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
New name, same old problems: Syria talks kick off in Kazakh capital The name of the venue for the Syria peace talks may have changed from Astana to Nursultan, but the challenges the participants faced were familiar ones. Jordan
Russia consolidating its position in Iraq amid anti-Iran sanctions Russian and Iraqi officials convened in Baghdad for another bilateral commission session to discuss energy and security cooperation amid US anti-Iran sanctions. Iraq
Iran floods further add to public mistrust of government organizations In addition to causing extensive damage and loss of life, the recent flooding in Iran has also made it more difficult for some Iranians to trust government organizations when it comes to aid and relief efforts. Iran
Algeria officials show growing signs of desperation as protests push on Protests continue in Algeria, where the regime hopes its selective culling of the political elite will appease the demonstrators. Algeria
Why did the Turkish judiciary take lynching attempt so lightly? An attack on the CHP's main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu attracted strikingly diverse reactions. Some saw it as a protest of his political stance. Others thought it was a premeditated attempt at a lynching. Turkey
Political Islamists brace to lose financial favors after Istanbul shift After major gains in local elections last month, including a landmark victory in Istanbul, Turkey’s main opposition vows to turn off the funding spigots for Islamic entities, which have long underpinned the ruling party’s electoral machine. Turkey
Iraq's Basra province seeks upgrade to federal region Basra governorate hopes the third time will be a charm as it once again seeks to become an Iraqi federal region. Iraq
Zarif says 'negotiating table is there' Speaking to journalists at the Iranian mission to the UN, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif revealed details about correspondence with the Donald Trump administration over a potential prisoner exchange. United States
Syria drawdown raises security risks for US troops The Donald Trump administration’s drawdown in Syria threatens to disrupt a fragile balance where US troops trade military power for Kurdish protection. Syria
Turkish newspaper staff sent back to prison Six former employees of Cumhuriyet newspaper, including three journalists, returned to prison after a court rejected their appeal of terrorism convictions last year. Turkey
US permits civil nuclear ties with Iran despite 'maximum pressure' Iran’s economy struggles under sanctions, floods, mismanagement; Al-Monitor’s Jack Detsch recognized for "exemplary reporting." United States
Hard-liners joined by Reformist in questioning use in staying in Iran nuclear deal A prominent Iranian Reformist member of parliament publicly questioned the use of remaining in the nuclear accord as Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned of a plot to dupe US President Donald Trump into entering war with Iran. United States
