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
Shiite militias prepare for education 'revolution' in Iraq Shiite militias within Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) are attempting to establish separate PMU universities, which some see as an attempt to bring Iranian influence to Iraq. Iraq
What did Tillerson’s Russia trip achieve? US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t reach any groundbreaking pacts during Tillerson's visit to Moscow, but they agreed to keep trying. Syria
Israeli startups push crowdfunding as investment in Israel New funding platforms for Israeli startup companies are making it easier for Jews around the world to invest in the future of Israel. Israel
Latest polls put 'yes' camp ahead in Turkey’s referendum Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems closer than ever to his dream of an executive presidency as the newest polls give him a slight edge. Turkey
Divided Turkey heads for historic referendum Using underhanded tactics, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is campaigning to become Turkey’s sole and unencumbered leader as his supporters say this will make Turkey soar as an economic and political power. Turkey
Israeli Arabs divided over Assad The Israeli Arab Joint List party didn’t straightforwardly condemn the gas attack in Idlib, thus provoking the ire of many Israeli-Arab citizens. Israel
How Iran-Israel conflict has played out beyond political realm The tension between Iran and Israel has frequently extended to the cultural and sports sphere, with the only Iranian Oscar winner and other prominent Iranians finding themselves in the spotlight over exchanges with Israelis. Iran
Iranian government confronts Telegram as election approaches Iranian authorities are scrambling to gain control of the messaging app Telegram ahead of the presidential elections, blocking channels by the thousands only to see new ones take their place. Iran
How Egyptian cleaning service seeks to protect migrant workers The Egyptian startup MerMaid has digitized home cleaning and is working to ensure that migrant and refugee maids are not mistreated. Egypt
Sinai festival tackles Egyptian issues through theater The second annual Sharm el-Sheikh International Festival for Youth featured theater performances covering topical issues in Egypt such as illegal immigration, the Islamic State, terrorism and war. Egypt
At US competition, Iranian law students 'surprised' by reception With the visa ban on hold, a moot court competition brought seven Iranian law students to Washington to debate topical issues, sharpen their skills and meet real Americans. United States
So many Iraqi airports, so few planes Iraq doesn't need more airports, but that's not stopping local governments from trying to build them. Iraq
