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
Iran's central bank won’t bite off more than it can chew Despite broad support for the unification of foreign exchange rates in Iran — and the central bank’s announcement of such a move in the near future — realities on the ground make such an endeavor unlikely anytime soon. Iran
15 years of Turkey's AKP: Is it a success story? Turkey's Justice and Development Party has had economic and political successes, but the current state of affairs could threaten that legacy. Turkey
For a good time, call Egypt's Antiquities Ministry Egypt has come up with some new uses for some very old venues. Egypt
Costs of Saudi economic failures show up in electric bills Saudis are complaining openly about their electricity bills that have doubled overnight, a dire sign for their economic future. Saudi Arabia
Will Palestine’s upcoming local elections be worth the cost? A lot of money is being poured into the local Palestinian elections, but some fear the funds will go to waste when the vote proves divisive and the results are contested. Palestine
How Ankara, Washington plan to achieve regional energy security US Vice President Joe Biden was in Ankara last week, and Cyprus and energy security joined Turkey's attempted coup and the Islamic State as discussion topics. Syria
Corruption scandal hits Tehran City Council According to a document by the General Inspection Office, members of the Tehran City Council have been handing out public property at a discount. Iran
How MasterCard debacle got one Iranian minister in trouble When Iran's Minister of Communication and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi was recently quoted as saying that MasterCard services were coming to Iran, the reports were quickly denied as a misunderstanding, though a MasterCard-affiliated debit card service is set to begin issuing prepaid cards. Iran
Egypt resorts to drastic proposals to solve dollar crisis Egyptians are at odds over how to solve the country's fiscal crisis, with parliament speaker Ali Abdul Aal calling for shutting down currency exchange companies. Egypt
Why cheaper rial could actually help Iran Though the Central Bank of Iran has repeatedly announced imminent plans to unify the country’s dual exchange rates, it appears that conditions may make this goal tenable at last. Iran
The original dishdash: Online restaurant access comes to Gaza A Palestinian professor's new online business allows residents of Gaza City to browse menus and order meals for delivery from various restaurants, the first service of its kind in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Did Washington ask Lebanon to negotiate with Israel over oil? An agreement for Lebanon to begin exploiting oil and gas reserves in the Mediterranean appears to have been put on hold following an American request that Lebanon negotiate with Israel to resolve their maritime border dispute. Israel