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
Why Iranian authorities failed to minimize flood damage While the extent of the recent floods in Iran would have been difficult to manage for most countries in the world, the impact of mismanagement on the part of the Iranian authorities has been so extreme that the disaster has been referred to as “man-made.” Iran
Debate emerges as Iraqi forces enter Iran to aid flood relief The presence of Iraqi forces in Iran set off an online debate about the role of foreign fighters inside Iran. Iraq
Turkey's Erdogan loses ally with Bashir's ouster in Sudan The overthrow of Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir after 30 years in power should be making other autocrats such as Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan nervous. Egypt
Trump’s pick for top Middle East post set to advance President Donald Trump’s long-delayed pick to serve as the top US diplomatic official for the Middle East is set to clear the Senate Foreign Relations panel. Syria
Inspired photographer spotlights Gaza's quiet heroines A self-taught photographer shares the stories of ordinary women in Gaza who have extraordinary stamina and drive. Palestine
Iraq struggles to distance itself from US-Iran tensions As the conflict between the United States and Iran intensifies, Iraq insists on remaining impartial in the conflict. Iraq
Refugee children in Lebanon find freedom in art “The Kids of Mishwar,” a recent exhibition in Beirut, gave refugee children the opportunity to express themselves through art. Lebanon
Turkish folk costumes reflect roots from the Balkans, Central Asia The folk costumes of Anatolia show great variety, but most have two things in common: they consist of layers and they open at the front. Turkey
Fatah members accused of planning treachery in Gaza Egypt has arrested several Fatah members who were allegedly aiming to sabotage recent agreements between Hamas and Israel. Palestine
Tunisians hang on to shashiyyas despite modern alternatives Despite globalization and more affordable modern clothes, Tunisians still love to don a jebba or sefsari on special occasions. Tunisia
The emerging front-runners in Algeria’s uncertain election Four prospective candidates have the organizational support and the name recognition to launch credible campaigns on short notice. Algeria
Egypt amends law to tighten penalties against 'violence inciters' The Egyptian parliament approved amendments imposing stricter sanctions against anyone who promotes violence or extremist ideas, whether verbally or in writing, further clamping down on freedom of expression. Egypt
