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
Iraq's favorite lake dries up in sign of worse to come Iraq's once-impressive Lake Milh used to be a major touristic site near Karbala, but now its vanishing water is part of a growing regional crisis. Iraq
Egypt’s female Ramadan drummer breaks taboos In one of Cairo's neighborhoods, a female Ramadan drummer has taken on one of the oldest Ramadan traditions by waking up those who fast before dawn, breaking social and religious taboos. Egypt
Vying for minds in East Jerusalem schools In a bid to revamp the educational sector in East Jerusalem and ease Israel's grip on the schools there, the Palestinian Authority has announced a national education plan of $30 million. Palestine
Can Egypt's education reforms overhaul broken system? Analysts believe the problem of public education can’t be solved through monetary means alone, but rather with reforms to the entire educational system. Egypt
Gaza crisis threatens to set West Bank ablaze While the demonstrations along the Gaza border fence continue, the number of casualties will grow, sparking ever larger protests in the West Bank. Palestine
Iraq's Christians, Muslims agree to revive site of ancient church A lunch meeting between a Christian tour group and local Muslims during Ramadan resulted in an initiative to save one of Iraq’s oldest churches. Iraq
Syrians making trek home from Turkey for holiday Syrian refugees in Turkey are returning home by the thousands for Eid al-Fitr, with border crossing administrators providing the needed facilities. Syria
Israeli association aims to teach children tolerance through dolls Armed with dolls, a small Israeli organization aims to make Israel’s increasingly diverse society more tolerant by educating children. Israel
Can Egypt’s superheroes stop corruption? Egyptian superheroes with a common touch tackle the ills of the country such as corruption, injustice, violation of human rights, loss of Egyptian identity and even bad grammar. Egypt
Turkish court releases students jailed on ‘terror propaganda’ charges The trial of 22 Turkish students opened today with their release, though they still face terror charges for participating in a protest against Turkey's military incursion in Syria. Turkey
Baghdad pays homage to nationalist poet who fled under Saddam Hussein The Baghdad municipality has announced that it will turn the house of Arab poet Mahdi al-Jawahiri into a museum. It remains to be seen whether Iraq will also get his remains back from Syria, where Jawahiri lived after fleeing Iraq in 1980. Iraq
Palestinian campaign settles debts of those killed during Great Return March A Gaza-based charity campaign is helping the families of the Great Return March victims to settle debts with a newly launched campaign. Palestine
