Tunisian government raises public sector salaries

The Tunisian government has signed an agreement to raise the salaries of 800,000 public sector employees for the second time this year. (Middle East Monitor)
 
Half of Syria’s population is now displaced

Half of Syria’s population has been forced to flee its homes and is displaced either within Syria’s war-ravaged territory or abroad. (Newsweek)
 
Cheap food eases pain of slumping oil in Middle East

Countries in the Middle East and North Africa that subsidise food for their citizens are catching a break, even as the global oil slump hammers the region’s economy. (Gulf News)
 
Commodities' dive raises doubts over Africa's 'middle class'

ANALYSIS: Whether it's selling pensions, pasta or toothpicks, investors in Africa have been targeting the booming middle class. But a year of diving commodity prices has exposed how much the continent, and its consumers, still rely on exporting resources. (Reuters)
 
Zimbabwe maintains Africa education flagship tag: UN

Data released by the United Nations (UN) shows that Zimbabwe has the highest, if not the best, ratio of school books per student, a feat achieved despite incredible odds and often controversial methods used by private citizens to make sure children stay in school. (SABC News)