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
How a joke about Sisi’s fridge has strained Cairo-Riyadh ties The careless slip of a Saudi tongue was enough to anger Egyptians and end the term of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's secretary-general as Riyadh-Cairo relations deteriorate over regional alliances and halted oil shipments. Saudi Arabia
How Iran’s auto industry became the new domestic political football Iranian hard-liners are targeting automotive sector policies in their latest attack on the administration of President Hassan Rouhani. United States
What you need to know about Morocco's recent protests Protests in Morocco are about more than the death of a fish vendor — they are about social and economic justice. Morocco
Gaza ministry incurs anger by ending import monopoly on commodities Gaza's Ministry of National Economy announced the cancellation of import monopolies on some commodities, but it is unclear whether the decision will decrease the price of goods. Palestine
Why Gazan women are turning to cactus picking Women in the Gaza Strip are harvesting cactus fruit as seasonal jobs to either save for college or help their families in light of the difficult economic conditions. Palestine
Gaza’s exchange shops come under scrutiny The Palestinian Ministry of Economy recently announced the formation of a new oversight committee to monitor the work of exchange shops in the Gaza Strip, in light of the manipulation of currency prices that has been ongoing for many years. Palestine
Could megaprojects spell mega trouble for Turkey's economy? Giant infrastructure projects launched by the Turkish government have raised the specter of potentially unpredictable burdens on public finances amid little transparency on loan and demand guarantees provided to private contractors. Turkey
Palestinian paper faces backlash for interview with Israeli minister Palestinian paper Al-Quds, based in Jerusalem, recently published an interview with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, angering some Palestinians who saw it as a normalization of ties with Israel. Palestine
Internet disruption causes chaos in southeast Turkey A day after the co-mayors of Diyarbakir were detained, internet communications in 15 eastern and southeastern provinces were cut off, paralyzing the health, commerce and service sectors. Business
Why OPEC still can’t get Iran to cut oil production Despite the agreement in principle on output cuts at its September meeting in Algeria, OPEC still has a long way to go in getting Iran to stop its drive to regain market share. Saudi Arabia
Vital Palestinian private sector not getting necessary foreign aid A recent study found that despite the significant role foreign aid plays in the Palestinian economy, the private sector is not receiving the support it deserves. Palestine
How Gaza’s plastic factories are betting on recycling Plastic factories in the Gaza Strip seek to develop the local production of products through recycling, and break the reliance on imported goods. Palestine