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
Khamenei calls on Iran to learn from devastating floods As Iran continues to grapple with the devastating flooding that has ravaged the country, its supreme leader has urged officials to learn from the calamity. Iran
Local election defeat bodes more foreign woes for Erdogan The irreparable setback Turkey’s president suffered in the March 31 municipal polls, coupled with the country’s economic crisis, leaves him in a weaker position vis-a-vis Washington, Moscow and the European Union. Syria
Iraq meeting between Lebanon’s Berri, Sistani boosts moderate Shiism in region Iraq's top Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, meets with Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, further highlighting Sistani's efforts to support moderate Shiism against Shiite extremism. Originals
What's next for Lebanon's blood shortage? Donner Sang Compter, a Lebanese nongovernmental group, has staged hundreds of blood donation events to take some of the pressure off patients who need blood. Lebanon
Turkey’s state-run news agency under fire for irregular poll coverage Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency is under fire for its bizarre coverage of the Istanbul mayoral race, during which the agency stopped reporting polling results when it became clear the opposition was bound for victory. Turkey
Is Bouteflika’s resignation enough to quell Algerian protests? With further protests planned later this week, it is becoming increasingly clear that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation is unlikely to mark a neat conclusion to this tumultuous period in Algeria’s history. Algeria
Are incinerators answer to Lebanon's waste crisis? The plan to build incinerators in Lebanon raised the concerns of nongovernmental organizations and activists who put forward suggestions to solve the country's never-ending waste crisis. Lebanon
Can Egypt's floral industry bloom in whole region? Egypt’s spring flower exhibition, the oldest in the region, unites flower producers with the public but the sector is eager to go beyond borders. Egypt
Israeli elections: Where is the economy? Contrary to previous election campaigns, which focused on the dire economic situation, the main themes of the current campaign are the scandals surrounding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and questions about Blue and White head Benny Gantz’s personality. Israel
Netanyahu polishes security image in Moscow as vote approaches Another meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a chance for Netanyahu to boast of his Russian ties with Putin and emphasize a new security threat ahead of the elections. Israel
What has gone so wrong for the New Right? New Right leaders Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked are making a frenzied effort to boost the popularity of their party amid the unexpected rise of Moshe Feiglin, who is eating away at their base. Israel
Pompeo blames Iran flooding on regime mismanagement, offers US help While the Trump administration said that it was prepared to help Iran following extensive flooding, at the same time it blamed the disaster on "regime mismanagement." United States
