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
Can Turkey break its Russian gas habit? With no end to bilateral tensions in sight, Turkey is making plans to significantly cut down Russia’s majority share of its natural gas supply. Turkey
Some Gazans fear Turkish generosity may come at high price Turkey’s crucial humanitarian aid and booming economic projects in Gaza could have hidden political motives. Palestine
Tourism blooms in Israel's Arava desert After the fall of the ruble and a crisis in the pepper market, farmers in the Arava desert region are playing host to a fledgling tourism industry. Israel
Syrian refugees boost Turkish economy, but for how long? Syrian refugees provided a much-needed boost to the slowing Turkish economy last year, but their contribution is not expected to last. Syria
Hamas' call for more taxes gets Gazans fired up Gazans are questioning Hamas’ decision to impose additional taxes, as they are still plagued by poverty, unemployment and insecurity, with no plans for development on the horizon. Palestine
Iran hopes to get its trains back on track The development of Iran’s railways has been slow in the past decades, but the sector might finally be getting the attention it deserves. Iran
Are Iranian hard-liners backing Trump? Iranian newspapers have returned after a two-week hiatus, with one hard-line editor offering up what seems to be an endorsement of US presidential candidate Donald Trump. Iran
Is Turkey headed for a housing bubble? Will Turkey’s housing sector, which leads the world in price increases, continue to attract foreign investors? Turkey
What Saudi Arabia is doing to save water Saudi Arabia’s self-sufficiency policy has led to the overconsumption of water, a resource that Saudi Arabia critically needs. Countries
Should they stay or should they go? Turkey leaves foreign investors at odds Short-term foreign investors staged their biggest flight from Turkey last year, while foreign direct investments shot up to a seven-year high. Turkey
Will PA continue enforcement of Israeli products ban? The Palestinian government officially and for the first time ever decided to ban the entry of five Israeli companies' products into the West Bank, which will bolster the Palestinian economy. Palestine
Will Egyptian parliament cut into the military's profit margin? The Egyptian army’s strength may hinder any attempt at limiting its economic activities. Egypt
