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
Iran chief justice dismisses 60 judges to uproot internal corruption An iron-fisted policy against corruption promoted by Iran's new chief justice, Ebrahim Raisi, has seen 60 judges dismissed within a few weeks. Iran
Iran already turning Iraq into battleground against US The array of recent attacks against US interests in Iraq indicate Iran's proxies are hard at work. Originals
Fears over safety of nuclear plant flare up in Turkey The safety of a controversial nuclear power plant that Turkey is building in collaboration with Russia has fueled fresh worries amid reports of cracks in the foundation of the facility. Turkey
How will S-400 affair affect Turkish-NATO ties? Calls for Turkey to be expelled from NATO or for Turkey to leave NATO are not realistic, say experts. Turkey
Arabs deeply divided on Egypt attending US peace meeting Some observers think Egypt's decision to take part in the Bahrain economic workshop could deal a blow to the Palestinian cause. Bahrain
Can fiction help an anti-death penalty campaign in Iran? A 456-page semi-autobiographical work by prominent Iranian rights activist Emadeddin Baghi aims to turn the public against the death penalty in the country. Iran
Istanbul’s last gramophone repairman keeps records turning The last gramophone specialist in Istanbul works contentedly in his tiny shop inside the Grand Bazaar, a perfect escape from modern consumerist culture. Turkey
Abbas wins: Israeli officials won’t attend Bahrain conference Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas managed to veto the participation of an official Israeli delegation at the upcoming Bahrain conference. Bahrain
Egypt turns to medical tourism Egypt announced that construction of the largest medical city in the Middle East has begun, which is expected to boost the economy and medical tourism. Egypt
Does Cairo need third airport? The Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation announced that it will soon open an international airport in the new administrative capital east of Cairo, a move that was widely criticized. Egypt
Israel, Palestinian Authority dispute electric bill payments Despite Israeli accusations, the Palestinian Authority says it remains committed to paying for the electricity it receives. Palestine
Netanyahu, Liberman in fierce battle over right-wing votes The Blue and White party, which posed a real threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the last election, is now the least of his headaches. Israel
