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
US, Iran security cooperation could help save Iraq Tehran and Washington must act together to manage the crisis in Iraq before the volatile divide between Shiites and Sunnis becomes an all-out sectarian war and destabilizes the region. Iraq
Israel levels Gaza farms in search of tunnels Israeli airstrikes on seemingly empty tracts are often agricultural lands vital to Gaza’s food production. Palestine
Islamic State moves to capture another Turkish border crossing The Islamic State is attacking Kobani canton, or Ain al-Arab, in an attempt to encircle the Kurdish autonomous region in Syria and capture a third crossing to Turkey. Iraq
Israeli strike hits media vehicle, kills driver A first-hand account of the Israeli airstrike that killed Hamid Shehab, the driver of a media vehicle. Palestine
Turkey faces threat from returning jihadists Having lost the proxy war it waged against Syria, Turkey now faces a potential threat to its own peace and stability by Turkish jihadists returning from Syria. Iraq
Hamas readies for Israeli ground offensive with tunnels, traps Hamas has developed a sophisticated network of tunnels in the Gaza Strip in the event of an Israeli ground invasion. Near East
Fallujah key to defeating Islamic State The residents of Fallujah are not pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi but could be a part of the resistance to IS. Iraq
Lebanon: The summer when everything went wrong Political, constitutional, livelihood and weather problems are happening simultaneously in Lebanon. Iraq
Hamas surprises Israel Western analysts misjudged the actions of a desperate Hamas, which considers honor and face-saving above all, launching an attack against Israel when it has nothing to lose. Palestine
Women, children killed in Gaza as death toll rises Israeli strikes on Gaza have targeted residential homes, killing numerous women and children. Palestine
Gaza hospitals ill-equipped for Israeli onslaught Gaza’s hospitals are lacking essential medicines to deal with the anticipated spike in casualties from Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza. Palestine
Netanyahu under pressure for a large military operation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces demands by his coalition partners for a strong reaction to the Gaza rocket fire, while the international community will surely refrain from backing him on a large-scale military operation. Palestine
