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
Will early elections backfire on Kuwait's government? The Kuwaiti emir's dissolution of parliament could come back to haunt the ruling family. Legacy: Gulf
Female drummers find a beat in Cairo A duo of young Egyptian women are drumming their way across Cairo and hope to spread their art among other aspiring female musicians. Egypt
Russia's Mideast role hot topic in final Clinton-Trump debate The release of Democratic emails to WikiLeaks may have been less about helping a Republican candidate Russians see as unpredictable and more about fending off US interference in Russia's 2018 presidential election. Syria
Mosul adds to staggering world refugee crisis With the highest number of refugees and displaced people since World War II and continued brutal conflicts in Syria, Iraq and beyond forcing millions to flee, humanitarians lament a broken system running from crisis to crisis. Iraq
Syrian mother becomes Marvel’s latest superhero After following the story of one Syrian woman and her five children in Madaya, ABC News teamed up with Marvel Comics to share her story in a free digital comic. Syria
What Turkey's peace activists are learning from Colombia Colombia's success in at least forging a peace agreement with guerrillas, even if it didn't survive a vote, is inspiring both hope and concern among Kurdish peace activists. Turkey
How Ankara plans to repeat Syria success in Iraq Ankara seems to have contingency plans for every situation to make its presence felt in Mosul. Iraq
What Turkish raid on Syrian Kurds means for Ankara-Washington ties Turkey's decision to launch airstrikes on fighters for the Kurdish People's Protection Units in Syria could have a major impact on Washington's efforts to balance relations with Ankara. Syria
Cabinet shakeup rattles Iran Following a week of whispering, three controversial members of the cabinet of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have stepped down. Iran
How Yemen’s war is now threatening international trade The recent attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis and the United States threaten international trade along this route. United Arab Emirates
Will these Palestinian and Israeli leaders achieve peace? A re-entry into politics of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan could bring about pragmatic moves towards a two-state solution. Palestine
How textbooks became latest battleground of Mideast conflict Palestinians feel that Arab official circles are neglecting their cause, as the Israeli narrative is increasingly promoted in schoolbooks. Palestine
