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
Iranian baby bottoms smacked as sanctions, hoarding create diaper crisis Diaper prices have doubled as the product joins the growing list of goods experiencing sudden price jumps in Iran as the nation struggles with sanctions and currency issues. Iran
Will Iran merge banks owned by military institutions? Though the merger of lenders affiliated with Iranian security institutions is an important step toward military divestment, the process faces many obstacles. Iran
Why Iran must legislate away rampant corruption To successfully tackle corruption, Iranian authorities should address the environment that enables graft and nepotism instead of merely detaining those who engage in such practices. Iran
Top Turkish bank official resigns as lira drops further A deputy governor of Turkey's Central Bank quit suddenly today as the lira took yet another tumble. Turkey
Perplexed Iranians watch price of ‘moving coffin’ hit all-time high An Iranian-made vehicle notorious for its low safety standards has seen a price jump of around 50% in a matter of three weeks, sparking outrage. Iran
Turkey connecting Syria's al-Bab to its power supply Turkey's State Electricity Generating Company has been awarded the contract to supply al-Bab, in northern Syria, with electricity. Syria
How crisis with US dealt fresh blow to Turkish press The depreciation of the Turkish lira, fueled by the crisis between Ankara and Washington, has raised the cost of imported paper enormously, pushing already-struggling publications to the brink of collapse. Turkey
Iran turns to economic zones to encourage balanced growth Iranian lawmakers have approved a bill to establish a series of new special economic zones to counter the country's uneven development. Iran
Will Iran’s hard currency market return to normalcy? The value of the rial has dropped this year, but the Central Bank of Iran’s new foreign exchange policies will likely calm the fluctuations in the national currency — for a time. Iran
Congress dangles Turkey trade deal as carrot to Trump’s stick Lawmakers are floating a free trade agreement with Turkey as the president doubles steel and aluminum tariffs on Ankara for its ongoing detention of a US pastor. Turkey
Will Egypt's public sector get longer weekend? The Egyptian government is considering adding Thursdays to the weekend for public sector employees. Egypt
Ankara startles banks as indebted companies hope for lifeline Ankara’s apparent intention to dictate "tolerance" by banks toward heavily indebted companies has raised concerns in the banking sector and potential rescue plans lack real financing options. Turkey