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
Trump’s steel tariffs add to US-Turkish bickering Turkish manufacturers see “great injustice” in Washington’s new steel tariffs, as Ankara seeks compromise on the issue amid the tense political climate between the two countries. Turkey
Saudi Arabia looks to sports investments to score influence in Egypt Saudi Arabia has expanded its investment in the sports sector in Egypt by pumping millions into financing clubs and youth sports activities, a move that has triggered public resentment among some who see it as a means of gaining influence. Saudi Arabia
Are Iranians ready to 'Buy Iranian'? As Iran rings in the new year, the government has launched a campaign to encourage the public to buy locally made goods, but whether the public has as much enthusiasm for local products is another question. Iran
Erdogan stays silent on Qatar amid Cyprus gas row Amid an escalating dispute over gas exploration off Cyprus, observers in Turkey are perplexed about why Ankara is sparing Qatar while harshly reacting to other countries and companies cooperating with the Greek Cypriots. Gulf
Jordan protests escalate as lawyers boycott court Members of the Jordanian Bar Association are refusing to appear in the military-run State Security Court in defense of protesters arrested while demonstrating against the government's decision to lift bread subsidies. Jordan
Egypt’s trade with Turkey grows despite political rift Egyptian efforts to attract investors and openness to Turkish investors have helped reduce Cairo's trade deficit with Ankara, despite ongoing tense bilateral political relations. Egypt
Could new development plan save Egypt's state TV? Egyptian state television, reeling under accumulated debts and an inflated number of employees, will implement a restructuring plan under the supervision of an unspecified "sovereign agency" amid fears that supervision could pave the way for intervention into media work. Egypt
Istanbul cabbies rage against Uber The people of Istanbul quickly embraced Uber's clean, safe cars and polite service, and thousands of taxi drivers are starting to react with violence. Turkey
Blindsided Bahrain lobbies against Trump tariffs The major aluminum exporter and US Navy host has been blindsided by President Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on aluminum. Bahrain
Virtual farming game cheats Turks out of real property Turkish prosecutors have opened an investigation into a young man being accused of using a Ponzi scheme to bilk around 80,000 Turks out of millions of dollars. Turkey
Why drought is a national security issue in Iran Mismanagement of water resources combined with climate change threaten the futures of coming generations of Iranians. Iran
Protests in Tunisia's phosphate regions threaten economy The recurrent disruption of phosphate production puts Tunisia's economy in the face of new challenges. Tunisia