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
Refugee caterers bring taste of Syria to Cairo A group of Syrian women refugees have opened a catering service in Cairo to make ends meet, and Egyptians are relishing their efforts. Egypt
Iran abandons hope for WTO accession Although many thought Iran might finally be able to join the World Trade Organization following the nuclear deal, the Islamic Repubic appears to have lost hope of becoming part of the influential body. Iran
Egyptian doctors moonlight as chefs A new restaurant created by Egyptian doctors is decorated like an emergency room and serves liver dishes cooked with surgical precision. Egypt
Turkey indulges in schadenfreude as German right triumphs Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says mainstream German politicians paid a price for dragging Turkey into their campaign, but he may find the new government in Berlin even more reluctant to mend ties with Turkey. Turkey
Online portal offers Palestinian diaspora piece of home A Palestinian businesswoman has adopted the tradition of gift baskets to bring a taste of homeland to Palestinian diaspora. Palestine
Iranians rail against Apple, Google over pulling of apps US tech giants Apple and Google have removed Iranian-developed apps from their online stores, sparking a backlash. United States
Fed’s road map threatens to jolt Turkey The US Federal Reserve’s plan to trim its balance sheet and keep hiking interest rates could spell trouble for Turkey by changing the direction of global funds and pushing up the price of the dollar. Turkey
Iran’s oil minister has big plans for likely last term Having begun yet another — and likely his last — term as Iran’s minister of petroleum, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh faces surmountable challenges in pushing the country’s energy sector into the 21st century. Iran
Jordanians brace for tough times ahead amid tax changes under IMF deal Under an agreement signed with the IMF, Jordan is seeking to raise additional revenues, raising fears about the worsening economic situation in the kingdom. Jordan
As EU ties chill, UK-Turkey defense cooperation thrives While relations between the United Kingdom and Turkey are still strained, cooperation between the two countries on defense and aerospace projects is flourishing. Turkey
Palestine’s struggling palm sector While Palestinian dates are slowly becoming popular around the world, the palm sector is facing several Israeli constraints. Palestine
Turkey’s shopping mall boom going bust Turkey’s shopping mall boom has been hit by economic problems stemming from the lira's decline against the dollar and poor planning. Turkey