Artistic heart of Iraq's Kurdistan thrives, but wants more public engagement Sulaimaniyah, often called the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s “culture capital,” has become something of a haven for artists, though obstacles remain for the vibrant and self-sustaining artistic center they envision. Iraq
Libyan artists turn to black comedy to show youth exploitation A play dubbed “Chocolate Egg” uses black comedy to show the exploitation of young Libyans by officials to lure them into military formations. North Africa
Saudi 2030 to expand art scene in Jeddah, Riyadh With Saudi Arabia’s new social reform plan the local art scene is blooming with a plethora of cultural initiatives. Legacy: Gulf
Gaza's first female beekeeper expands apiary The enclave's first female beekeeper speaks about the challenges facing Gaza's beekeeping profession. Palestine
Why artists are speaking up against ‘dirty money’ in Iranian cinema The increasing emergence of “dirty money” in Iranian cinema has sparked an outcry among artists, producers and directors, who are urging action to stop the phenomenon from ruining the industry. Iran
How this mother-daughter duo became partners in art Amneh Baagour, who grew up in Lebanon's Beddawi refugee camp, became her artist daughter's best student. Palestine
Start-up nation Israel: Where women are the future More and more women are starting high-tech businesses in Israel, site of the second-largest technology hub in the world. Israel
Will latest interest rate hike break Tunisia’s back? Following Tunisia's third interest rate hike in 12 months, economic and political experts sound the alarm on shrinking purchasing power while the nation's largest trade union calls for protests. Tunisia
Planning for Yazidi genocide museum underway in Iraq Officials have found nearly 70 mass graves of Yazidis slaughtered by the Islamic State in Iraq, and are working to create a memorial to the victims in cooperation with UNESCO. Iraq
Hundreds of Jordanians march toward capital demanding jobs As unemployment rates rise, youths from different parts of Jordan have begun marching to the Royal Court in Amman for sit-ins demanding job opportunities. Jordan
Jordanian trail-blazer empowers women through kickboxing Lina Khalifeh began learning martial arts for fun, but helping a friend showed her it can do much more. Jordan
Iraqi Kurdistan takes aim at gun control The Iraqi Kurdistan Region has given gun owners six months to register their small firearms and give up heavy weapons. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Iranian forum looks to address so-called 'sexual crisis' An Iranian media group is sponsoring a series of talks on the taboo subject of sex to deal with the so-called sexual crisis in the country. Iran
Iraqi artists keep up pottery tradition Iraqi pottery craftsmen fear that their ancient craft will disappear, even though this art is now picked up in academia. Iraq
'No money, no marriage' sparks dueling social media campaigns After young Egyptian men launched a campaign to boycott marriage due to the unfulfillable demands of prospective brides' parents, women countered with a campaign of their own in defense of their families. Egypt
Israeli ultra-Orthodox journalists in love with Twitter Ultra-Orthodox journalists explain that the use of Twitter opened up their world to the general Israeli society, breaking several stigmas and misunderstandings. Israel
