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
First women's bike race diversifies sport in Syria A group of women has established the first cycling organization in northeastern Syria and held its first bike race in the city of Amuda, all part of an effort to encourage women to ride bicycles and promote green transportation. Syria
Egypt, Sudan go in on industrial zone for Khartoum Egypt is courting Sudan with a joint industrial zone in Khartoum in a bid to boost cooperation against the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt
Islamic State relies on money transfers from sympathizers in Turkey, Iraq: Report Almost two years since its territorial defeat, the terror group still has access to $100 million in cash reserves, according to the US government. Syria
Flooding renders thousands of displaced Syrians homeless in northwest Weeks of heavy rains have created immense hardship for Idlib residents, who are already contending with the war between rebel groups and the government. Syria
Post-COVID Mideast economies look to the Gulf and Egypt The region took a hard hit from the pandemic, and it’s far from over, but Egypt and Saudi Arabia are managing better than expected. Regional
Explosion hits near Israeli Embassy in India Nobody was hurt in the blast, which took place in New Delhi on the 29th anniversary of Israel and India establishing relations. Israel
Biden administration extends temporary protections for Syrians Under the extension, more than 6,700 Syrians will retain their special immigration status through September 2022. Syria
Biden picks Robert Malley as special envoy for Iran Malley, who currently runs the International Crisis Group in DC, will oversee Biden's efforts to rejoin the Iranian nuclear agreement. United States
Parties at ski resorts outrage Turks in lockdown Images of skiers partying on the slopes have angered ordinary Turks obeying coronavirus restrictions as vaccination efforts roll out. Turkey
Lebanon's PM Diab condemns Tripoli protest violence Protesters demanding an end to the lockdown set fire on Thursday night to several buildings in the impoverished city of Tripoli. Lebanon
UK bans travel from UAE The United Kingdom's decision follows historic highs in daily COVID-19 cases in the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates
Why Assad is scaling down military readiness across Syria Due to the military budget deficit and in a bid to absorb the anger of loyalists and army soldiers, the Syrian regime decided to scale down the readiness of its army and armed forces. Syria
