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
Thailand buckles to global pressure, frees Bahraini soccer player Thailand released Bahraini soccer player and refugee Hakeem al-Araibi from prison, though Bahrain has warned that it still seeks to pursue legal action against him. Bahrain
Abbas’ speech at African Union, an Israeli failure? On the backdrop of significant efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strengthen ties with Africa, the invitation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to speak at the African Union summit could be considered as an Israeli failure. Palestine
New generation of Iraqi archaeologists follows in mentor's footsteps Iraq's young archaeologists are remembering their inspiration and frequent mentor Lamia Gailani, who worked hard to restore her country's lost heritage and encourage new scientists to explore the field. Iraq
Rouhani touts military achievements in revolution anniversary speech As Iranians marked the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, President Hassan Rouhani took a harsher tone than usual in defense of Iran’s policies. Iran
Saudi Arabia seeks to entice visitors with pre-Islamic sites Following last year's $20 billion French-Saudi deal to accelerate al-Ula’s development, there are more international archaeologists on the ground than ever before. Saudi Arabia
Ankara, Moscow demand 'decisive measures' in Syria ahead of Sochi summit Turkey's defense minister hosted his Russian counterpart for a preparatory meeting for next week's summit on Syria in a show of the deepening friendship and security ties between the Black Sea powers. Syria
Can Gaza get a handle on its waste problem? With Gaza's waste disposal crisis now affecting Israeli communities across the border, Israel has approved the construction of a UN-funded waste recycling plant in Gaza. Palestine
Turkey, Greece take symbolic but significant steps closer Ankara and Athens both could have lots to gain if they're able to turn goodwill gestures into concrete solutions to their common problems. Originals
As sanctions loom, Syria looks to retrieve funds from abroad Damascus wants the country's banks to develop incentives to bring Syrian funds back, especially those deposited in Lebanese banks. Lebanon
Can bitcoins save Hamas from its financial crisis? The armed wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip announced that it has started accepting donations in bitcoin in a new attempt to overcome its financial crises. Palestine
Lebanese youth open zero-waste market Active during the 2015 trash crisis, Lebanon’s younger generation are pushing for environmentally friendly products, seen in the opening of Recycle Lebanon’s EcoSouk. Lebanon
Why Abbas risks an economic collapse of the PA Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to soon implement the law on deducting terrorists’ salaries, yet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas knows that on the day he stops payments, the Palestinians themselves will bring him down. Palestine
