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
Iraq wrangling with $26.6 billion budget deficit The parliament is studying Iraq’s controversial 2017 budget this week, with the main challenges coming from a significant deficit and disagreements over allocations. Iraq
IS cells lurking in Iraq's Anbar continue to strike liberated areas Perhaps in retaliation for its successive defeats by the Iraqi army and despite wide efforts to maintain security, the Islamic State is still bombing areas recently liberated from its control. Iraq
Why Israel is closely following Fatah convention As Fatah starts its convention Nov. 29, Israeli intelligence sources warn that the Palestinian youth might turn their anger over the corrupt Palestinian political system to Israel. Palestine
Why Russia isn’t rushing to lift sanctions on Turkey Russia appears to be in no hurry to remove all of its sanctions against Turkey, even though it’s been a year since they were imposed. Turkey
Did IS kill Turkish troops in Syria? The Turkish government is remaining silent while some say the Islamic State — not the Syrian air force, as Ankara claims — was responsible for an attack on Turkish forces in northern Syria. Syria
What do Kurds expect from Trump? Turkey's Kurds are wondering what kind of policy President-elect Donald Trump will follow on Turkey's Kurdish problem. Turkey
Iranian Kurds fighting IS in Iraq put Tehran on alert Iran appears increasingly alarmed about the Iranian Kurdish separatists who are fighting the Islamic State alongside Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Is Yemen falling into an abyss? Yemen's brutal civil war must end soon before the damage becomes irreparable. Saudi Arabia
Raqqa’s displaced flee to Iraqi border areas The residents of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor are fleeing the fighting and are heading to al-Hawl camp in Hasakah, where conditions are harsh for the thousands of displaced. Syria
Kurdish soldiers bring own weapons to fight IS in Mosul As the Kurdish peshmerga complain about the shortage of US support, some tend to buy weapons with their own money to attend the battle against the Islamic State. Iraq
Putin not waiting for Trump to press advantage in Syria Russian president seeks gains in Syria in the final weeks of the Obama administration; Saudi Arabia encouraged by Trump’s take on Iran; Liberman as gatekeeper between Trump and Netanyahu. Saudi Arabia
Islamic State turns to cigarette smuggling to fund itself As the Islamic State loses its financial resources, it turns to fund the organization through other resources such as cigarette smuggling. Iraq
