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
Is Gulen an Armenian? Pro-government figures in Turkey have declared Fethullah Gulen to be Armenian and Jewish in an attempt to deny the Islamic background of the person it blames for the recent coup attempt. Turkey
What will be Turkey's toll for a second chance with Russia? The presidents of both countries know a reconciliation with Russia won't come cheap for Turkey. Syria
Have Putin and Erdogan found common ground? At a meeting Aug. 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to have agreed on coordinating their country's roles in the Syrian conflict in light of the "common goal" they share. Turkey
How Gaza's electricity crisis is becoming Israel's water catastrophe The inability to treat wastewater in the Gaza Strip because of a lack of electricity is threatening to contaminate the water supplies of Gaza as well as Israel unless immediately addressed. Palestine
Dam construction going full steam while Egypt-Ethiopia talks stall Ethiopia wooed the press during a recent open house at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, but declined to answer specific questions that could help assess the risks the dam might pose for Egypt. Egypt
Syrians shifting demographics in Turkey’s Kurdish regions More than a third of the Syrian refugees in Turkey are concentrated in the country’s southeast, an impoverished, conflict-torn region with a predominantly Kurdish population. Turkey
Iraqi parliament in the dark about $2.7 billion loan deal Iraq's parliament was not involved in the negotiations for a $2.7 billion US loan package and still hasn't been fully briefed on the deal, leaving many Iraqi lawmakers uneasy. Iraq
Israeli centrist leader finds himself alone in battle against UN agency In an interview with Al-Monitor, Yesh Atid Leader Yair Lapid expressed surprise that his government is cooperating with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, while the rest of the Israeli political establishment is reluctant to disrupt the aid that keeps Gaza afloat. Palestine
Will Rouhani sue critics who insult him? Iranian Vice President for Legal Affairs Hojjat al-Islam Majid Ansari said that the judiciary will pursue cases against critics who insult the president. Iran
Turkish deputy PM: Coup's economic wounds 'easy to manage' In an interview with Al-Monitor, Mehmet Simsek, Turkey’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, expresses optimism on the recent coup attempt's economic effects, saying the only real damage was to Turkey's image in the West. Turkey
How ambitions of 'Islamist cult' united Islamists, secularists in Turkey The ambitions of the Gulenists have been able to bring Turkey’s Islamists and secularists together for the first time in the country's political history. Turkey
Turkey-EU relations in tailspin after coup attempt Turkey’s ties with Europe have taken a turn for the worse as Turks accuse the European Union of deserting them after last month's coup attempt. Turkey
