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
Has China gained an edge on the US in the Gulf? China has upped the ante, but the United States holds the winning hand; Oman weighs risks and benefits of Gulf bailout; will migrant workers return to GCC? Legacy: Gulf
Turkish court hears case to convert Hagia Sophia into mosque Long a subject of political discourse in Turkey, a court will issue a verdict within 15 days on whether Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia, currently a museum, can be converted into a mosque. Turkey
Palestinian Authority to pay civil servants half their monthly wages amid cash crunch Faced with a worsening financial crisis, the Palestinian Authority has slashed the salaries of its public sector employees. Palestine
OPEC continues oil export cuts in June Global oil prices continue to hold up relative to earlier in the year as oil-producing countries in the Middle East struggle economically. Legacy: Gulf
Iran confirms ‘incident’ at nuclear site A third fire has struck Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant in one week. Iran
Complaints of torture on rise in Turkey's Kurdish southeast The Turkish government no longer sees the need to conceal torture, especially of Kurdish women in the southeast of the country. Turkey
Vatican summons Israel, US ambassadors over West Bank annexation The Vatican's secretary of state met with US Ambassador Callista Gingrich and Israeli Ambassador Oren David on Tuesday. Israel
As annexation deadline passes, Jordan feels relieved but remains vigilant Even though the controversial Israeli annexation plan appears to be on hold for now, Jordan is careful not to let down its guard. Jordan
Counter-Terrorism forces take greater role in Iraq Iraq’s US-trained Counter-Terrorism Services have taken on a more prominent role in operations in recent weeks under the new government. Iraq
Ethiopian refugees caught in middle of Nile dam row between Cairo, Addis Ababa Ethiopian refugees in Egypt worry that their situation will decline further due to the Nile dam row between their host and home country. Egypt
Egypt inaugurates iconic Baron Palace amid renewed interest in Heliopolis heritage The exotic Baron Palace, inspired by Hindu architecture, in Cairo’s Heliopolis district was inaugurated after years of renovation works, with the aim to become a new tourist destination. Egypt
Crackdown on Egypt’s front-line health care workers continues Egyptian doctors are outraged by authorities’ handling of medical personnel after a number of doctors were arrested and others were criticized. Egypt
