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
Congress rebukes Lebanon over Syrian refugee transfers Congress is asking the State Department to weigh in on Lebanon’s dispute with the UN refugee agency as it seeks to repatriate thousands of Syrian refugees. Lebanon
How Trump is uniting Rouhani and Iran's Revolutionary Guards In a dramatic move, Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani has publicly praised Iranian President Hassan Rouhani over his toughened rhetoric against the United States and Israel. United States
Iranians outraged by Instagram dancer's forced confession In solidarity with arrested Instagram dancer Maedeh Hojabri, Iranians have begun to post their own videos dancing online. Iran
Why many Iraqi Kurds keep tradition of cockfighting alive Cockfighting in Iraq still provides many men with a nightly escape despite the efforts of animal welfare activists to ban blood sports. Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan's Movement for Change faces rebellion from within The Gorran movement is facing accusations of nepotism, as the two sons of the movement’s founder have gained ownership of its financial assets. Iraq
Syrian truce relieves pressure on Jordan's border Jordan pressured Syrian rebels to cede control of the southern province of Daraa and the strategic Nassib border crossing to Syria. Jordan
Egypt to build $11 billion petrochemical complex As Egypt invests in refining crude oil at home, domestic fuel prices continue to rise. Egypt
Can dry hotels boost Tunisia's ailing tourism sector? In 2014, Tunisia had only one alcohol-free hotel. Now, as their number rises, the government is less than pleased. Tunisia
Egyptian banks to forgive interest on certain loans The Central Bank of Egypt is willing to overlook the interest on some customers' loans to recover principal that otherwise might not be repaid. Egypt
UNESCO recognizes ancient Stone Age temple in Turkey Southeastern Turkey's epic ruins of Gobeklitepe, possibly the world's first temple, has finally made it to UNESCO'S World Heritage List. Turkey
Can Russia deliver on Trump’s hope of ousting Iran from Syria? In the run-up to the Putin-Trump summit, Russia weighs a possible deal with the United States on Syria, but can it deliver on Washington's vision of an Iran-free Syria? Syria
Rouhani goes on offense against critics, shady interests and ‘culture of opacity’ Iranian president presses ahead with anti-corruption agenda in response to political dissent and widening protests. United States
