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
Will snowballing scandals bury Netanyahu? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is embroiled in not one but three major scandals that could end his career. Israel
Erdogan calls dollar and euro holders 'terrorists' Turkey’s president has likened dollar and euro holders to terrorists armed with guns and bombs, deepening further the controversy on how the country will overcome its foreign-exchange crunch. Turkey
Syrian women in Egypt find solidarity in stylist classes Cosmetology classes help displaced Syrian women form bonds and start fashion careers in Egypt. Egypt
Egypt set to invest in crocodile industry As the crocodile population has increased in Lake Nasser, despite lifting the ban on crocodile hunting, the Egyptian government announced a project to invest in the animal and encourage exports. Egypt
Turkish grannies to get state salaries for grandchildren’s care The Turkish government has drawn up a program of financial support for women who assume the home care of their grandchildren in the age group of 0-3, but not everyone is happy with the program. Turkey
Will new law attract more foreign investment to Egypt? Experts say drafting a new investment law is not enough to lure foreign investors back to Egypt — the entire business climate will need to change. Egypt
KRG speaker: Independent Kurdish state complex issue Kurdish parliament Speaker Yusuf Mohammed Sadiq discusses with Al-Monitor the current issues of Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraq
Turkey faces financial disaster Turkey's decision-makers need to step up and change their destructive policies rather than inventing an international conspiracy to blame for the country's currency crisis. Turkey
Ramallah's blacksmiths chisel out niche in modern market Ramallah's blacksmiths work to preserve their profession and livelihood despite significant competition. Palestine
Egypt sets up new fund to revive tourism industry The Central Bank of Egypt has set up a new fund to revive its ailing tourism industry, and experts are upbeat about the outlook of tourism in 2017. Egypt
Is Rouhani repeating Ahmadinejad’s tricks in currency market? In Iran, the Central Bank and the government are coming under fire for allegedly letting the currency devalue in order to make up for budget deficits. Iran
Egypt's political, religious leaders push for family planning Egypt's Ministry of Awqaf is working to promote family planning as a solution to the overpopulated country's economic crisis. Egypt