Culture Turkish standup comic detained after act calling Erdogan 'dictator' goes viral Comedian Deniz Goktas’ arrest comes as Ankara intensifies prosecutions against opposition figures, journalists, artists and critics ahead of a major NATO summit. Turkey
Culture Syria advances cultural revival with nine new heritage listings Nine heritage sites have been added to list of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which restored Syria’s membership last year after a 14-year suspension. Syria
Culture Despite war, Lebanon reopens film archive celebrating cinematic history The reopening marks a major effort to preserve Lebanon’s rich cinematic history. Lebanon
Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal? The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years. Saudi Arabia
Analysis 'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Award-winning book narrates migration in five letters Hoda Barakat's "The Night Post," which tells the story of five Arab migrants, won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction amid controversy. Lebanon
Local Israeli authorities lose a little freedom on Independence Day With local governments paying increasingly exorbitant prices for performers to entertain on Independence Day, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has introduced a cap in pricing to take effect in 2020. Israel
Why first intifada is back on Middle East art scene In conjunction with a new exhibition, founders of the Palestinian contemporary art scene met in Beirut to discuss how the political events of their time influenced their work. Palestine
Remake of Turkey's favorite school flick flunks at the box office Based on novels by the popular author Rifat Ilgaz, the "Chaos Class" film series has been a Turkish favorite for four decades, but a remake of the original comedy has been widely panned. Turkey
Israelis crazy for mass singings The Koolulam mass singing phenomenon has swept up thousands of Israelis in an effort to bring harmony to a divided society. Israel
From Aleppo to alpha male: Beirut dance fest takes on the world Founded 15 years ago, the Beirut International Platform of Dance strives to make contemporary dance a staple of Lebanon’s artistic culture while pushing the boundaries of the art form to speak to the issues of the day. Lebanon
Award-winning Palestinian author's 'White Horse' gallops onto stage "Time of White Horses," a 2007 novel by award-winning Palestinian writer Ibrahim Nasrallah, makes its way onto the stage in both Palestine and the United States. Palestine
Turkey's Orange Blossom Carnival blooms despite economic, political woes Orange Blossom Carnival is Turkey’s first and only street carnival, which in its seventh year attracted over 250,000 visitors to southern Adana province over the weekend, all for the love of color. Turkey
Turkey’s emerging artists dwell in dystopia The Mamut Art Project, an annual platform for young artists, reflects the new generation’s concerns on immigration, gay rights and the destruction of nature in the country. Turkey
Can this project bring contemporary art to conservative towns in Palestine? Two Palestinian organizations have cooperated to launch a program in the conservative town of al-Dahriya that involved artists interacting with residents to prepare an exhibition. Palestine
Controversial Iranian rapper reignites clash between Reformists, hard-liners An Iranian rapper's weed-smoking at a concert in Georgia has given Reformists another chance to attack rival conservatives, who once idolized the controversial singer. Iran
Netflix shakes up Egyptian film, TV industry A year after "The Secret of Nile" became the first Egyptian series on Netflix, more Egyptian productions are finding their way to the streaming service. Egypt
