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
Khamenei draws line on military sites, nuclear scientists Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Iran would not allow inspections into military sites nor allow nuclear scientists to be interrogated. Iran
Khamenei adviser visits Beirut During a visit to Beirut, Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, expressed his country’s appreciation to the achievements of Hezbollah in the Qalamoun area, while stressing that Iran will not interfere in internal Lebanese issues. Lebanon
Former Hamas official speaks out In this interview with Al-Monitor, Ahmed Yousef, former political adviser to deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, weighs in on the negotiations with Israel, the future of a potential reconciliation with Fatah and international relations. Palestine
Attacks on Syrians in Turkey increasing Increasing numbers of Turks are angered over the social and economic consequence of Turkey hosting some 2 million Syrian refugees. Syria
Baghdadis live with constant threat of violence Amid ravaging terror and repeated security breaches, civilians in Iraq do not feel safe as a customary trip to the coffee shop could cost their lives. Iraq
Israel silent while Hamas digs tunnels Before getting into another round of fighting in Gaza, Israel must use its nonmilitary tools to stop the tunnel digging that Hamas has continued to pursue so vigorously. Palestine
Senior Hezbollah official speaks out In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc in Lebanon discusses the war in Syria and the party’s role there, the Saudi war against Yemen and the presidential stalemate in Lebanon. Yemen
What do attacks on Turkey's pro-Kurdish party mean? Simultaneous bombing attacks against the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party show that Turkey may be heading toward a wild finish in key June 7 parliamentary elections. Turkey
Russia weighs in on Yemen After Russia's shift to soft power in the Middle East, President Vladimir Putin discusses Russia's "need to abandon ‘the law of the strongest’ and ‘rule of the fist.’” Yemen
Israel debates ethics of IDF during Gaza war An NGO report has stirred controversy in Israel over the behavior of IDF soldiers during the Gaza war and the policies of the military forces. Palestine
Are European nations discriminating against Syrian refugees? During a meeting between Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Bassil mentioned that some European countries are selecting Syrian refugees to move from Lebanon to Europe based on educational and religious standards. Lebanon
Tunisia cracks down on radicalization The Tunisian government is taking a number of steps to prevent radicalization and to counter religious extremism in the country. Tunisia
