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
Why Iran moved to unify dual exchange rates Iran’s government was left with no choice but to resort to unifying the official and open market currency exchange rates to tame the rial's slide during a currency crisis, which has spurred some positive efforts. Iran
Religious disputes escalate over upcoming Iraqi elections Religious leaders in Iraq are calling on voters to exercise caution in the upcoming elections and avoid casting votes for corrupt politicians. Iraq
Why are Turkey’s gold reserves on the rise? The Turkish central bank’s gold reserves have reached an unprecedented level of more than $25 billion under a strategy shift driven by a combination of financial strains and risks stemming from tensions with the United States. Turkey
Wafd Party elections raise issue of female empowerment in Egypt While five candidates contended for the leadership of the Wafd Party, none of them were women, which raised several questions about the future of women in Egyptian partisan life. Egypt
Egyptian mosque bill could pit government against top religious body The Egyptian government presented a draft bill to parliament to change the conditions of the use of endowments, which raised the ire of Al-Azhar. Egypt
Israel, Palestinians return to conflicting narratives While Israel celebrates its 70th birthday, the Palestinians mark 70 years of despair. Palestine
Strikes on Syria look more like practice than punishment Moscow and Washington are putting the best possible spin on the results of airstrikes on Syria, each seeking to be seen as the victor. Syria
Is AKP victory inevitable in upcoming Turkish polls? Conventional wisdom has it that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party will emerge victorious from snap elections called for June, but a closer look at the current situation in Turkey casts doubt on such certainty. Turkey
How an anti-waste challenge went viral in Iran A campaign to get ordinary people involved in devising solutions to Iran's growing waste problem has gone viral. Iran
Trouble brews as militants amass on Turkey's border With evacuations from eastern Ghouta, the number of jihadis in Syrian territories controlled by Turkey has doubled, yet Turkey appears to be nonchalant regarding this threat. Syria
Scientist's departure from Iran blow to Rouhani policies The departure of Iranian scientist Kaveh Madani has served as a reminder that certain organizations in Iran will continue to counter Rouhani’s policies of reversing Iran’s brain drain. Iran
Officials say long-isolated Hebron areas could see revival The Palestinian Civil Affairs Committee recently worked out a deal with Israel to open some shops in a Hebron area that's been closed off for almost two decades, but some Palestinians view the move as a mere publicity stunt that will do little to help revive the area, which used to be a bustling commercial center. Palestine
