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
Why Morocco's Islamists struggle to manage economy A stagnant economy, due to a decline in tourism, agriculture and phosphate earnings, is frustrating voters in a country where the long-term economic trend has not been positive. Morocco
Egypt's newspapers face uncertainty after printing price hikes Several Egyptian newspapers may have to shut down following the increase of printing costs. Egypt
Israel's classic car lovers get organized A growing number of Israelis are indulging their interest for vintage cars as the car collecting hobby is booming. Israel
Why Iran is moving to halt exports of raw minerals The Iranian government’s plan to minimize iron ore exports to boost the production of processed goods jives with realities on the ground. Iran
What Exxon's Rex Tillerson might mean as secretary of state Democrats and some Republican lawmakers expressed concerns about the extensive business dealings in Russia of Trump’s nominee to be secretary of state, but several former diplomats said ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson brings significant global experience negotiating in complex environments. Russia
Dollar-hungry Turkey eyes Middle Eastern markets Scrambling to overcome a foreign exchange crunch, Turkey’s government has outlined incentives to prop up exporters, and while Middle Eastern markets figure high on the target list, Ankara’s political conflicts with neighbors present an obstacle that needs to be addressed. Iraq
What's behind Egyptian campaign to delay Saudi pilgrimages? Recent calls in Egypt to postpone by one year the umrah pilgrimage for those who have already made the trip has raised controversy and is viewed by some as a means of leverage against Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Why do Iran's conservatives oppose deals with Boeing, Hyundai? Iranian conservatives denounce the billion-dollar deals with Boeing and South Korea’s Hyundai to modernize Iran’s air and shipping fleets after years of sanctions. United States
Erdogan’s war on the market economy Challenging the tenets of the market economy, Turkish leaders have portrayed the country’s economic downturn as a foreign plot to discredit the government — an attitude that signals a dangerous course for Turkey. Turkey
Egypt pivots to medical tourism An Egyptian pharmaceutical company launched a campaign that highlights low-cost treatment to hepatitis C patients from all over the world as part of efforts to promote medical tourism to the country. Egypt
Erdogan's money troubles Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on citizens to convert their dollars to Turkish lira to shore up the economy, but many are choosing other options. Turkey
Iran's Cabinet votes to change national currency Decades after the first plan to slash zeros from the Iranian rial, President Hassan Rouhani’s Cabinet has sent a bill to parliament to make changes to the country's currency. Iran