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
How Tunisia's impoverished southeast remained COVID-19 free While the isolation and lack of resources may have played a part in keeping cases of the coronavirus from appearing, they've also kept the region's economy in a state of crisis. Originals
Iran probes another blast at industrial complex The explosion is the latest in a series of explosions at facilities across Iran. Iran
Saudi Arabia announces steep fines for hajj trespassers Fines of 10,000 riyals will be issued to anyone entering the holy sites without a permit. Saudi Arabia
Amnesty loses battle against Israeli spy-technology company The Tel Aviv court ruled that Amnesty International failed to present sufficient evidence in its claim against spy-technology company NSO. Israel
US threatens sanctions in bid to restore oil sharing in Libya The US government raised the specter of sanctions on unspecified parties involved in Libya’s civil war yesterday after Libya’s oil authority accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of obstructing efforts to restore petroleum revenue sharing between the country’s warring sides. Libya
Report: Energy producers in Middle East to earn billions less in oil revenues The International Monetary Fund's prediction that was reported by The Associated Press is the latest negative outlook for Middle Eastern economies. Originals
Israeli protesters clash with police outside Netanyahu's residence Protest organizers said six people were injured in the clashes Monday morning. Israel
It's not safe to insult Erdogan, even from Lebanon Ankara has successfully pressured Beirut into prosecuting a Lebanese talk show host for criticizing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his own country. Lebanon
Iranian officials defend deal with China Iranian officials say they are still working out the details of the Iran-China agreement but defended the agreement on principle. Iran
Turkish border province has created the country's largest potter's field to bury refugees A string of deadly incidents involving migrants has shaken Turkey’s eastern province of Van, which borders Iran and lies on a major route of human trafficking to Europe. Turkey
UN Security Council vote leaves one crossing open between Turkey, Syria The decision has closed another border point after weeks of disagreement between Russia and other member states. Syria
Bahrain upholds death sentences despite torture claims Pro-democracy activists Mohammed Ramadhan and Husain Moosa face imminent execution. Bahrain
