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
Erdogan tells Abadi to 'know his place' The row over Turkey’s military presence in Iraq is growing bigger by the day. Iraq
Why did Hamas 'reshuffle' so many security bosses? Hamas' Interior Ministry in Gaza has appointed several new officials to top security positions, raising questions about its motives. Palestine
'Syrian Interim Government' still seeks legitimacy amid violence In an interview with Al-Monitor, Jawad Abu Hatab, prime minister of the Syrian Interim Government, discussed the challenges the political and armed opposition face on the ground in Syria. Syria
How Netanyahu sidelined Peres’ vision for peace By naming Israel’s nuclear facility after Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignores his peacemaking efforts to position himself as heir to Peres' security legacy. Israel
Will Salafi groups trigger Israel-Hamas clash? Salafi groups have adopted the tactic of firing rockets at Israel in an attempt to weaken Hamas by pushing it into a military confrontation with Israel. Palestine
Are Libyans abandoning democracy in search of stability? More and more democratically elected governments in Libyan localities are being replaced by military rule. Libya
Terror groups exploit Iraqi homeless As the country's economic and security crises drag on, unemployed young Iraqis are finding themselves on the streets and vulnerable to militant groups that use them to gather information and even commit acts of terror. Iraq
Has Israel’s defense minister given up on toppling Hamas? Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman seems to have realized that attacking Hamas targets in retaliation for rocket fire from rogue groups could damage the organization’s efforts to contain those elements. Palestine
Egypt seeks to crack down on killings by police New amendments to Egypt’s police law seek to make it tougher for police to abuse their authority. Egypt
UN Syria envoy: Jabhat al-Nusra holding Aleppo ‘hostage’ De Mistura calls on Jabhat al-Nusra, Russia and Syria to end fighting in Aleppo; why is Erdogan mostly mum on Aleppo? Syria
How Iraqi Kurdistan plans to reform education to fight extremism The Kurdistan Regional Government aims to reform the religious curriculum, but some claim that these efforts will fail because extremists still have influence on the reform process. Iraq
Turkey's brash behavior riles Iraq Iraq worries that Turkey, emboldened by the progress of its Operation Euphrates Shield intervention in northern Syria, might be planning an "Operation Tigris Shield" for Mosul. Iraq
