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
How the Islamic State hurts Palestinian cause The Palestinians fear that the international preoccupation with the Islamic State threat offers the Netanyahu government a possible argument for evading serious negotiations for a two-state solution and to gain more ground with its right-wing base. Palestine
Why Bibi used Paris climate talks to focus on terrorism, not environment In Paris for the COP21 climate summit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu devoted his talks mostly to the issue of combating terror. Israel
Is US preparing to crack down on IRGC? A key House panel is inching closer to slapping additional sanctions on the IRGC. Congress
New report confirms Iran's nuclear weapons program In a crucial new report by the IAEA, Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog agreed to disagree about key aspects of Iran’s nuclear program. Iran
Turkey makes progress on sealing Syria border, but is it enough? Turkey’s granting the United States access to its military bases, among other factors, has muted US frustration at slow efforts to seal a remaining stretch of the Turkish-Syrian border to foreign fighters and oil smugglers. Syria
Why young Gazans need cement to get married In an attempt to curb the use of cement in tunnels Hamas has been building to attack Israelis, Israel restricts the importation of cement to Gaza, limiting the possibilities for many young people in Gaza to build homes. Palestine
Tony Blair's blunder on Middle East peace Tony Blair’s chance to play a political role in the Palestinian issue is slipping away, as the PA refuses to accept him, President Abbas and the PLO refuse to deal with him on a personal level and Hamas has turned down all his initiatives. Palestine
Turkey’s Kurds shaken by killing of human rights lawyer Turkey’s Kurds have united in grief over the perplexing killing of celebrated human rights lawyer Tahir Elci, whose loss some take as a sign that peace is further out of reach than ever. Turkey
Will Israel, Russia tighten coordination on Syria? Israeli security officials debate whether Russian military involvement in Syria will change the balance of power in favor of Israeli interests or against them. Israel
US threatens to bypass Baghdad, arm Sunnis against IS Congress and the Obama administration are demanding that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi do more to combat sectarianism. Iraq
What killing of Kurdish human rights lawyer means for Turkey In turbulent Turkey, the voices of peace and coexistence speak out at the risk of violent retribution. Turkey
Downing of Russian jet forces Ankara to turn West Experts argue that although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is getting support from NATO and the European Union, he can never be part of the West because his Islamist outlook prevents him from adopting Western values. Turkey
