A new study by the U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees says.that infant mortality rate in Gaza has risen for the first time in more than 50 years, A statement from the UNRWA relief agency released said “The number of babies dying before the age of one has consistently gone down over the last decades in Gaza, from 127 per …

Alzain Tareq, the 10-year-old swimmer was the world championships’ youngest competitor in Kazan swam her personal best to finish third in her 50m freestyle heat. The Bahraini girl had caused a splash at the Kazan pool on Friday morning when she raced in the women’s 50m butterfly heats and finished last of the event’s 64 competitors. She is believed to …

  Bahrain has given permission to the island’s only independent newspaper (Al-Wasat ) to resume publishing after banning it for two days  and after criticism from human rights groups. In a  statement from the Information Affairs Authority they said that the decision had been taken after Al-Wasat’s editors undertook to respect the law on publications. The newspaper suspended on Thursday …

  Authorities in Bahrain shut down the island’s only independent newspaper, according to a government press release. the Bahrain News Agency reported  that  “The Information Affairs Authority has temporarily suspended Al-Wasat newspaper until further notice… due to its violation of the law and repeated dissemination of information that affects national unity and the kingdom’s relationship with other countries,”. No one …

  On Wednesday, Egypt’s affiliate of the Islamic State group threatened to execute a Croatian kidnapped in Cairo last month within 48 hours if Muslim women jailed in Egypt are not freed. The man is the first foreigner to be abducted and threatened with death by militants in Egypt since an Islamist insurgency erupted two years ago. In a video …

After The killing of Cecil the lion at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe several airlines decided  to ban shipment of hunting trophies, including Air Canada. Air Canada announce that  it has a new policy forbid  carrying  shipments of lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros or Cape buffalo trophies worldwide as freight. The ban does not include transporting Canadian animal trophies, such as black …

French customs officials have seized a  Pablo Picasso painting “Head of a Young Woman,” which  worth  about  25 million Euros ($27.4 million)  from a boat in the Corsican port of Calvi in France . There were concerns that it might be permanently removed from Spain in defiance of an export ban. Officers boarded the vessel after French authorities in Corsica received a request  for authorization to export the painting to …

On Tuesday ,Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon signed the first “administrative detention” order for a  Jewish extremist suspect following the arson of a Palestinian home  where a baby was burned alive. The Suspected Jewish extremist is Mordechai Ettinger Meir (his grandfather Meir Kahane founded the racist anti-Arab Kach) , an Israeli settler arrested on Tuesday for “his involvement in violent activities …

Soldiers Killed Suspect’s Father in Apparent Arrest Attempt Human Rights Watch  (Ramallah) – Family members are challenging the Israeli military’s version of the July 23, 2015 fatal shooting of a 53-year-old Palestinian man. Three family members, who said they were present when Israeli soldiers fatally shot Falah Abu Marya in the chest after shooting and wounding his son, told Human …

By : Ramzy Baroud As much of the Middle East sinks deeper into division between competing political camps, the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (‘IS’) continues its unhindered march towards a twisted version of a Muslim caliphate. Many thousands have lost their lives, some in the most torturous ways, so that ‘IS’ may realize its nightmarish dream. Of course, violence meted out …