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
Islamic State rejected Gaza jihadists' offer of allegiance A prominent pro-Islamic State Salafist leader in Gaza says the militant group refused pledges of allegiance from jihadists in Gaza because of disagreements and divisiveness among them. Palestine
Teenage suicide bomber hopes for second chance In an interview with Al-Monitor, Usaid Barho, a teenaged suicide bomber dispatched by the Islamic State, tells of his odyssey from an Aleppo mosque to the gates of a Shiite house of worship in Baghdad wearing an explosive vest. Iraq
PLO factions irked by Abbas’ unilateral decisions Although the decision to join the International Criminal Court has been welcomed by all in the PLO, several factions are irritated that President Mahmoud Abbas was not consulting the PLO on such major decisions. Palestine
Russia and the Kurds Russia balances its relationships with various Kurdish groups with its support for the states the Kurds live under. Iraq
Will next Saudi king seize opportunity for change? The successor to King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz needs to make real political reforms, whether pressured by citizens or not. Saudi Arabia
Gaza Salafist leader: 'We are following Islamic State ideology' Only a small number of Salafists from Gaza have traveled to Syria and died fighting for the Islamic State. Palestine
Hezbollah starts 2015 facing setbacks Hezbollah is set to face what could be an eventful year, after it has had a number of significant setbacks over the last few weeks. Lebanon
Bombs, shells mark Aleppo’s new year There were no signs of New Year's Eve celebrations in Aleppo’s rebel-held areas, as locals expressed their desire for the war to end. Syria
Islamic State book burnings target minorities The Islamic State has imposed strict conditions for books entering Iraq by land, confiscating all those related to Christianity and slowly destroying cultural pluralism in Iraqi society. Iraq
Jordan to arm Sunni tribes in Iraq, Syria Jordan is concerned airstrikes alone will not defeat the Islamic State threat, and is considering arming Sunni tribes in Iraq and Syria to prevent the jihadists from reaching its borders. Iraq
Netanyahu’s threats won’t sway Abbas The Israeli prime minister’s angry response to the Palestinian decision to sign the Rome Statute, including withholding Palestinian tax revenue, is unlikely to deter President Mahmoud Abbas from persisting with his plan for greater recognition of Palestine. Palestine
Iraqi youths embrace religious traditions In the historic towns of Babil and Karbala, religion has come to determine every aspect of social life. Iraq
