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
How exploitation of Crimea benefits Syria Over Crimea's five years under the Russian rule, the peninsula has been used in a number of ways to support various Russian activities in Syria. Syria
Erdogan uses New Zealand terror video at campaign rallies International and Turkish actors criticize President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for using New Zealand mosque massacre video at his campaign rallies for the March 31 local elections. Turkey
2020 Democrats vow to re-enter Iran nuclear deal Advocacy groups are pushing to rejoin US allies in the JCPOA amid criticism of Trump’s foreign policy record. Congress
Will Egyptian, African filmmakers inch toward co-productions? With Egypt assuming the African Union presidency in 2019, it is looking to increase cooperation with Africa in various fields and the cinema industry is one of them. Egypt
Women, children leaving IS stronghold overwhelm Syrian camp A steady stream of so-called Islamic State "brides" and their children continue to arrive at Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria's al-Hol, a sprawling desert camp designed to house less than a sixth of their number. Iraq
Iran's state TV kills top-rated show Despite being the most popular show on Iran's national TV, Adel Ferdowsipour's hard-hitting soccer program has been axed by the station's new hard-line manager. Iran
Iran’s Islamic authorities slowly embrace ancient Festival of Fire As Iranians uphold both religious values and national traditions, the Islamic Republic is beginning to recognize the once-rebuffed ancient Festival of Fire. Iran
Hospital-acquired infection kills 15 infants in Tunisia Outrage flared in Tunisia when 15 infants died at a state-run hospital after they were given formula later found to contain bacteria. Tunisia
Some Palestinians worry Saudis reconciling with Israel A Saudi prince recently visited Ramallah, raising concerns about Saudi normalization with Israel, as such visits require Israel's approval. Saudi Arabia
Has the Islamic State returned to western Anbar? Iraqi security forces, facing an uptick of Islamic State militants in western Anbar, have intensified their operations in the province. Iraq
Politicians in Lebanon take aim at three key sectors to reduce record deficit The Lebanese government is discussing economic reforms aimed at reducing the country’s budget deficit, a key condition to receive billions of dollars worth of foreign investments. Lebanon
For Netanyahu, all is political, even cybersecurity The hacking by a foreign power of the cellphone of the head of the Blue and White Party, Benny Gantz, is primarily a security lapse that occurred on the watch of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in charge of the National Cyber Directorate. Israel
