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
How will US removal of Turkestan Islamic Party from terrorism list affect Syrian file? The Turkestan Islamic Party, which is mainly made up of fighters from the Uighur minority in China and is one the largest non-Syrian fighting group in Idlib, has been removed from the US terrorist exclusion list. Syria
Islamic State claims responsibility for Jeddah attack The explosion at the World War II commemoration follows a stabbing at the French Consulate in Jeddah last month. Saudi Arabia
South Caucasus deal echoes plan from 30 years ago Although some in Turkey see Russia as the real winner of the Russian-brokered truce between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the deal has elevated Turkey to a regional power in the south Caucasus. Turkey
Israeli, Greek, Cypriot defense ministers meet, reinforce security ties Defense Minister Benny Gantz meets with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts to reinforce the countries’ security ties and strategic cooperation. Israel
Eight peacekeepers dead in Sinai helicopter crash The American, French and Czech members of the peacekeeping force crashed conducting a routine mission and one US soldier survived. Egypt
Libyans agree on plan to hold elections in 18 months, UN says Acting UN envoy Stephanie Williams called the agreement a "breakthrough." Libya
Al-Azhar to sue France over prophet cartoons During a visit to Cairo by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb rejected any form of insults to the Prophet Muhammad and vowed to sue France over the publication of controversial cartoons. Egypt
Turkey bans public smoking in virus mitigation effort Turkey has been recording more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 a day for weeks, and there are concerns the government is underreporting virus deaths. Turkey
Saudis say Biden’s threats are ‘election talk' Although there are political tensions on human rights issues, the US-Saudi relationship could be vital for the United States to address Russian and Chinese influence in the Middle East region. Saudi Arabia
Mosques in Oman to reopen for socially distant daily prayers Amid a declining COVID-19 infection rate, mosques will reopen to a limited number of worshippers beginning Sunday; Friday prayers still will not be allowed. Oman
Who really won in south Caucasus? While the conventional wisdom is that Russia allowed Turkey to soften Armenia for the kill, then swooped in and imposed its own terms, talk of Russia’s big win may be somewhat overstated. Turkey
Bomb goes off at event attended by Western diplomats in Saudi Arabia A Greek Consulate employee and a Saudi guard were injured in an attack at a cemetery in Jeddah. Saudi Arabia
