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
Qatar's lifeline to Gaza In an interview with Al-Monitor, Yousef al-Ghariz, adviser to the chair of the Qatari Committee for Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, discussed the ins and outs of the $400 million worth of projects the committee has implemented. Business
Iranian ayatollah calls for fewer holidays Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi has criticized the number of holidays in Iran, urging the government to take action to decrease breaks. Iran
Turkey shocked over banker's arrest in New York The arrest of the vice president for Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank in New York has stunned Ankara and when the shock wears off, it will likely have complex implications for US-Turkish relations. Turkey
Turkey’s 'megaprojects' off to disappointing start In an outcome that many have long feared, Turkey’s “megaprojects” are underperforming, meaning the government now has to compensate the construction companies under contract terms. Turkey
Why Cairo’s canines may soon be ditching the kibble After a successful career in marketing and public relations, Heba Ahmed has opened a fresh dog food delivery service out of her home. Egypt
Why is Netanyahu ignoring concerns of chemical workers? Threatened with losing their jobs, employees from Haifa Chemicals cannot get the attention of Israeli leaders, who are too concerned with the fight over Israel's Public Broadcasting Corporation. Israel
Will bulked-up wheat reserves keep the peace in Egypt? After protests over a decrease in bread subsidy allocations, Egypt is reinforcing its wheat reserves. Egypt
Can Iran avoid looming banking crisis? In Iran, debate on how to avoid a looming banking crisis reaches fever pitch, with the future structure of the Central Bank of Iran becoming a battlefield between the government and its conservative opponents. Iran
Will new union chief give Egypt more control over press? Abdel Mohsen Salama, who is affiliated with the regime of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, was recently elected head of the Journalists' Union, raising questions about the state's future role in the media. Egypt
Jordanians really don't want Israel’s gas Jordan's agreement to buy Israeli natural gas has Jordanians up in arms. Palestine
Gaza real estate sector on the rise The real estate sector in Gaza is booming in light of a fast-rising population and a small surface area, but will this spur benefit the government? Palestine
Could foreign partners help revive ailing Arab film industry? The Sharm el-Sheikh Arab and European Film Festival started a debate through a seminar on joint film projects between the Arab world and Europe, over the feasibility of international co-productions. Egypt