Pastor of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Bahrain confirmed that the Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has granted an estate to build a church for the Copts.

Information revealed that Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, head of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) will be received by the Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Monday (May 9, 2016).

The Freedoms and Human Rights Department at Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society expressed its concern, regarding the recurrent news it has been receiving from Jaw Central Prison since April 2016 about overcrowding issues in the prison, particularly block 4.

Bahraini children held at Dry Dock Prison said in a statement issued from prison that they are being subjected to torture by the security authorities in charge, calling for urgent action to put an end to these abuses.

Bahrain's Public Security Chief Major-General Tariq Al-Hassan leveled a blast at the recently released prisoner, Rayhana Al-Mosawi, over the statements she made to Bahrain Mirror, implicitly accusing her of attempting to defame Bahrain and incite public opinion.

The recently released detainee Rayhana Al-Mosawi, in response to Bahrain's Chief of Public Security Tariq Al-Hassan who doubted the statements she made in an interview with Bahrain Mirror, said: "What I have mentioned has been already filed as a complaint in May 2013 to the Ombudsman and I have a copy of this complaint."

The United States Department of State once again called for the release of detained Bahraini activist Zainab Al-Khawaja and her infant son, one month after the Bahraini foreign minister pledged in a press conference that Al-Khawaja will be released for humanitarian purposes.

The Chief of Bahrain's Terrorist Crimes Prosecution, Attorney-General Ahmad Al-Hammadi, stated that the Fifth High Criminal court convicted 9 defendants over charges of attempted murder of policemen, detonating a bomb, explosives possession, assembling, rioting and acquiring Molotov cocktails.

The Bahraini Supreme Court of Appeals upheld a 5-year prison term issued in absentia against 3 appellants over charges of setting a scrap vehicle ablaze in Diraz.

Journalist Ahmad Hmaidan, who is serving a 10-year jail term since 2014, completed the measures taken to participate in the competition for the award, entitled “Khalifa bin Salman Press Award” in the Best Press Photo category.

Fawzia Rasheed, who works as a journalist at the local Akhbar Al-Khaleej newspaper that has close ties with the Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman, claimed that the Shiite denomination has turned into a new religion that "has no relation to true Islam that calls for monotheism, and its rituals have no relation to the Islamic religion's rites as well."

The British Guardian newspaper stated that "prosecutors are to appeal against a judge's decision to dismiss charges against protesters who said they took direct action against an arms fair to stop crimes being committed with the weapons on sale."

The Second High Criminal (Appeals) Court upheld on Wednesday (May 4, 2016) the verdict against the stateless Ibrahim Karimi who was stripped of his Bahraini nationality, sentencing him to 2 years and 1 month in prison and fining him 2,100 Bahraini dinars.

Bahrain's High Criminal Court convicted in absentia the son of former Prime Minister Khalifa Al-Dhahrani over charges narcotics possession for the purpose of trafficking and abuse as well as firearm possession. The court sentenced him to a year in prison with a 1,000 BD fine over the first charge and five more years and a 500 BD fine over the second charge.

Bahrain Mirror (Reuters): Fitch Ratings (Fitch) has downgraded Gulf International Bank B.S.C.'s (GIB) Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (LT IDR) to 'A-' from 'A'.

Saudi security forces shot dead two alleged ISIS fighters and two others blew themselves up outside the holy city of Mecca Thursday, the interior ministry said.

Bahrain 19, a group concerned with defending freedom of opinion and expression, called on the Bahraini authorities to “release all the media persons, photographers, bloggers and online activists who were arrested over practicing freedom of opinion and expression.”

The Bahrain Observatory for Human Rights called on the Bahraini government to commit to the tripartite agreement signed between the government, employers and the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions that stipulates reinstating all employees dismissed over the 2011 events.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urged the United States administration to continue to pressure the Bahraini government to fully implement the BICI recommendations, including those regarding freedom of religion and belief, and address accountability for past abuses against the Shi’a community.

Bahrain’s Alba Trade Union called on the Alba company’s administration to cooperate more and treat all trade unions equally.