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
20th-century Libyan jihadism's role in Manchester attack Suicide bomber Salman Abedi’s multiple trips back and forth to Libya, where his family is widely associated with the Salafi jihadi movement, provided ample opportunity for advanced training to execute the massacre in Manchester. Libya
Turkey making itself at home in Syria Turkey is looking less like a visitor in northern Syria as it sets up more permanent facilities and resettles Turkmens in certain areas. Syria
Civic groups press to revive Kurdish peace efforts in Turkey After much bloodshed and destruction, a fledgling civic initiative in Turkey is seeking to bring Turks and Kurds closer to open the way for a fresh settlement effort to end the decadeslong Kurdish conflict. Turkey
Saudis hope to halt extremism with ‘terrorist rehab’ Saudis seek to modify the thoughts and behaviors of former members of terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State via rehabilitation programs, but some worry it isn't working. Saudi Arabia
US mulls how best to control pro-Iran factions in Mideast The United States and the Gulf states seem to agree that Tehran and its allies need to be contained to keep Iran from aggressively expanding once the Islamic State is driven out of the region. Iraq
Israel's economic aid to PA only temporary fix Israel is preparing to implement a series of economic concessions to the Palestinians, which some see as a step to circumvent a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestine
Russia remains unconcerned by Trump's anti-Iran rhetoric US President Donald Trump tells the Saudis what they want to hear, but Russian experts don't expect him to renege on the Iran deal. Saudi Arabia
Senate tones down Iran sanctions bill after input from Obama team The Senate Foreign Relations Committee insists the bill it cleared May 25 doesn’t violate the nuclear deal. Congress
Iraq's Sinjar heats up again as PMU closes in The world's attention has turned back to Iraq's Sinjar as Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Units approach during operation to liberate Mosul and Yazidi loyalties worry Turkey. Iraq
'Fake news' sparks real crisis in the Gulf Controversial statements reported by Qatar's state news agency and later attributed to a hack have revealed deep tension among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Saudi Arabia
Europe, France plan active Middle East policy Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron wants France to take a central role in international diplomacy and in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestine
Why Iran wants 'de-escalation' zones in Syria While the establishment of "safe zones" has never been part of Russia's or Iran’s plans, their agreement to create "de-escalation zones" at this juncture serves the interests of both countries. Syria
![CORRECTION - Russian mediator Alexander Lavrentiev, Iranian deputy foreign minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attend the signing of a memorandum on creating safe zones in Syria during the fourth round of Syria peace talks in Astana on May 4, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Stanislav FILIPPOV / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Stanislav FILIPPOV has been modified in AFP systems in the following m](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/05/GettyImages-678442688.jpg/GettyImages-678442688.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=d7KSlwHD)
