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
Mental health a concern for displaced Iraqis Humanitarian organizations and residents of Babil have been providing material assistance to displaced persons from Kirkuk, but many of the displaced continue to suffer from psychological trauma. Iraq
Kurdish security chief: Turkey must end support for jihadists The head of the Syrian Kurdish security police forces, Ciwan Ibrahim, tells Al-Monitor that they are willing to cooperate with Turkey if it halts its support for jihadist groups. Iraq
Hamas pressured to accept Egypt’s cease-fire demand The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was announced after heated exchanges between the Egyptian and Hamas delegations during negotiations in Cairo, where Hamas reluctantly accepted Egypt’s demand for a cease-fire without preconditions. Palestine
Turkey wakes up to Islamic State threat An inflammatory sermon in Istanbul has made Turkey realize that the Islamic State has become a serious threat to its internal security and stability. Iraq
8 months in, clashes in Anbar continue Houses and shops have been completely destroyed in Anbar as a result of the clashes between the Iraqi army and members of armed factions. Iraq
Israel fears terror spillover from Gaza to West Bank The growing economic crisis in the West Bank coupled with Hamas assaults on Israel and the destruction in Gaza risk provoking more terror attacks in the West Bank. Palestine
Tunisia's president asks US for help Visiting Washington to attend US President Barack Obama’s Africa summit, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki said that Tunisia “feels the burden” of being the last potential success story from the Arab Spring. Tunisia
Syrian Alawites horrified by rising death toll Most Alawites remain steadfast in their support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but many are quietly horrified at the high number of Alawite men dying in combat. Syria
Israeli defense minister rejected demands to retake Gaza The pragmatic line advocated by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on the Gaza incursion has earned him the esteem of many in the general Israeli public but might have cost him the support of the far right. Israel
Did an Israeli drone strike militants in Egypt? Eyewitnesses say an Israeli drone struck Egyptian militants in the Sinai Peninsula on July 23, despite Egypt’s official assertions that it was responsible for the strike. Egypt
Israel’s agreement on Gaza must come from Abbas Four conditions are indispensable to ending Gaza's agony that, if met, will make it “obvious that Hamas’ way of terror brought nothing but devastation” and the way of Ramallah, negotiation and not violence “is the way for the Palestinian people to achieve its rights.” Palestine
Gaza war stifles democracy in Israel The current Israel-Hamas conflict has generated an aggressive political patriotic discourse in Israel that has taken a heavy toll on Israeli democracy, in which those who dare to oppose the operation are expected to keep silent. Palestine
