By Evan Abrams

Afghanistan has struggled to develop a formal finance sector, but legislators hope a new law focused on Islamic finance will change that. The focus on Islamic finance is critical because roughly 90% of households reject the western interest-based system, largely for religious reasons. Reuters reports that the new law should increase financing options for individuals and local businesses. The law is expected to be finalized in June.

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March 31, 2015

By Katie Bacharach

A Thomson Reuters Foundation poll found that Egypt is the worst Arab state for women. Egypt’s place at the bottom of the ranking is attributed to discriminatory laws, a spike in trafficking, sexual harassment, high rates of female genital cutting, and a surge in violence and Islamist feeling after the Arab Spring uprisings. The poll surveyed 336 gender experts in August and September in 21 Arab League states and Syria. Questions were based on provisions of the U.N. Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which 19 Arab states have signed.

Complete poll results can be found here.

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November 22, 2013