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
Yemen’s warring parties urged to reveal whereabouts of detainees A group of eight human rights organizations called on Yemen's rival factions to urgently release all of their arbitrarily detained prisoners. Yemen
Intel: Syrian Kurds court Moscow to avert potential Turkish attack The Istanbul-based leader of Syria’s opposition interim government has denounced an agreement reached in Moscow over the weekend between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Council and the pro-Russia Popular Will Party. Syria
Speculation grows over Larijani nomination for Iran presidency Iran’s former parliament speaker Ali Larijani is hoping for wide support in his bid for the presidency. Iran
Netanyahu calls opening of Saudi skies 'huge breakthrough’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi hailed Saudi Arabia's decision to open its airspace to "all countries" following the UAE-Israel deal. Saudi Arabia
Owners of Iranian fuel seized by US raise challenge in court The US Justice Department says the companies challenging the fuel seizure are fronts for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran
Botched restoration makes Turkish antiquities into punchlines Experts accuse the Turkish government of hiring inexperienced construction companies to restore precious historical monuments, and the results have been predictable. Turkey
Amnesty International accuses Iran of using torture to extract confessions after 2019 protests Some 7,000 people were arrested by Iranian authorities, including children as young as 10, the rights group reported. Iran
What is Turkey’s role in Tripoli political tremor? The power struggle inside the Tripoli government is drawing Turkey into a political brouhaha with unpredictable consequences. Turkey
Lebanese ask 'Should I stay or should I go' under pressures to rebuild The pressures to rebuild Lebanon, to endure harsh working and living conditions and the fear of another tragedy add an inconceivable burden to people trying to make it in industries fraught with their own challenges. Lebanon
Palestinian governor of Jerusalem boxed in by Israeli authorities Since assuming his post, Palestinian Governor of Jerusalem Adnan Ghaith has been subjected to a harassment campaign by the Israeli authorities who have restricted his movement within the city. Palestine
Iraqi Jews want to regain their citizenship As the region witnesses a wave of normalization with Israel, Iraqi Jews demand restoration of their citizenship. Iraq
Niger's envoy reaffirms rejection of Iran snapback sanctions as UN Security Council president The African state's UN ambassador, who is chairing the Security Council for September, said the United States cannot trigger the return of UN sanctions on Iran. United States
