The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
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
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Iran looms large as Congress casts Yemen war vote The Senate voted on US support for the Saudi-led war against the Houthis for the first time since the war began three years ago. Saudi Arabia
Blindsided Bahrain lobbies against Trump tariffs The major aluminum exporter and US Navy host has been blindsided by President Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on aluminum. Bahrain
Iran, Saudi Arabia in war of words over allegations of aiding al-Qaeda Iranian officials have once again strongly dismissed Saudi charges that Tehran is aiding al-Qaeda. Saudi Arabia
Virtual farming game cheats Turks out of real property Turkish prosecutors have opened an investigation into a young man being accused of using a Ponzi scheme to bilk around 80,000 Turks out of millions of dollars. Turkey
Why drought is a national security issue in Iran Mismanagement of water resources combined with climate change threaten the futures of coming generations of Iranians. Iran
Turkey demands 'respect' after taking Syria’s Afrin from Kurdish militia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the United States to support its NATO partner as it prepares to expand military operations against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units. Syria
Turkey rolls into Afrin, apparently on way to Manbij The city of Afrin, Syria, unexpectedly fell after Kurdish fighters surprisingly retreated, leaving the world watching for Ankara's next move. Syria
The story behind Israel's secret strike on Syria's nuclear reactor Israel for the first time acknowledges how nearly a decade ago it located and destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor built with the assistance of North Korea. Israel
Syria situation still complex as negotiations go on — and on Despite negotiations in Geneva and Egypt, and eight rounds of peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Syrian war entered its eighth year this month. Syria
Erdogan impatient to charge ahead in Syria as Ankara sizes up Pompeo The US president's choice for his new secretary of state comes at an inconvenient time for Erdogan’s plans to capitalize on Turkey’s victory over the US-allied Syrian Kurdish militia in Afrin. Syria
Can festivals revive tourism in Egypt's top Red Sea resort? In an effort to attract tourists, Sharm el-Sheikh turns to international film and theater festivals, but the jury is still out on whether these will positively impact the local economy. Egypt
Young Tunisians have high hopes for May's municipal elections Tunisians are looking forward to the first municipal elections since 2011 amid expectations that independents and young people will achieve major results. Tunisia
