Iraq's Iran-backed Shi'ite paramilitary force said on Sunday it had dislodged Islamic State from a number of villages west of Mosul, scoring further progress toward the border with Syria. The villages taken by the Popular Mobilisation paramilitary force include Kojo, where Islamic State...

( Middle East Eye )- As a child in Damascus, Maha al-Sayyed always looked forward to going to the hairdresser with her grandmother. The atmosphere, the smell of nail polish, and the voices of women socialising were addictive to Sayyed, who loved leaving the salon with a new look every time....

Bodies of what appeared to be executed civilians were found in a ravine outside a besieged Philippine city on Sunday as a six-day occupation by Islamist rebels resisting a military onslaught took a more sinister turn. The eight dead men, most of them shot in the head and some with hands tied...

By Faris Rifai (Zaman Al Wasl)- Prosecuting former Free Syrian Army members or revolution supporters who fled to Europe has turned into nightmare for many. The EU courts have been following cases brought against them by unknown people who are believed to be the regime's sleeper cells. They...