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 responds to caricatures with 'I love Muhammad' campaign Iranians have rallied around the hashtag campaign "I love Muhammad" on social media following Charlie Hebdo's printing of another caricature of the Prophet Muhammad. Iran
Egyptian pound's drop part of Central Bank's plan The Central Bank's efforts to reduce the price of the local currency against the dollar are working to undermine the black market, but these measures risk increasing prices. Egypt
Erdogan's Africa tour Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose aspirations for regional leadership have failed, has begun trying to acquire leadership of the Islamic world on his Africa tour. Turkey
Iran names new UN envoy Iran's new choice for UN envoy, Gholamali Khoshroo, has a history of facilitating dialogue between faiths and cultures. Iran
Summit to focus on reducing terror recruitment Some analysts say the use of the term “violent extremists” reflects excessive political correctness and that the US government is not properly organized to prevent young people from joining jihadist groups. Regional
Russia's nuclear diplomacy Russia's continuing negotiations and agreements with countries of the Middle East about nuclear power will continue to be a sore point with the West. Russia
Beirut libraries struggle with funding Beirut's public libraries are trying to draw in new clientele in an age where Lebanese social services are vanishing. Lebanon
Living among the dead in Gaza The Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing has failed to provide housing for Gaza’s families, forcing some to live in cemeteries and beg for money. Palestine
Mosul deteriorates under IS occupation Mosul has become an impoverished, broken city whose residents face great risks when they try to contact their loved ones in other Iraqi cities, fearing their Islamic State occupiers' retaliation. Iraq
Kurdish victory in Kobani defeat for Turkish policy Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressly ruled out the northern Iraq model for Syria's Kurds. Syria
Turkey foreign investment slowdown Dutch entrepreneurs topped the list of foreign investors in Turkey in 2014, as the number of foreign companies exceeded 41,000, despite the insecure climate that has emerged in Turkey in terms of democracy and the rule of law. Turkey
Yazidis ask Israel for help Desperate Yazidis are reaching out to Israel, asking for understanding and assistance, especially in the military domain for their fight against the Islamic State. Iraq
