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
Israeli Jewish, Arab authors collaborate on bilingual book The ''two languages'' project, including a website and an anthology that was just published, was born out of the mutual curiosity of Jewish and Arab writers and editors about each other's literary scene, so unknown to either side. Palestine
Jerusalem's 'silent intifada' Following the latest Jerusalem terror attack in which a baby girl was killed, calls were being heard in Israel to quickly suppress the "silent intifada," even though one incident on Temple Mount might explode the region. Palestine
Concerns rise in Lebanon as another soldier defects A handful of soldiers have defected from the Lebanese army to join Jabhat al-Nusra, which has caused concern among the Lebanese that it might become a trend. Lebanon
Iranian-Turkish relations strained over Syrian agendas Turkey's desired outcome in Syria would result in massively scaling back Iran's influence in the region, with Tehran losing its ally in Damascus, Hezbollah confined to Lebanon and Iraq threatened. Iraq
Turkish navy sails through rough seas Turkey is using its navy to display its global prowess, after the Sledgehammer trials saw many naval officers detained and forcibly retired. Turkey
Iran, Saudi Arabia jockey for power in Yemen Yemen has become a stage for the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia on religious, economic, political and military levels. Saudi Arabia
The Islamic State's media warfare The Islamic State’s strategy of warfare in Syria and Iraq seems to be based on ways to disseminate their ideas, mainly through online media. Iraq
Khamenei preaches Shiite-Sunni unity against Islamic State, US Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's Eid al-Ghadeer speech revealed his concern that the coalition against the Islamic State might give Sunnis and the United States the upper hand in the region. Legacy: Gulf
What will happen after Sanaa's fall? Many scenarios explain the fall of Sanaa to the hands of Houthis and the period that will follow in Yemen. Yemen
UN envoy meets with Hezbollah to discuss Syria Staffan de Mistura is the first UN special representative to the Syrian conflict to meet with Hezbollah officials to get the organization's assessment of the Syrian crisis. Lebanon
IS imposes new rules on education in Syria, Iraq The Islamic State is leading a cultural revolution in Iraq and Syria, issuing new regulations to bring the educational system in line with Sharia and its Salafist ideology. Iraq
Gazans at risk as winter looms Much of Gaza's water, power and sanitation infrastructure was damaged in the recent conflict, and repairs are taking time, which has left Gazans looking for alternatives to get through what could be a long, cold winter. Palestine
