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
After Iran deal exit, average Iranians worried about the future Uncertainty in the aftermath of the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is fueling pessimism about the future among ordinary Iranians. Iran
With few options remaining, Mosul votes for Abadi's coalition In a surprising shift, the people of Sunni-majority Mosul voted for the Shiite-led Nasr Coalition headed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Iraq
Women fill leading roles in Egypt’s Ramadan TV series Egyptian cinema was considered a pioneer in featuring strong female characters 50 years ago; is this trend making a comeback in Ramadan TV series now? Egypt
Turkey’s de-escalation efforts around Idlib come with risks Turkey has erected its final observation post in the Idlib region, but many unknowns and potential hazards remain. Syria
Tunisian women win at polls but long road remains Although a significant number of women won in the May 6 municipal elections in Tunisia, female politicians still have a long way to go to make it to the presidency. Tunisia
After calls to change the Quran, Turkey moves to ban all things French President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s anger over a French manifesto on changing the Quran failed to generate outrage among the Turkish public, but did result in decisions on education policy harmful to Turkish students. Turkey
Fatah accuses Hamas of manipulating border crossings Since Palestinian protesters set the Kerem Shalom border crossing on fire, there's been speculation that Hamas is trying to replace that Israeli-controlled passage with the Rafah crossing in Egypt. Palestine
Egyptian director's debut film honored at Cannes The touching low-budget Egyptian film "Yomeddine" took the Francois Chalais Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Egypt
The growing power of Tunisia's labor union As the Tunisian General Labor Union works to achieve the demands of Tunisian employees, it faces accusations of overpowering the government. Tunisia
Can YouTube series compete with Egypt TV dramas during Ramadan? A group of Egyptian actors known for their award-winning play "1980 and Above" try their hand at a Ramadan series on YouTube. Egypt
What did Putin mean by withdrawing 'foreign armed forces' from Syria? Netanyahu leaves his troubles behind. Israel
Nuclear weapons treaty exit on table as Iran gauges EU action on deal Prior to the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran had hinted that it may leave the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in response. That threat now seems closer to becoming a reality. Iran
