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
US to continue defensive intelligence support to Saudi Arabia on Yemen 'We are not a party to Yemen's civil war,' CENTCOM commander says Saudi Arabia
Mysterious metal monolith appears at ancient temple site in Turkey Similar structures have appeared around the world since late 2020. Turkey
Erdogan seizes on student protests to further polarize Turkey The protests rocking Turkish university campuses are the biggest since the Gezi demonstrations and like them are the product of the president's stubborn refusal to consider popular sentiment. Turkey
Saudi Arabia commutes death sentences of young Shiites The sentences of Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhoon, who were arrested as teenagers in 2012, were reduced to 10 years in prison. Saudi Arabia
New page for US, Turkey reads like fantasy Hope for a reset in Turkish-American ties under the Biden administration will remain unrealistic until Ankara addresses its democratic issues and human rights record. Turkey
US calls on Yemen's Houthis to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia said it intercepted four armed drones launched toward the kingdom by the Yemeni rebels. Saudi Arabia
Palestinian factions meet in Cairo ahead of elections Fatah, Hamas and several other Palestinian political parties participated in talks in the Egyptian capital about the upcoming elections in the Palestinian territories. Palestine
Iran, US spar over nuclear deal return Iran and the United States are clashing over which country will return to its commitments under the nuclear deal first. United States
Syrians in Kurdish-administered regions struggle with price of bread Should Syria’s economy and currency continue to deteriorate, it is likely that the cost of wheat will also rise, further straining the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in its efforts to maintain bread subsidies and keep basic goods affordable in northeast Syria. Syria
Lawmaker's proposal to place street children in camps stirs controversy A proposal from a member of parliament to detain street children in training camps has caused alarm among rights advocates, highlighting a negative perception toward the vulnerable minors — an outlook that has been reinforced by their portrayal in the media as thugs and criminals. Egypt
Netanyahu pleads not guilty in corruption trial Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases. Israel
France, not US, offers to involve Israel in talks with Iran Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not react publicly to the statement by French President Emmanuel Macron over the need to involve Israel and Saudi Arabia in talks with Iran. Israel
