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’s parliament speaker throws weight behind Rouhani Iran’s powerful parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has thrown his weight behind Hassan Rouhani, supporting him in the upcoming May 19 presidential elections. United States
Has Rouhani achieved his goals for Iranian economy? With his first term coming to an end in the next few months, it is time to assess President Hassan Rouhani’s management of the Iranian economy. Iran
Erdogan slams Dutch over Srebrenica as diplomatic row intensifies The diplomatic crisis between Turkey and the Netherlands shows no signs of letting up, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatening the Netherlands with sanctions and reporting it to the European Court of Human Rights. Turkey
Whose ears burn most when Russia, Israel meet? Moscow has been hosting an array of dignitaries recently, leaving observers to speculate on the possible topics of conversation. Israel
Celebrating garbage the Egyptian way The Garbage Festival teaches Egyptians the value of eco-friendly living and serving society through recycling. Egypt
The limits to Ankara’s reliance on Moscow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Moscow visit last week enabled Ankara to show Europe it has alternatives, but thorns continue to exist in the side of Turkish-Russian ties. Turkey
How conflict with the West empowers Erdogan How did the West so firmly become the main enemy for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his supporters? Turkey
Who will Abbas meet first: Putin or Trump? In his expected meeting with US President Donald Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will try to convey the image of a peace-seeking and open-minded leader, contrary to the image depicted to Trump by Israel. Palestine
Probe blames corruption for imports of bad food, medicine in Iraq Iraqi politicians rebuke regulatory and health authorities as spoiled food and expired medications are discovered. Iraq
Will new regulations deal a blow to Palestine’s local tobacco industry? The Palestinian government approved a plan to regulate the local tobacco industry to increase tax revenue and end the chaos plaguing the market. Palestine
Is Egypt's new bankruptcy bill enough to lure back investors? The Egyptian government submitted to the parliament a new legislation to regulate cases of bankruptcy to ensure a safe exit for struggling investors in a bid to improve the business environment amid a lingering economic crisis. Egypt
What will Hamas charter change mean for Israel? Israeli experts disagree on whether expected amendments to Hamas' charter will significantly change the movement’s attitude toward Israel and whether it is wise to open a direct dialogue with the movement. Palestine
