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
Belmokhtar may be dead, but global jihad still alive A US airstrike may have killed top Algerian al-Qaeda jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, but his dream of driving the West out of the Middle East and North Africa remains a "dangerous nightmare." North Africa
Egyptian lawyer interrogated for drafting anti-torture law Negad El Borai might face jail time for drafting a law that counters police abuse and torture, which shows the restriction of freedoms in Egypt. Egypt
What caused the clashes in Diyarbakir? Diyarbakir remains tense after recent intra-Kurd clashes. Turkey
Will Israel reach out to Syrian Druze? Israel fears getting entangled in the Syrian civil war, but might find it difficult to categorically refuse to help the Syrian Druze community. Israel
Overhauling Iraq’s intelligence services The political quota system and subsequent appointment of incompetent intelligence services leaders have severely hampered Iraq's ability to fight terrorist forces despite an abundance of confrontations and episodes from which to learn. Iraq
Hamas working to lower tensions in Lebanese camps With security tensions escalating in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, Hamas and Lebanese officials are discussing ways to avoid the camps being turned into arenas for settling regional scores. Palestine
Erdogan fears fall of Syria's Tell Abyad Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is angry with the joint Kurdish-Arab operation to get the Islamic State out of Tell Abyad. Syria
Senate to wrap up defense bill A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of June 15. Iraq
The Islamic State's scorched earth policy in Kobani Since the Islamic State was defeated in Kobani in January, the group has been setting ablaze the crops of the residents there. Syria
Iran talks may go into overtime Negotiators are focused on the June 30 target for reaching a final Iran nuclear deal, a US official said June 10, but brinksmanship may push Iran talks past the deadline as each side waits to see if the other will make concessions. Iran
Will AKP's loss benefit Israel? Many in Israel reveled over the AKP's loss in the parliamentarian elections, but their defeat might actually harm the normalization process between the two countries. Israel
UN envoy Mladenov: Absence of political process 'dangerous' In an interview with Al-Monitor, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov stressed the UN's commitment to supporting peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Palestine
