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
Egypt’s new high-tech border security system in place The Egyptian armed forces completed a high-tech border security system that will boost the Border Guard Forces’ performance and allow better security and response to incidents on the inflamed border. Palestine
Can new Turkish posts calm Idlib? The Turkish army is preparing to build more observation posts in Syria’s Idlib, where a fragile cease-fire is violated daily. Syria
Rich Ottoman recipes grace Istanbul tables A restaurant in Istanbul's historical district of Fatih has revived 500-year-old Ottoman recipes, including a special goose dish that help develop lasting relationships with regional farmers. Turkey
Palestine launches its first agricultural cluster The Palestinian government decided to allow investors to use Palestinian endowment lands in the West Bank for new agricultural projects that contribute to the advancement of the Palestinian economy and to protect them from Israeli expropriation. Palestine
Netanyahu tries to bring 'Iran threat' home to Russia In the last four years Sochi has become a key Russian decision-making center on issues related to the Middle East; Netanyahu has now come there to have a say. Israel
Tunisians get wide variety of choices in presidential election Tunisia just saw its first presidential debates, and 26 candidates are vying in the Sept. 15 election to succeed Beiji Caid Essebsi, who died July 25 at the age of 92. Tunisia
Congress inches closer to pulling US out of Yemen war Congress is looking to must-pass spending bills to force President Donald Trump’s hand on Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Zarif's 12-nation tour highlights an active Iranian diplomacy Despite the US sanctions imposed on him, Iran's foreign minister was not hindered in his whirlwind diplomatic tour of Europe and Asia. Kuwait
Turkey eyes amphibious jets after forest fire fiasco Following Ankara's embarrassing failure to control forest fires this summer, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears to be negotiating to purchase Russian firefighting planes. Turkey
Israeli parties, election committee bracing against cyber attacks Israel's Central Election Committee has been meeting with Facebook and other social media executives to prepare as much as possible against last-minute cyber attacks and fake news as election day approaches. Israel
Turkey slashes interest rates to kickstart economy Turkey's central bank has cuts interest rates more than expected after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised that the measure would reduce inflation and ease Turks' pain. Turkey
Iran in no hurry to allow women into stadiums after 'Blue Girl' death The suicide of an Iranian soccer fan has reignited the issue of allowing women into Iran's stadiums, but the administration is unlikely to work toward a solution anytime soon. Iran
