Gaza theaters battle censorship, conservatism A lack of female performers, the siege and close monitoring by the Hamas government has resulted in a dwindling Gaza theater industry. Palestine
Armenian-Americans blame Turkey for Kassab invasion The jihadist attack on the Armenian Syrian town of Kassab has raised more questions about Turkey’s support for Islamic groups fighting in Syria. Syria
Egypt to import coal despite environmental concerns Egypt appears likely to import coal for energy production, despite strong objections from the Ministry of Environmental Affairs. Egypt
Lapid goes after nepotism in government companies Seven years after a state comptroller's report on nepotism, Finance Minister Yair Lapid imposes new regulations designed to reduce corruption in Israel's major public companies. Israel
Iran cleric: Khamenei, Rafsanjani have 'fundamental differences' An official from the Council for Policy of Friday Prayer Leaders has said that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani have "fundamental differences" on a variety of issues. Iran
Abbas UN move brings legality to talks with Israel The Palestinian effort to join UN bodies is a step forward in restoring balance to the current negotiations. Palestine
Iraq’s homeless suffer from neglect, exploitation Homeless people in Iraq are often neglected by the state, and some armed groups take advantage of their situation to try to recruit them. Iraq
Iraqi Kurds still deadlocked over new government Iraqi Kurdish political parties remain in a stalemate over the formation of a new regional government, six months after parliamentary elections were held in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraq
Yemen's children in crisis School conditions in Yemen are among the worst in the world, as Yemen's government fails to invest in education, and 2 million Yemeni children do not even attend school. Gulf
House warns Palestinian aid may be cut US lawmakers are signaling that the United States could withhold hundreds of millions of dollars from the Palestinian Authority over PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' gambit with the United Nations. Palestine
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks not dead yet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas may still find a way to extend the talks. Palestine
Davutoglu's Syria defense Turkey’s foreign minister refrains from bringing up Syria at the NATO summit. Syria
Both Pollard, Barghouti should be released Jonathan Pollard should be released on humanitarian grounds, but the release of prominent Fatah member Marwan Barghouti could resuscitate negotiations with the Palestinians. Palestine
Jordan steers middle course in Saudi-Qatar dispute Emir Tamim's surprise visit to Jordan last weekend may be an attempt to thaw ties between Doha and Amman. Gulf
Iran Revolutionary Guard defends involvement in oil industry In a recent interview, a senior commander explaimed that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard became involved in the oil industry to help the country manage under international sanctions. Iran
Sufi music makes comeback in Iraq Although Western influences have transformed the music scene in Iraq in recent decades, leading to a focus on fast beats and pop music, a number of Iraqis are trying to revive popular interest in traditional Sufi songs. Iraq