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
US risks irrelevance in Syria with reconstruction taboos The West’s warranted aversion to helping the Assad regime carries risks for the entire region. Syria
Egypt seeks scientific innovation by lowering research costs Egypt's parliament is pushing through a law to exempt higher education and scientific research bodies from taxes and customs fees in a bid to incentivize research and promote innovation. Egypt
Istanbul’s new airport: a looming black hole Istanbul’s giant new airport, scheduled to partially open in October ahead of key elections next year, has become a headache that threatens to carve a black hole in Turkey’s public finances. Turkey
Jordanian dry yogurt gets sweet deal Omar Sartawi, a Jordanian chef with unorthodox practices, took Bedouin dried yogurt and made it into white chocolate truffles — but the jury is still out on its taste. Jordan
Rabbis seek to break monopoly on Israeli kosher certification Tzohar rabbis offer an alternative to restaurants and hotels that want a kosher certification but are fed up with the Chief Rabbinate. Israel
Iran's poorest citizens still waiting for some semblance of parity after 39 years Iranian authorities need to muster the courage and will to tackle fundamental tax and subsidy reforms to remedy the gaping wealth inequality in the country. Iran
The dealmaker: Mueller witness helped broker $4.2 billion Iraq-Russia arms deal Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s latest interest, Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, has a long history of mysterious dealings in the Middle East despite a low profile in Washington. United Arab Emirates
Was Egypt's bond sale a sign of hope or desperation? Egypt raised $4 billion in a debt sale to help finance its budget deficit, but some economists emphasize that the government must ultimately find ways to generate income if it is to successfully deal with its economic problems and settle its debt. Egypt
US still pouring weapons into Yemen war The United States sold Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates more than $650 million in weapons last year for their war against the Houthis, according to a new report. Saudi Arabia
Iraq’s legendary copper markets fade away Iraqi's legendary copper markets, once centers of commerce and socialization, are now fading away, from Baghdad to Najaf. Iraq
Upcoming summit unlikely to restart Turkey’s EU progress For pragmatic considerations, the European Union could offer a new kind of partnership for Turkey to keep it tethered to Europe without making it a full member. Turkey
Palestinians call for new reconstruction plan for Gaza Although more than $5 billion was pledged by international donors to help rebuild the Gaza Strip after the 2014 war, much of the plan to revitalize the coastal enclave has gone unimplemented. Palestine