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
Yazidis Benefit From Kurdish Gains In Northeast Syria An exclusive report from Amuda show how Syria's Yazidi community sees an opportunity to revive its identity on the tails of rising Kurdish power in the country's northeast. Syria
Iraq: Tinted Cars and Ghost-like Officials Iraqi officials and influential figures often distance themselves from average citizens, hiding behind tinted car windows and under the protection of extensive security details. Iraq
Israeli-Turkish Ties Sink to New Low The revelation that the head of Turkish Intelligence may have blown the cover of Israeli agents has deepened the crisis in US-Turkey relations. Israel
Iran’s New Nuclear Proposal Iran offers to freeze its 20% enrichment of uranium but still wants to complete a reactor that could yield plutonium, another potential bomb fuel. Iran
Radical Groups Operate On Turkey’s Border Turkey is increasingly identified as a country facilitating radical forces in Syria, and thereby isolated among its allies. Syria
Saudi Arabia Shifts to More Activist Foreign Policy Doctrine The kingdom should give priority to a regional initiative in Syria and a collective security framework for maintaining order in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia
KRG Responds to Article On Terrorist Bombing in Erbil In a letter to the editor, a director in the office of the Kurdistan Regional Government's Representation to the US, Karwan Zebari, responds to Denise Natali's Al-Monitor article "Prison Break, Suicide, Bombing, Rock Iraqi Kurdistan." Iraq
Iraqi Youth Initiative Combats Sectarianism Citizenship Ambassadors aims to bring together youths from Iraq's various religious and ethnic communities and regional affiliations to combat the escalating sectarian conflict in the country. Iraq
Gaza Salafists Killed in Syria Salafist sources in Gaza say dozens of young Palestinian men have gone to Syria to fight with al-Qaeda affiliates against President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Palestine
How Long Will Israel Stay Off the Nuclear Hook? The agreement on Syria's chemical weapons, and prospects for a deal on Iran's nuclear program, will bring even more attention to Israel's not signing either the Non-Proliferation Treaty or the Chemical Weapons Convention. Israel
Could Turkey’s Christians Wear Police Uniforms? A police department statement encouraging Turkey’s non-Muslims to become police officers is positive, but Turkey should still revoke the ancestry registry. Turkey
Assad Is a HeroFor Turkey's Neo-Nationalists For at least 20% of the people in Turkey, Bashar al-Assad is the only hope for toppling Erdogan. Turkey
