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
Can Tunisia handle public sector strike? While the Central Bank of Tunisia recommends taking exceptional measures to deal with the alarming economic situation by imposing new rules on banks to measure the ability to meet their engagements, there is fear the country could go bankrupt especially as labor unions are threatening to go on strike. Tunisia
Egypt readies to host international biodiversity conference Cairo hopes that in hosting the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, it can both take great strides toward protecting Egypt's ecosystems and promote tourism. Egypt
Palestine stock exchange defies all odds The Palestine Securities Exchange (PEX) announced profits of around $167 million in the first half of 2018; however, the general economic situation in Palestine is going downhill. Palestine
Will Egypt get handle on its public debt? Parliamentary committees are making noise about plans to address Egypt's public debt, in part by establishing mechanisms to optimize the use of loans and grants. Egypt
Turkey downsizes economic growth outlook as crisis bites Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak has unveiled a much anticipated plan to rescue Turkey from its economic woes, pledging to adhere to stricter fiscal policy and focus on financial stability. Turkey
Months after tax crisis, Jordanians protest new law Jordanians say the new draft income tax law is too similar to the one that brought down the last government in May. Jordan
Iran-India logistical cooperation set to jump amid scaled-back energy ties India is well-versed in the game of balancing ties with Iran and the United States and is set to use the current situation over sanctions to promote logistical cooperation with Tehran while limiting oil imports from Iran. United States
What rial devaluation means for Iranian government While the devaluation of the rial has had a negative impact on Iranian society, it has the potential to help key economic players — including the government and the Central Bank — to gain a new and sustainable balance in their finances. Iran
Backlash in Iran as some wartime veterans circumvent new retirement law A number of Iran's senior public sector workers are reportedly taking advantage of a new law that exempts highly disabled veterans from mandatory retirement. Iran
Surging prices may push Iran's housing sector back into recession While property prices in Iran have jumped following turmoil across the economy, the sector is headed for another recession as the number of actual deals is dropping. Iran
Egypt's horse exports growing now that most bans are lifted Now that many countries no longer ban imports of Egyptian horses, the government expects the country to become a hub for investment in purebred Arabian horses. Egypt
Small Lebanese craft brewers introduce big new tastes in beer Micro and craft breweries are paving the way for locally made Lebanese beer by working around the lack of traditional ingredients and doing what they can to avoid contributing to the Lebanon's persistent environmental problems. Lebanon