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 Obama should move to shore up Iran nuclear deal While efforts have been made to facilitate Iran’s reconnection with the international banking system, much remains to be done. Iran
Youth unemployment poses latest danger to Turkey Young Turks, especially in Turkey's volatile southeast, are facing an increasingly poor employment outlook, leaving them more susceptible to crime and violence. Turkey
Israeli 3G SIM cards all the rage in Gaza SIM cards allowing 3G service on Israeli telecommunications networks are being smuggled into Gaza and snapped up quickly by young Palestinians. Palestine
Gaza residents stand firm in opposition to new cement factory A project of Sanad Construction Industries to build a cement factory in the central West Bank was met with the opposition of local residents because of the potential environmental damage the area would suffer. Palestine
Will submarine deal sink Netanyahu's ship? A scandal over a submarine deal has focused the public's attention and that of Israel's attorney general on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relations with two of his lawyers. Israel
Cairo looks to Egyptians abroad to boost economy Nabila Makram, Egypt's minister of immigration and expatriate affairs, discusses her recent trip to Australia and New Zealand, where she sought to get Egyptian expatriates to invest in certificates that will help the Egyptian economy. Egypt
Gaza fishermen not permitted beyond 6-mile zone any time soon As Israel keeps delaying the decision to allow Gazan fishermen to go further into the sea, they are left with a small nautical area where fish are scarce. Palestine
Will Turkey's negative growth rates lead to political crisis? Early indicators show that Turkey's economy has begun to contract in the third quarter for the first time since 2009, raising the threat of political consequences for the AKP. Turkey
Iraqi students forced to study without textbooks Iraq's Ministry of Education has failed to provide Iraqi students with their textbooks because of corruption and negligence. Iraq
Shopping portal rides Egypt’s e-commerce wave An online shopping portal created by young Egyptian entrepreneurs has seen an uptick in users, as Egypt's startup scene maintains optimism. Egypt
Little has changed between Turkey, Russia despite reconciliation Turkey’s economy has not seen the benefits from normalizing bilateral ties with Russia as Ankara tries to speed up the pace of economic fence mending. Turkey
Will Iran attract international oil firms in post-sanctions era? French energy giant Total’s move to return to Iran is a watershed after years of sanctions, but does this represent a broader process of international oil majors returning to the country? Iran