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
Russia, Turkey to talk tariffs It looks like Ankara’s retaliatory tariffs on Russian wheat will bring the two parties together in another attempt to compromise on sanctions and import taxes. Turkey
Hydroponic farming finds its way to Egypt Amid severe water shortages and concerns over pesticide use, some Egyptians are hoping to transform the country's agriculture sector by relying on hydroponics to grow healthy and pesticide-free crops. Egypt
West Bank to get 3G mobile service The Palestinian Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology signed a final agreement with Israel earlier this month allowing Palestinian companies to provide 3G mobile services in the West Bank. Palestine
Palestinian pound to start circulating in West Bank schools The Palestinian Education Ministry launched an initiative to issue Palestinian pounds to be used in schools, in an attempt to introduce students to their national currency, which has been off the market since the end of the British Mandate in 1948. Palestine
What’s next for Turkey’s economy under 'new system'? Turkey’s new governance model, narrowly approved by a disputed referendum, adds more uncertainty to the country’s continued economic downturn. Turkey
Egypt contemplates doing away with printed textbooks A proposal to end the production of free textbooks and make better versions available in an electronic format poses a threat to the state-owned publishing houses that rely on this work. Egypt
Why Iran won’t ditch the dollar soon Although Iran has long touted plans to wholly abandon the US dollar, economic realities appear to be forcing Tehran to delay such a move. United States
Is it 'business as usual' for Israel's tourism? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going to great lengths to promote a strong Israeli tourism industry, but not everything is as it seems. Israel
Egypt's haute couture looks for foothold in international market The fashion industry in Egypt is getting a boost from local designers who aim to reflect Egyptian culture in their products. Egypt
Israeli startups push crowdfunding as investment in Israel New funding platforms for Israeli startup companies are making it easier for Jews around the world to invest in the future of Israel. Israel
How Egyptian cleaning service seeks to protect migrant workers The Egyptian startup MerMaid has digitized home cleaning and is working to ensure that migrant and refugee maids are not mistreated. Egypt
So many Iraqi airports, so few planes Iraq doesn't need more airports, but that's not stopping local governments from trying to build them. Iraq