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
Egyptian pop star croons for potential visitors on Europe tour Egypt’s Culture Ministry is promoting pop star Hakim’s European tour in the hope that he can interest Western tourists in Egyptian culture. Egypt
PA struggles to stop gas smuggling in the West Bank Smuggling adulterated fuel from Israel into the Palestinian territories has been on the rise. Palestine
Could energy deals warm relations between Egypt, Israel? Speculation about Egypt possibly privatizing some of its electricity distribution companies is sparking fears of expanded normalization with Israel. Egypt
Egyptian graphic designer turns learning Arabic into child's play Ghada Wali, listed as one of the top game-changers under 30 by Forbes, is determined to make Arabic one of the common global languages. Egypt
Saudi Arabia stuck with self-inflicted wounds in battle with Iran Policies driven by a narrow-minded focus on Iran have left Saudi Arabia with self-inflicted wounds, but it is not too late for a course correction. Saudi Arabia
Sanctions give Moscow, Tehran something to talk about US sanctions are indeed drawing Russia and Iran closer, but the question now becomes just how close. Russia
Iran faces challenges realizing natural gas potential Until last year, Iran's natural gas production was almost entirely consumed domestically. Now it is set to exponentially increase natural gas exports in coming years, but not without challenges. Iran
Khamenei says Iran will respond to nuclear deal violations Iran’s supreme leader warned of a response if the United States walks away from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. United States
Russia sees Saudi Arabia as 'gatekeeper' to Mideast Russian officials say Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is coming to Moscow for a visit, but the kingdom has been playing coy, perhaps as a bargaining tactic. Saudi Arabia
How Russia views OPEC The fate of Moscow’s participation in an agreement by OPEC and non-OPEC members to limit production is still unclear and, in spite of existing predictions, Russia may pull out of the deal after March 2018. Saudi Arabia
What's behind Turkish economic miracle? Under Turkey's emergency law, big business may benefit while the middle class is fast disappearing. Turkey
Iraqi farmers fight against imported goods, corruption The Iraqi market is flooded with foreign agricultural and food products, which affects local farmers and food producers. Iraq