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
Is Egypt's parliament going after beauty queens? Egyptian lawmakers have called for the banning of the Miss Egypt Pageant until a law can be issued to provide government oversight for beauty contests. Egypt
Will Israel finally take responsibility for kidnapped Yemeni babies? Over the last year, the long-running affair of Israeli-Yemenite babies kidnapped and put up for adoption has risen on the public and political agendas. Yemen
'Nile Hilton Incident' tops box offices everywhere but Egypt Egyptian-Swedish Tarik Saleh’s award-winning noir thriller offers both a glimpse into Egyptian police corruption and the expanding power of the state security forces over the art world. Egypt
Amman Design Fair pays homage to disappearing crafts Amman Design Week, one of the budding events in the region, underscores the need to modernize traditional crafts with new design. Jordan
Syrian refugee athletes struggle to get back in the game Some Syrian competitors in the martial arts who fled the war and now live in Egypt have established their own sports clubs to help other Syrian athletes based in Egypt get back into competitions. Egypt
Egyptian military breaks into movie business The Egyptian movie world is chock full of films glorifying the country's military and security forces, and security bodies are becoming increasingly involved in the industry. Egypt
Egypt raising awareness about mental illness The Ministry of Health and Population has launched a campaign to raise awareness of mental illness and to challenge the social stigma surrounding it. Egypt
Iranian universities enter Iraq The collapse of Iraq’s educational system in the years since the US-led invasion has paved the way for foreign actors to step in to fill the void. Iraq
Egypt moves toward criminalizing child marriage Many parents in rural Egypt feel no obligation to educate their daughters and instead seek to marry them off early; rights advocates want to put an end to the harmful tradition. Egypt
Pollster: Abbas would lose in elections, Fatah still safe Based on recent polling, should President Mahmoud Abbas decide to run for re-election, his chances of winning would be slim, while Fatah would fare better in legislative elections. Palestine
What's behind Cairo's call to unify expatriate groups? Egypt’s minister of immigration and expatriate affairs called for the unification of entities representing the Egyptian diaspora abroad under one association, an idea that was objected to by some given the obstacles it would face. Egypt
Palestinian refugees in Amman use painting to challenge UNRWA After the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East erased Palestinian symbols and slogans painted on the walls of a refugee camp's school in Jordan, artists gathered to duplicate messages on the structures facing the school. Jordan
