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
Egypt's divorced women demand their fair share of assets While divorced women in Egypt face significant financial difficulties, some have argued that proposed changes to laws violate Islamic law. Egypt
US election 2016: So Hillary Clinton has a cough. Who cares? Here's what happened on the campaign trail the week of Sept. 12. United States
Turkey’s senior citizens get their first university Akdeniz University has launched Turkey’s first academic program for senior citizens as the problem of an ageing population looms large for the country in the coming decades. Turkey
How are Aleppo's residents dealing with truce? Although aid convoys have yet to enter Aleppo as part of the latest US-Russia brokered cease-fire, Syrians are still satisfied with the relative calm following the truce’s implementation. Syria
How post-coup purges depleted Turkey's military New data shows military purges by the Turkish government in the aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt have adversely affected the combat strength of the Turkish Armed Forces. Turkey
Why Iran welcomes US-Russian deal on Syria Despite speculation that Russia's dealings with the United States might be at the expense of Iran, it appears that Tehran has plenty of reasons to welcome Moscow and Washington’s agreement on Syria. Syria
Who will replace sacked Iraqi defense minister? Following the dismissal of Iraq's Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi by the parliament, the Sunni blocs are competing over nominating his successor. Iraq
South Africa renews efforts to help unite Hamas, Fatah Three groups are joining forces in hopes of ending the Palestinian division. Palestine
Is Tunisia heading toward a 'thirst uprising'? Some analysts say the next revolution in Tunisia could be over water, as several areas in the country have been suffering from very low supplies. Tunisia
Why Israelis don't care about electricity agreement with PA Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon was disappointed when Israelis showed little interest in and even expressed disapproval for the groundbreaking electricity agreement signed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Palestine
Gazan personally finances rescue for stray animals A Palestinian citizen has launched the first welfare society in the Gaza Strip for stray dogs and cats, as there is no government funding or official organization for attending to these animals. Palestine
Israeli-Arab MK sticks by statements bashing ailing Peres Talking to Al-Monitor, Arab Knesset member Basel Ghattas explains why he slammed former President Shimon Peres, who is hospitalized and in critical condition. Palestine
