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
Assassinations, chaos cripple Yemen's Aden Yemen's temporary capital Aden has turned into a scene of bloody operations against government, security and military officials. Yemen
Former Israeli minister calls removal of Iran sanctions a 'black day' Former Minister Ephraim Sneh argues that the US administration was so keen to sign the nuclear deal that it ignored Iran's true nature and global aspirations. Israel
Obama, Rouhani hail diplomacy as Americans fly home President Barack Obama heralds his administration’s multichannel diplomacy with Iran for freeing detained Americans and implementing the nuclear deal and says there is an "opportunity" to pursue a new path with Iran. Iran
Ankara's colorful mayor declares US ambassador persona non grata The US ambassador’s comments on respecting freedom of speech are challenged by Ankara's mayor — a shrewd social media expert — but not by the government. Turkey
Fed-up Iranian women organize to take more seats in parliament Only 3% of incumbent Iranian members of parliament are female, but Iranian women are campaigning to drastically change the parliament's huge gender imbalance through the ballot box. Iran
Syrian endgame could begin with Aleppo Aleppo could begin healing in Syria; Syrian armed group backed by US allies seeks caliphate; FSA leader says US “moving toward being a partner in crime” in Syria; Hagel says US Syria policy was paralyzed over "Assad must go." Syria
Iran frees five Americans as nuclear deal goes into effect Iran has released five American prisoners including Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, in an apparent swap with Iranians jailed in the United States for sanctions violations. Iran
Will US retaliate against Iran for detaining sailors? The Obama administration has repeatedly challenged Iranian restrictions on freedom of navigation. Will that continue after the nuclear deal? Iran
Why Sudan wants to stop the 'spread of Shiism' In the past year, Sudan has joined the Saudi-led war in Yemen, shut down Iranian centers and finally cut diplomatic relations with Iran, but has Khartoum really turned pro-Saudi — or just anti-Shiite? Saudi Arabia
Facing oil slump, Iran moves to tax its way out of crisis Faced with plummeting oil revenues, the Iranian government is taking measures to make up the smaller amount of petrodollars coming in with increased tax revenue. Iran
Popular Turkish TV host attacked for supporting Diyarbakir teacher In an illustration of Turkey's increasing polarization amid ongoing clashes in the southeast, Turks are split over whether popular media personality Beyaz spread "terrorist propaganda" by encouraging applause for a concerned caller from Diyarbakir. Turkey
Incest fatwa lands Turkish religious directorate in hot water Turks expressed their outrage at a response by the Religious Affairs Directorate to a question involving incest. Turkey
