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
UN project hopes to preserve Iraq’s marshlands A new UN-funded cultural project has been launched in the Ahwar of Southern Iraq to save the inhabitants of the marshlands from poverty. Iraq
Turkey on course to strategic partnership with Ukraine Turkey’s thriving collaboration with Ukraine in key defense industry projects seems to be edging toward a strategic partnership that could challenge Russia’s standing in the Black Sea region. Turkey
Misfiring trade policies could lead Iran to deeper trade deficit Iran is working to develop non-oil exports in the face of US sanctions, but the country's trade policies are in dire need of reform before real progress will be feasible. United States
Some Syrians prefer Idlib over areas under control of Turkish-backed armed groups While security chaos is deemed limited in Idlib, areas under the control of Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army factions are suffering from poor security conditions amid frequent assassinations and bombings targeting civilians and military personnel. Syria
Egypt promotes birth control to slow population growth The Egyptian government is launching a series of projects and campaigns to raise awareness about the country’s growing population and the negative impact it has on available resources. Egypt
Defying COVID 19-induced crisis, Israelis launch food takeaway services from home On the backdrop of the coronavirus crisis and growing unemployment rate, some Israelis have decided to start takeaway and cooking services straight from their home kitchens. Israel
First UAE delegation visits Israel amid Palestinian opposition Palestinians continue to oppose the UAE's normalization with Israel, as UAE and Israeli officials sign agreement on visa-free travel in Tel Aviv today. United Arab Emirates
Berkshire Hathaway to pay $4.1 million over alleged Iran sanctions violations The US Treasury Department says one of Berkshire's Turkish subsidiaries shipped goods that it knew would be resold to Iran. Turkey
Iraq invites international bidders to Mansuriya gas field As Baghdad feels added strain from OPEC+ production cuts and continuing economic woes, the country invites international energy companies to compete for oil and gas development. Iraq
Kuwait’s new emir urges national unity in run-up to elections Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah told lawmakers he would follow in the footsteps of the late emir. Kuwait
US rejects Russian proposal at UN on new Gulf security mechanism The US ambassador to the UN said the endeavor would not work until Iran meets its international obligations. Originals
Turkish forces withdraw from largest base in northeast Syria Ankara has begun pulling back forces and equipment from an observation post long surrounded by regime forces in Syria’s northeast Idlib province. Syria
