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 Coptic Church help solve Egyptian-Ethiopian dam dispute? Bishop Beeman, who coordinates ties between the Egyptian and Ethiopian Coptic churches, has told Al-Monitor that the church could play an indirect role in solving the Renaissance Dam crisis between the two countries. Egypt
Why some in Israel are pushing for a two-year budget Opposition party leaders Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman are disappointed by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who affirmed that he intends to stay in the coalition. Israel
Will Gulf sanctions impact Lebanon’s banking sector? Although the recent decisions by Gulf states to impose political and economic measures on Lebanon’s Hezbollah sparked concerns about the impact on the country’s economy, experts in the field say Lebanese banks will be able to overcome this phase. Gulf
How will Iran take care of its aging population? Iran has five years to address the underfunding of its pension system or face an economic and budgetary crisis. Iran
Will Egyptians open their wallet to help Cairo get out of debt? Egypt's president seems to think that millions of citizens donating 13 cents a day can boost Egypt’s dire economic situation — or at least boost his image. Egypt
Why Turks are skipping banks and keeping their gold at home Turkish banks hope to retrieve 5,000 tons of gold that Turkish citizens have accumulated since World War I, and return it to the economy. Turkey
A glimpse into the world of Gaza’s cyber pirates Home to more than 2,000 hackers, the Gaza Strip is no longer the isolated place it used to be, with rising cyberattacks driven by national and personal motives. Palestine
Iranian banks told to get rid of excess properties Under severe economic pressure, despite the lifting of sanctions, the Central Bank of Iran is moving to get commercial banks to sell their excess properties. Iran
Iraq prepares to amend its existing oil contracts In light of the oil price slide, Iraq’s Oil Ministry is preparing to review contracts with foreign oil companies. Iraq
Will Israel's finance minister be able to lower housing prices? During his election campaign, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon promised to lower housing prices, but is now finding it hard to fulfill his promise and working to lower the expectations of his disappointed public. Israel
How Iran plans to cover its budget deficit As Iranian banks continue to struggle, the government has no choice but to develop the debt market in the coming years in order to make up for the damage incurred by the sanctions. Iran
Why Turkish women are opting out of the workforce A deeply patriarchal culture, work environments unfavorable to a healthy balance with family life and internalized gender roles keep many women in Turkey uninterested in taking advantage of opportunities to work. Turkey
