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. Gulf
Gaza's first female beekeeper expands apiary The enclave's first female beekeeper speaks about the challenges facing Gaza's beekeeping profession. Palestine
Top Netflix drama lays open Turkish divides The Turkish Netflix series Ethos has been both praised for bridging the divide between Turkey’s feuding segments and disparaged for enforcing them with cliches. Turkey
Turkish health experts warn new COVID-19 measures don’t go far enough The Turkish government has introduced partial curfews and other measures to curbing rising COVID-19 cases in the country, while health experts call for a full lockdown and more transparency in pandemic data. Turkey
Aid groups in Yemen say Houthi terror designation would deepen crisis The Trump administration is weighing whether to designate the Iran-aligned rebel group as a foreign terrorist organization. Yemen
Egyptians blame film festival as virus rates rise As a small number of attendees of the El-Gouna Film Festival report coming down with COVID-19, many Egyptians demanded that organizers Naguib and Samih Sawiris be held accountable. Egypt
Druze, Circassians not seduced by Netanyahu’s budget A ridiculously small budget of 50 million shekels won’t help Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu win over the Druze and the Circassian communities ahead of possible new elections. Israel
Pompeo skips Ankara, meets with Christian leader in final Turkey visit In his final visit to Turkey as US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo met with the Orthodox Christian spiritual leader in Istanbul Tuesday, forgoing meetings with state officials in a possible message to conservative American voters. Turkey
Egypt cracks down on blasphemy in wave of arrests The recent arrests of both Christians and Muslims accused of insulting Islam have renewed calls from rights groups to end prosecution for blasphemy in Egypt. Egypt
Israel opens bidding for project in east Jerusalem Days after the election of US President-elect Joe Biden, Israel is taking bids for the construction of 1,257 housing units in the Jewish Givat Hamatos neighborhood in east Jerusalem. Israel
Oman opens land borders for citizens, residents The Gulf state's land borders had remained shut to international travel since March. Oman
Desperate doctors call for lockdown in Istanbul Turkish medical associations as well as the mayor are appealing to the Turkish government to close down Istanbul as daily deaths reach April levels. Turkey
Jericho entices tourists with Mount of the Temptation The Monastery of the Temptation, where Jesus allegedly spent 40 days, is under consideration for UNESCO's World Heritage List as local officials push sites for religious tourism. Palestine
UK opens 'travel corridor' to Gulf states Visitors to the United Kingdom from Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE will not need to isolate upon arrival come Saturday. United Arab Emirates
![Egyptian actress Basma Hassan poses prior to walking the red carpet for the screening of the film "Mica", on the fourth day of 4th edition of the Gouna Film Festival, in El-Gouna, Egypt on October 26, 2020. (Photo by Ammar Abd Rabbo / El Gouna Film Festival / AFP) / XGTY / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / EL GOUNA FILM FESTIVAL / AMMAR ABD RABBO - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of t](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2020/11/GettyImages-1229296433.jpg/GettyImages-1229296433.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=9pR6ReAl)
