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
Saudi renews bombing of Yemen's capital following Houthi attacks The Biden administration's push to end the war has been stalled by a recent escalation. Saudi Arabia
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it thwarted plane hijacking The perpetrator attempted to land the plane in a Gulf country, Iranian media reported the corps as saying. Many details surrounding the incident are unknown. Iran
At least 10 fuel porters, protesters killed in Iran's southeast: UN Last month, Iranian security forces reportedly fired on group of people transporting fuel across the Iranian border with Pakistan. Iran
US Embassy in Baghdad warns of attacks from 'Iran-supported groups' in Iraq The announcement follows several attacks on the US military in the country as well as retaliatory strikes on Iraqi militias by the United States. Iraq
Online ‘auctions’ of Yazidi captives speak of ongoing Islamic State activity in Turkey The rescue of a 7-year-old Yazidi captive in Ankara raises questions about how hard Turkey is trying to tackle Islamic State militants in the country. Iraq
Iran to present 'concrete plan of action' for nuclear talks, Zarif says Iran's foreign minister shot down comments by a senior politician who said Tehran would negotiate if the United States promises sanctions relief within a year. United States
Saudi-led coalition downs 6 armed drones launched by Houthis The spate of attacks comes a day after the Houthis claimed a missile attack on a Saudi oil facility in Jeddah. Saudi Arabia
Belgian children and some women to be repatriated from IS camp in Syria. The Belgian prime minister said the children in the notorious al-Hol camp could become “the terrorists of tomorrow.” Women will be repatriated on a case-by-case basis. Syria
Freedom House: Syria, Western Sahara worst in world for political rights The think tank also downgraded Jordan to "not free" in its 2021 democracy rankings. Jordan
Report says US officials met with Yemen’s Houthis in bid to end war Timothy Lenderking sat down with the Houthis' lead negotiator late last month. Saudi Arabia
Israeli ship sailing again following explosion MV Helios Ray was off the coast of Oman on Wednesday. Israel blamed last week's explosion aboard the ship on Iran, which Iran denied. Israel
Arab-Israelis accuse police of brutality against demonstrators Demonstrations in the Arab-Israeli town of Umm al-Fahm spun out of control, and accusations of excessive force by the police have reached the Knesset. Israel
