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
Former Halkbank executive resigns as head of Istanbul stock exchange Borsa Istanbul CEO Mehmet Hakan Atilla stepped down Monday in a move possibly linked with the impending US trial of Turkey’s Halkbank, where he was convicted of helping Iran skirt US sanctions. Turkey
At least eight dead in fire at Yemeni migrant center, UN says More than 170 people are injured after a fire erupted at a facility holding migrants in Yemen's Houthi-held capital of Sanaa. Yemen
Syrian President Assad, wife test positive for COVID-19 The president and first lady Asma are in good health and getting treated at home. The country has yet to obtain vaccines, and the UN fears cases are much higher in Syria than reported. Syria
Iran says there have been no secret talks with US Iran says the United States must correct its path to return to nuclear deal. Originals
Is Ankara on mission impossible over S-400 conundrum? Confusion reigns in Ankara on how to manage the S-400 crisis, as pressure to satisfy Moscow along with Washington makes it a tall, if not impossible, order. Turkey
British-Iranian aid worker released from house arrest in Iran, faces new trial Following the completion of her five-year prison sentence, Iranian authorities have charged Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with "spreading propaganda." Iran
Saudi renews bombing of Yemen's capital following Houthi attacks The Biden administration's push to end the war has been stalled by a recent escalation. Saudi Arabia
For Israelis, ICC decision hypocritical, politicized Families of the three Israeli youths kidnapped and killed in 2014 wonder why the ICC would not start with an investigation into these murders. Israel
Few women on party lists for upcoming elections in Israel Ahead of the March 23 elections, only one party has a woman to lead it and it is only that same party that offer a gender-equal list for the next Knesset. Israel
Fuel shortage chills northeast Syria as oil production lags The fuel shortage in northeast Syria has left civilians struggling to find cooking and heating fuel this winter. Syria
Oil spill in Mediterranean reaches besieged Gaza Strip An oil spill in the Mediterranean washed up to the shores of the Gaza Strip, threatening the fish wealth and the beach season amid great challenges for government agencies in Gaza to clean the beach given their lack of appropriate resources. Palestine
Egypt, Qatar move closer to reconciliation The foreign ministers of Egypt and Qatar met in Cairo for the first time since 2017 to discuss implementation of a reconciliation agreement amid a wider Gulf conflict. Qatar
