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
Iranian MPs move to hand control over bond market to Central Bank Iran’s moderate-leaning parliament appears to be pushing for control over the lucrative bond market to be given to the central bank. Iran
Is Iran-Turkey tension intentional? Turkey, while seeking to access Gulf funds and boost its defense industry exports, has risked economic relations with Iran — but the risk could also hold opportunity. Turkey
Egyptian fish return to Gaza's markets Tons of fish entered the Gaza Strip through the crossings and tunnels from Egypt, allowing medium- and low-income consumers to buy species that are usually consumed by the rich, as they are so scarce in the Gaza sea. Palestine
How Moses cartoon killed Turkish satirical magazine A cartoon ridiculing Moses brought about the swift demise of a satirical magazine without a political or legal decision having been made. Turkey
Palestine's first vegan cafeteria opens The Palestinian Animal League opened the first vegan cafeteria at Al-Quds University in the hope of raising awareness about animal welfare and providing healthy food options to the community. Palestine
Mutual interests break ice between Egypt, Saudi Arabia Although tension has been high between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the past few months, signs of cooperation are emerging over the development of Sinai and other common interests. Saudi Arabia
How 'Half of the World' is attracting tourists to Iran Esfahan, or "Half of the World" as it is dubbed in Persian, is attracting ever more foreign tourists to Iran in the aftermath of the lifting of sanctions. Iran
Refugee influx to Turkey sharply rises In the past five months, 551,000 new refugees arrived in Turkey, raising the total number to 3.551 million and the monthly cost to host them to $590 million. Syria
Canal Istanbul: Still hyped, still 'crazy' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is dusting off plans for the megaproject Canal Istanbul ahead of the constitutional referendum as an example of what a strong president could achieve. Turkey
Why Israel's ultra-Orthodox are fighting fur ban A move to ban the sale of fur in Israel is being blocked by ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are hanging on to the tradition of wearing expensive fur hats on the Sabbath and other holy days. Israel
Online platforms help sick Egyptians find drugs A medicine shortage produced by a currency valuation has Egyptians turning to the internet to locate donors and other sources for their medications. Egypt
Why was only one Palestinian publishing house at Cairo book fair? The Cairo International Book Fair, the most prominent in the Arab world, saw the attendance of only one Palestinian publishing house, among dozens of other Arab and international publishers. Palestine