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
Iran struggles to address smuggling in Kurdish areas Despite repeated pledges of investment and other measures to address unemployment, dire economic conditions continue to force Iranian Kurds into the smuggling trade. Iran
Palestinian women earn sweet money as pastry chefs Once considered taboo, women take over pastry-making in West Bank sweets factory. Palestine
Egypt selling off state-owned companies for first time in 12 years The Egyptian government has announced the start of its initial public offering of some state-run companies during the next two months, a step allegedly aimed at bolstering the country’s stock exchange. Egypt
Turkey’s economic dilemma: Win Qatar or lose the Gulf? By backing Qatar, Turkey faces economic losses in the Gulf but improved economic ties with Iran Gulf
Saudi Arabia's dependent fees leave Egyptian expats in dire straits Dependents of expat workers in Saudi Arabia will be charged a dependent fee starting in 2017, which is a further strain on the salaries of foreign workers and will likely result in large numbers of families going back home. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s ‘great wall’ nearing completion Having finished most of the 435-mile-long wall on the Syria border, Turkey is to erect walls on its borders with Iran and Iraq. Turkey
Israeli-Palestinian water deal could chart course for further talks An agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the Red Sea-Dead Sea canal project could build some trust between the sides, but the Palestinians are leery of any impact from it going into negotiations. Palestine
Egypt keen on protecting Qatari investments Egypt recently severed ties with Qatar, but believes the countries' economic relationship should stay above the fray. Qatar
New Iranian jobs plan faces major obstacles The Rouhani administration has unveiled a comprehensive employment plan in a bid to realize the president’s campaign promises, but it is unclear whether the envisioned job creation will materialize given the obstacles that remain unaddressed. Iran
Egypt fails to make headway as it navigates Nile River talks In the wake of a failed attempt by the Nile Basin states to reach an agreement, Al-Monitor speaks with a former Egyptian Foreign Ministry official on what comes next. Egypt
Lebanese entrepreneurs discover an appetite for snails Snails, which are part of Lebanon’s culinary tradition, are juicy business for the country’s entrepreneurs. Lebanon
'Game of Thrones' fever grips Iran Fans across Iran are waiting eagerly for the new season of "Game of Thrones," a show whose content and storytelling style resemble the epic tales Iranian children grow up with. Iran