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
Flurry of IS attacks divert Iraqi army's attention The Islamic State is taking advantage of the fact that the Iraqi army, the peshmerga and tribes are unable to establish a unified command against it by opening several fronts. Iraq
Israeli violations of truce keep Gazans on edge The Palestinian Center for Human Rights reports that violations of the truce continue, with Israeli forces still firing across the border, hitting civilians and houses and making the entire area unlivable. Palestine
Kurdish peshmerga, IS reach stalemate The Kurdish peshmerga forces stationed in Mula Abdula are just a few meters away from the Islamic State militants subject to the international coalition’s airstrikes. Iraq
Congress starts to question UN arms embargo on Libya The shift follows a heavy push by Egypt and Jordan after the Islamic State beheading of Coptic Christians. Egypt
Why Lebanon skipped anti-terror meeting in Washington Lebanon decided not to attend the international summit on counterterrorism in Washington when certain Lebanese parties, such as Hezbollah, balked at cooperating with Israel, among other issues. Lebanon
Questions remain over Turkey's training of Syrian opposition Many argue that Ankara’s prime motive in signing the accord is to improve strained ties with Washington. Syria
US experts converge on breakout formula for Iran talks There isn’t much daylight between the Barack Obama administration’s breakout estimates for Iran and that of David Albright, a so-called gatekeeper who is influential on nuclear issues within the expert community and on Capitol Hill. Iran
Syrian regime, allies lose decisive battles in Aleppo The regime and its allies have suffered heavy losses in an offensive against the opposition’s largest stronghold in the northern countryside of Aleppo. Lebanon
Liberman, Yadlin: speech won't stop Iranian nuke Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Zionist Camp's Gen. Amos Yadlin differ on the best reaction to current negotiations with Iran, but both agree that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech in the US Congress is not the way to go. Israel
Traffic snarls, violence accompany Iraqi motorcades The Iraqi prime minister has taken steps to confront the ministerial and official convoys that often act as though they are above the law, but the problems the enormous security details cause are unlikely to end. Iraq
What did Libyans gain from the revolution? Four years into the Libyan civil war and the revolution that toppled Moammar Gadhafi’s regime, thousands of Libyans remain displaced in their own country as political, social and economic problems continue to worsen. Libya
Palestinian girl recounts imprisonment Israel has circumvented international law to classify Palestinian children as minors only up to the age of 16, in clear violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in order to arrest and detain Palestinian youths. Palestine
