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
What fading oil fortunes means for Turkey's businesses Turkish businesspeople are losing sleep over oil-producing states' deferrals of payments to international contractors and the possible loss of mega projects. Gulf
Why donor countries are giving less to the Palestinians The international community has significantly reduced financial aid to the Palestinian Authority as people lose confidence in the peace process. Palestine
To stop tourism slump, Erdogan asks Turks to holiday at home Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is asking Turks to spend their holidays in Turkey, to alleviate the loss in revenue of Russian tourists who will not travel to Turkey this year. Turkey
Is Iran really ready for foreign investment? Despite President Hassan Rouhani’s touting of foreign investment as the savior of the Iranian economy amid low crude prices, the country might not be able to handle the necessary capital inflow. Iran
Can Bieber fever rescue Turkey's tourism trade? Turkey's tourism business has checked out without paying its tab, and officials are considering enlisting US celebrities like Justin Bieber to help counteract the effects of terrorist attacks and Russian sanctions. Turkey
Will Egypt's 'luxury tax' hurt everyday citizens? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree raising customs tariffs on so-called luxury products, a new development that some say threatens the country with a potential wave of inflation. Egypt
Can Sisi reconcile with Egypt's youth? Does he even want to? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proclaimed 2016 to be the Year of the Youth, yet young people continue to be arrested and oppressed, which could result in the emergence of secret activities, especially by Islamists. Egypt
How Tehran plans to crack down on property speculators Iran has a plan to tax languishing building projects and vacant homes in an effort to curb rampant speculation and raise revenue. Iran
How Egypt plans to boost its stock exchange The Egyptian government's decision to sell shares of some state-owned banks and companies is drawing both praise and criticism. Egypt
How Iran's new petroleum contracts are producing more than oil Criticism of the general terms of the new Iran Petroleum Contract do not appear to be based on sound legal reasoning, but is rather the result of factionalism ahead of upcoming elections. Iran
Saudi Arabia turns to Turkey Following the visit of a Turkish delegation to Saudi Arabia, the kingdom hopes to establish economic and military ties with Turkey to counter the expanding Iranian influence in the region. Saudi Arabia
Egyptian taxi drivers protest 'unfair competition' from Uber Taxi drivers in Egypt say ride-sharing services Uber and Careem do not have to meet the same regulations taxis do and do not pay their fair share of taxes. Egypt
