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
Preventable illnesses menace children in Yemen The war in Yemen is showing no signs of ending, and as this most violent period of its modern history drags on, young children are as much at risk to disease as to militant violence. Yemen
Rojava leader: Turkey cannot stop Kurds from advancing in Syria In an interview with Al-Monitor, Fawza al-Yusuf, a board member of the Democratic Federal System for Rojava-Northern Syria, spoke about the battle for Raqqa, Turkey's involvement in the conflict and Syria's future. Syria
Iranian media lauds Putin's restraint after assassination Following the assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Iranian newspapers praised President Vladimir Putin for his “wise” decisions after the killing. Syria
Turkey’s entanglement in Syria sparks violence, assassination at home As Turkey gets more into the Syrian swamp, the Syrian spillover into Turkey could turn into a flood. Syria
Is Turkey going to reinstate the caliphate? Erdogan’s populist slogan “National will demands this” is pulling the country into a quagmire. Turkey
Why Egypt's anti-terror efforts have failed to curb attacks Following the suicide attack on Botroseya Church at St. Mark’s Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo on Dec. 11, some argue the state's policies for confronting terrorism need to be completely reworked. Egypt
Who killed a Hamas engineer in Tunisia? Israel is keeping silent over the killing of Hamas' drone designer, Mohammed Alzoari, whose sophisticated assassins left no clues to their identities. Palestine
Hezbollah, Israel both mum on recent escalation Despite an escalation in Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in Syria, an all-out confrontation between them seems unlikely for the near future. Israel
Thousands remain trapped in eastern Aleppo Thousands of traumatized civilians in eastern Aleppo are waiting in the freezing cold and continuing peril as the excruciatingly slow evacuation process drags on. Syria
Turkey blames usual suspects for murder of Russian ambassador Few people in Turkey are entertaining the possibility that the killing of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov by an off-duty police officer was a "lone wolf" attack. Turkey
Animosity toward Iran reaches fever pitch in Turkey after Aleppo Agitation against predominantly Shiite Iran by Sunni Islamists has resulted in calls for attacks on Turkey’s Alevis for vengeance. Turkey
Who's behind Russian diplomat's murder in Ankara? Turkish officials are seeking the true motive behind the slaying of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a public event in Ankara Dec. 19. Syria
