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
Ankara vows to help resist US sanctions on Iran Turkey has reacted to the promised US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal with outrage, though some analysts believe the US withdrawal offers Turkey opportunities. Turkey
Who is really driving the slump of the Turkish lira? Though the flight of foreign investors is often cited as the main factor behind the slump of the Turkish lira, official data indicate that growing distrust in the currency stems largely from domestic actors. Business
Iran’s housing sector keeps building Iran’s housing sector is on track to escape its yearslong stagnancy, yet Iranian tenants are still squeezed by rising rents. Iran
Is Lebanon's new recycling project a bunch of garbage? Beirut authorities want to go green to deal with their municipality's ongoing garbage disposal problems, but mismanagement and cross-purposes are hampering the effort before it even gets off the ground. Lebanon
Moscow’s Iraq strategy: Make lots of friends Russia’s approach in Iraq and the region involves comprehensive cooperation with as many players as possible. Iraq
Turkey woos Iraqi provincial leaders to rekindle relations Ankara hopes its diplomatic efforts in the Shiite-dominated southern provinces of Iraq will improve Turkey's political standing with Baghdad. Iraq
Saudi Arabia, Iran vie for economic influence in Iraq Saudi Arabia is seeking to enter the Iraqi market aggressively, along with a political presence, and increase the competition with its opponent Iran in the Iraqi arena. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s lira tumbles as inflation nears record high Investors are dumping the Turkish currency amid worries that a pre-election spending spree and pressure on the Central Bank to keep interest rates low could see the lira continue to spiral. Turkey
How Turkey's 'doping-induced' growth backfired into hasty elections The Turkish government’s rush to hold elections in June is driven by economic woes that even its attempts at "doping-induced" growth have failed to overcome. Turkey
Egypt establishes sovereign fund The Egyptian government has moved to establish a sovereign fund as part of reforms intended to boost the economy and shrink unemployment. Egypt
Iran pushes for transparency to deal with currency instability While Iran’s push for transparency is positive, its new integrated system for hard currency transactions seems ill-prepared to manage the complexities of the Iranian currency market. Iran
Palestinian news group growing internationally The Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation has big plans to expand in the Middle East and around the world to spread news about the Palestinian cause. Near East