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
Defying Erdogan’s calls, Turks rush for dollars A significant amount of loan money, released as incentives for the Turkish business community, appears to have ended up in high-yield bank deposits and foreign currency, reflecting widespread mistrust in the future of the Turkish economy. Turkey
Palestinian traders forced to retreat from Cairo market In the most crowded part of Egypt’s popular markets, in the center of Cairo, mainly clothing is sold at the "Gaza Market," but the Palestinian traders have made way for their Egyptian counterparts. Palestine
'The Ottoman Lieutenant' loses box office war “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” the first Hollywood production to reflect Turkey’s perspective on the Armenian genocide, has been criticized both for its outlook and its artistic merit. Turkey
Iran's housing crisis aggravated by reluctant sellers Iran's housing sector, once an engine of the Iranian economy, is unlikely to exit recession anytime soon, in part due to homeowners refusing to sell at a loss. Iran
Egypt hopes new residency-for-deposits system will boost investments Kamal Amer, the head of the Egyptian parliament's National Defense and Security Committee speaks to Al-Monitor about the residency-for-deposits system in Egypt and explains Egypt’s official stance toward the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir. Saudi Arabia
Egypt's economy trapped in vicious cycle of IMF debts Egypt is expecting a new rise of prices due to the IMF loan requirements, while the country has not yet recovered from the aftermath of the economic decisions taken in November 2016. Egypt
Egypt's alcohol bans keep stirring controversy A ban on alcohol during an Islamic holiday has revived debate over the effectiveness and fairness of government attempts to regulate such spirits. Egypt
What’s on Rouhani’s second-term economic agenda? While President Hassan Rouhani’s economic agenda features strong commitment to the building blocks of sustainable development, there are significant challenges ahead. Iran
Turkey's AKP manages to fend off economic crisis, but at what price? The Turkish government has succeeded in fending off a full-blown economic crisis, but its measures have made the economy less resilient against future contractions. Turkey
Egypt may impose hefty fines on tourist harassers A draft law that would impose fines on vendors who harass tourists in Egypt also hopes to curtail the sexual harassment of visitors to the country. Egypt
'Plan B' for worried Turks: Move abroad Under increasing political and economic pressure at home, thousands of wealthy Turks are buying property abroad to obtain residency permits. Turkey
Mining companies in no rush to exploit Egypt's gold Egypt's deserts are thought to hold an abundance of gold, but the government needs to find companies willing to pick up the cost of exploration and production. Egypt