BBC News Middle East

EPACopyright: EPA

Morocco's Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) has suffered a crushing defeat in parliamentary elections, slumping from first to eighth place.

The liberal National Rally of Independents (RNI) party gained most seats, followed by another liberal party - the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM) - which is seen as close to the monarchy.

The RNI and PAM parties took 97 and 82 seats respectively of the 395-seat parliament, while the centre-right Istiqlal Party got 78 seats, according to the preliminary results announced on Thursday.

The PJD only got 12 seats from the 125 seats it had in the outgoing assembly.

Elected politicians in Morocco have only limited powers, as key decisions remain in the hands of King Mohammed VI.

AFPCopyright: AFP

People in Morocco are voting in parliamentary and local elections.

Many voters are concerned about the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has also meant that no big political rallies could be held.

The moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party has led Morocco's coalition governments over the past decade, but analysts say voters feel that parliament has little meaningful influence.

All real power continues to lie in the hands of King Mohammed VI.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The Libyan government says its forces have arrested a senior Islamic State group figure.

Embarak al-Khazimi was captured at Bani Walid, south-east of the capital, Tripoli.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said the arrest was a great success that would make it possible to gather information on IS.

Three years ago, the group was driven out of the last bit of territory it held in Libya.

Its members are now in hiding, or holed up in the desert, but they remain a threat to the country and the region.

Rights campaigners have accused Egypt's security forces of routinely carrying out unlawful executions, and then claiming that the deaths occurred during "shoot-outs" with militants.

Human Rights Watch says that the authorities have reported more than 750 such killings over five years.

However, only one arrest was made in all the so-called shoot-outs.

The campaign group closely examined 14 deaths, and found relatives saying that they knew the victims were in custody before they were killed.

The Egyptian authorities have waged a long campaign against members of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation, which they describe as a terrorist group.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The G7 group of industrialised nations has called on President Kais Saied of Tunisia to urgently appoint a new head of government.

In a joint statement, the group said that naming a prime minister would create space for dialogue about proposed constitutional reforms.

In July, President Saied swept aside the government, suspended parliament and took control of the country.

His opponents have accused him of staging a coup.

But his measures were broadly welcomed by Tunisians, who've been deeply disappointed by the performance of their political parties.

You may also be interested in:

• Tunisia crisis: Democrats, despots and the fight for power
• The Tunisian MP who was slapped but not beaten
• Why have young Tunisians been protesting?

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Former Tunisian presidential candidate Nabil Karoui has been charged with entering Algeria illegally and sent to jail while awaiting trial.

A court in the province of Constantine, in the east of Algeria, ordered that Mr Karoui and his brother, Ghazi, who is an MP, be imprisoned pending prosecution, local media reported.

Mr Karoui, the leader of the second largest party in Tunisia, had been arrested last month together with four others, including his brother, in the border city of Tebessa, where they were hosted by a local.

In 2019, Mr Karoui was jailed in Tunisia for six months while running his presidential campaign. He was released but is still under investigation for money laundering and tax evasion.

The wealthy businessman who owns of Nesma TV channel denies any wrongdoing.

The Tunisian authorities are believed to have requested his extradition from Algeria.

The family of a young Tunisian who died after setting himself alight says he took his own life because of injustice endured at the hands of the state.

Neji Hefiane had been shot and injured while protesting during the 2011 revolution which ousted President Ben Ali.

His family said he did everything possible to try to get compensation but received nothing.

Mr Hefiane's death echoes that of Mohammed Bouazizi, who died after setting himself on fire in an act that triggered the Tunisian revolution, and the uprisings that followed across the Arab world.