowtold her tale of survival to a group of about fifty seniors on the 70 th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the U.S. into World War II.

With celebrations and tears of joy, the Palestinian prisoners reunited with their families and friends on Sunday in Gaza and West Bank.

Thousands of Palestinians gathered outside the Palestinian Presidential compound in Ramallah in order to welcome the 509 released Palestinian prisoners and celebrate the great moment.

Delhi Alliance for Safe Food represents a wide cross-section of people, including consumers, farmers, traders, civil society, trade union activists, scientists and academics, all from Delhi. This group held a press conference on GM foods at Gandhi Peace Foundation to address concerns on the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill 2011.

In a new attempt to tighten the siege on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Occupation Forces have imposed a sea border at 3 nautical miles away from Gaza’s seashore by placing large floats with big lights signs in order to restrict fishermen’s work and ban them from crossing this border as well as imposing a new buffer zone similar to the one along Gaza’s eastern and northern border

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.