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
How Iranian conservatives seized Assembly of Experts chairmanship All of the moderates' calculations were correct ahead of the vote for the chairmanship of Iran’s Assembly of Experts — but they didn't account for one important factor: conservative mobilization. Iran
Can a Cairo conference launch regional peace talks? While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are discussing a Cairo regional conference, experts are presenting a security plan, based on the one elaborated by Gen. John Allen. Palestine
US election 2016: Trump, Clinton now running neck and neck Here's what happened on the campaign trail the week of May 23. Congress
Did Iran’s president sideline his own brother? Iranian media are speculating as to why Hossein Fereydoun, brother and special adviser to President Hassan Rouhani, has not attended Cabinet meetings for two months. Iran
Egypt's endangered journalists help foster next generation Cub reporters in Egypt are learning how to cover news the mainstream media often ignores, as the youngsters discover their own potential. Egypt
Iranians in uproar over executive pay at state-owned company Leaks of executive pay at Iran’s main state-owned insurance company spark a public backlash, with a hint of what President Hassan Rouhani may face as the country enters election season yet again. Iran
Can raw meat dish rescue Turkey from export slump? By aggressively marketing raw “meat” ball appetizers to Europe and China, Turkey hopes to find new sources of foreign currency. Turkey
What's in store for Lebanon's nascent oil, gas sector? There is a new twist in the debate about Lebanon's best strategy for developing its offshore oil and gas resources. Lebanon
Switzerland gets active on Palestinian reconciliation After the Swiss Paper in 2014, Switzerland gets active on the Palestinian reconciliation in an attempt to solve some of the outstanding issues between Fatah and Hamas, most notably the issue of Gaza’s employees. Palestine
Saudi Arabia's post-oil plan enters slippery slope Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan, which foresees a post-oil economy for the kingdom, contains many contradictions. Saudi Arabia
Is Saudi Arabia bringing sexy back? The Saudi government's recent decision to open entertainment venues to promote internal tourism is drawing some solid applause, but critics say there are more pressing domestic issues to resolve. Saudi Arabia
Is this the last nail in coffin of women, minors' rights in Turkey? An AKP-led parliamentary commission releases a draft report on how to protect the sanctity of the family in Turkey by providing controversial suggestions. Turkey
