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 the Islamic State is still seeping through Syria-Turkey border Despite new security measures, including walls, Islamic State traffic through the Turkey-Syria border has not stopped. Syria
Lebanon holds breath for deal to export trash abroad Although officials have announced that Lebanon will export its waste as a solution to the garbage crisis plaguing the country since July, the government has yet to sign contracts with any foreign companies. Lebanon
How one messaging app is changing Iranian media While news shared on Telegram allows Iranians to bypass restrictions and censorship faced by licensed Iranian media outlets, the impact of the smartphone app may not be entirely positive for Iranian society. Iran
Do Gaza’s melting-pot markets reflect identity crisis? The Gaza Strip tries to maintain its own culture, even as the blockade forces it to embrace imports. Palestine
Salt industry evaporating in Iraq Poor Iraqis in search of income have turned to harvesting salt by hand, but face competition from imports. Iraq
Is Turkey the odd man out as Egypt, Greece, Cyprus cozy up? Cairo, Athens and Nicosia are busy forging cooperation pacts. Egypt
New transportation project aims to get the West Bank moving The West Bank is preparing to carry out the ORIO project that aims to develop a fleet of public buses, which will be a quantum leap in Palestine’s public transportation system. Palestine
Uber drives a wedge between Bibi and Israel's transportation minister The dispute between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz over approving the entrance of ride-sharing app Uber to the Israeli market revealed a power struggle between the two men. Israel
Will Egypt be able to dredge up support for new Suez canal? Officials say they are confident the new Suez Canal will be a moneymaker, but they’re working hard to promote it with an eye on its competition. Egypt
Cinema returns to Gaza after long absence As film theaters have been closed in Gaza since the 1987 intifada, movie directors are launching personal initiatives to try and revive the film industry and cinema in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Iranians launch boycott of Saudi businesses Following Saudi Arabia’s move to cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Iran, some Iranians have joined forces to launch a campaign against Saudi firms in the country — but is the boycott having any impact? Saudi Arabia
The profitable business of Israeli occupation Is the settlement enterprise a diplomatic or defense necessity for Israel, or a way to make money? Palestine
