Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Iran operating new advanced centrifuges, nuclear watchdog finds According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran
UN says Libya arms embargo 'totally ineffective' A United Nations panel of experts accused several member states, including Turkey and Russia, of fueling the Libyan conflict. Libya
Democratic lawmakers reckon with 2020 rhetoric on Israel aid Presidential candidates who want to place conditions on Israeli military aid have prompted pro-Israel House Democrats to go on the offensive. Palestine
Chaos spreads in Iraq as PM office remains vacant As Iraq approaches the constitutional deadline for selecting the new prime minister, chaos is spreading in the streets. Iraq
US sanctions three Iran-backed militia leaders for violence against Iraq protesters The United States will impose sanctions on three leaders of Iran-backed Iraqi militias that have committed human rights abuses against Iraqi protesters. Iraq
As chaos and violence consume Iraq, US keeps focus on deterring Iran The Trump administration’s realism is well suited to the crisis in Iraq, with a clear red line on keeping out Iranian missiles. Iraq
Erdogan in NATO: Russia’s ‘Trojan horse’? President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned from London to Ankara as a “loser” who failed to achieve anything at the NATO summit. Turkey
Why are Netanyahu’s associates indicted in submarine scandal, but not PM? Revelations in the submarine scandal and indictments on bribery and breach of trust have turned it into the most serious case of security corruption ever exposed in Israel. Israel
Why is delivery of S-400 missiles to Turkey delayed? The testing of the battle management and multimode engagement for the Russian-built S-400 air defense missile system in Ankara was both a technical necessity as well as an expression of diplomatic determination for full activation of the S-400s. Turkey
Syria’s Kurdish parties do not see eye to eye While Syria's Kurds call for a unified political project to manage Kurdish territories, they remain confused about the differences between the Kurdish National Council and the Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria
SDF woos Syrian Kurdish rivals in wake of Turkish assault Could the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Iraqi Kurdish-backed Kurdish National Council, long at loggerheads, come to an accord in the wake of Turkey's invasion of Kurdish-administered areas of Syria? Iraq
Erdogan drops block on NATO defense plan as trust issues linger Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped his threat to block a defense plan for the Baltic states and Poland, though disagreements persist among NATO allies. Turkey
Why Hamas is renewing the Gaza border protests In order to appease Palestinian public opinion and show that it is negotiating with Israel from a position of force, Hamas leadership is calling to resume fence demonstrations. Palestine
Turkey seeks to refresh NATO ties to balance Russia Turkey seems to have failed to get all it wanted from the NATO summit in London, but even an incomplete outcome meets its purpose of balancing ties with Russia by refreshing ties with NATO. Syria
