Turkey lifts veil on unemployment data, revealing bigger army of jobless A new, broader set of labor statistics has exposed a big gap between Turkey’s official unemployment rate and the actual joblessness in the crisis-hit country. Turkey
Rights group criticizes Jordan over debt imprisonment Human Rights Watch has highlighted the plight of poor Jordanians imprisoned for failing to pay back loans taken out to meet basic needs. Jordan
COVID accelerates evolution of Gulf economies The economic policy response to COVID-19 is an acceleration of specific trends already underway across the Gulf Cooperation Council members, variously affecting tax policy, labor market regulation and immigration policy. Saudi Arabia
Iran receives COVID-19 vaccine from Cuba Iran enjoys warm relations with the Latin American state and the two countries are also developing a coronavirus vaccine together. Iran
Egypt lays plans, tallies costs as rising seas threaten Nile River Delta Cairo has accepted a funding grant for climate change preparation, but experts fear the threats posed by rising sea levels and increasingly turbulent weather will outpace Egypt's ability to adapt. Egypt
Israel pays price for refusing peace talks On the backdrop of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to launch negotiations with the Palestinians, it is no wonder that Jordan decided not to renew Israel’s lease on lands near the border. Palestine
Khashoggi killing undercuts Trump campaign against Iran The US campaign to convince the world to cut off Iran has taken a hit two weeks before oil sanctions are set to kick in. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s fantasy war on inflation Ankara has declared an “all-out fight against inflation,” cajoling sellers into 10% discounts and sending municipal police to hunt hoarders, and while this bizarre strategy is unlikely to bear fruit, it might be a sign of other plans that are being cooked up in Ankara. Turkey
Tunisia's foreign exchange reserves drained to new lows Since the beginning of the year, the foreign exchange reserves of Tunisia’s Central Bank have been dropping even as crucial economic sectors like tourism grow. Tunisia
Putin, Sisi take Russia-Egypt relations to 'strategic level' Moscow and Cairo signed a strategic cooperation agreement that is supposed to open new venues for bilateral relations in the military, political and cultural domains. Egypt
How Palestinian workers in Israel stand to benefit from new payment regulations Come January, many Palestinians working in Israel will see big changes in how and how often they are paid. Palestine
Saudi sports minister leaves Egypt’s sports scene The decision of the head of Saudi General Sports Authority Turki al-Sheikh to withdraw from Egyptian sports and sell his club Pyramids Football Club after being insulted by Al-Ahli fans at one of their games sparked controversy in Egypt. Saudi Arabia
Gulf countries concerned as Turkey cozies up to Kuwait Turkey’s military cooperation accord with Kuwait raises eyebrows in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia
Khamenei instructs Iranian scholars to look eastward In a speech, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei encouraged young scientists to look east rather than west for academic connections. Iran
Netanyahu ignores Iran's scientific, educational advances Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised himself for security achievements, but neglected to address the worrying decline in Israeli research and higher education. Israel
Why Iran must seriously act to address rent seeking While the top elites of the Islamic Republic are recognizing the need to address mismanagement of the Iranian economy, the core issue remains the rent seeking that is thwarting genuine reform. Iran