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
Diyarbakir book fair returns after 4-year hiatus Diyarbakir’s book fair, one of the main cultural events of the region, had been stopped due to security reasons in 2015. Now that it is back, thousands of residents from Diyarbakir and region came to pick up a book or two. Turkey
Consumer prices dropping in Iran as currency regains value Consumer prices are reportedly dropping in Iran after a period of untamed jumps rarely seen in the country's recent history. Iran
Assessing Bahraini-Syrian encounter in New York Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa's meeting with his Syrian counterpart leaves observers questioning its position on the Syrian crisis. Saudi Arabia
How Iran’s quasi-state firms intensify currency crisis The clash between the Rouhani administration and Iranian petrochemical companies over foreign currency earnings is another chapter in the battle between the government and quasi-state actors. Iran
Turkish inflation spooks Erdogan loyalists Inflation has scaled new heights in Turkey, prompting grumbles from even pro-government media commentators. Turkey
How can Turkey survive US sanctions on Iran? At the United Nations, Turkey repeated its intention to ignore US sanctions. How the Erdogan administration will calculate costs and benefits of subverting the US sanctions remains a mystery. Turkey
Desperate Gazans protest against Hamas Desperate Gaza residents are so poor, hungry and desperate that they no longer fear demonstrating against powerful Hamas. Palestine
Netanyahu, defense minister battle discreetly over new IDF chief Facing the upcoming nomination of IDF’s next chief of staff, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might undermine Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman's prerogative and appoint a relatively young and inexperienced candidate. Israel
Egyptian MPs visit Ireland to boost economic ties An Egyptian delegation visited Ireland to boost economic relations between the two countries, while focusing on the exchange of expertise in the field of livestock. Egypt
Turkey steps up ties with Palestinian Authority Turkey and the Palestinian Authority have signed new agreements, indicating Ankara intends to broaden official dealings with the PA, but limit its financial assistance to the Gaza Strip to relief agencies. Palestine
Egypt broadens potential pool of adoptive, foster parents The Egyptian government has passed amendments to the Alternative Family system, facilitating adoption and fostering procedures. Egypt
Cyprus deal to turn Egypt into major gas exporter to Europe Egypt is hoping to rely less on natural gas imports after signing a deal with Cyprus to transport gas from the small Mediterranean island before it is liquefied in Egypt for exporting to European countries. Egypt
