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
Will Israel build offshore nuclear power plant? While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promotes the outline for the natural gas resource and benefits distribution, several experts promote the idea of offshore gas and civil nuclear energy plants. Israel
Sudan gets $2.2B for joining Saudi Arabia, Qatar in Yemen war After providing financial support, Saudi Arabia is collecting on its IOU from Sudan, which now finds itself enmeshed in Yemen's civil war. Saudi Arabia
Do Iranian hard-liners really want to stop foreign investment? Despite criticism and warnings of "infiltration" in the aftermath of the nuclear deal, are Iranian hard-liners really opposed to foreign investment? Iran
Hamas-Fatah squabble puts future of 25,000 Gazan students at risk As the Hamas-Fatah dispute over the chairmanship of Al-Aqsa University continues, the Education Ministry is threatening to revoke the school's accreditation. Palestine
Why it pays to be a settler in Israel The 2015-2016 state budget reflects well the priorities of the Netanyahu government, with generous funding and allocations to the settlers and religious parties, while neglecting the periphery, the Arabs and Israel's secular heritage. Israel
As the economy falters, Egypt’s police launch a ‘war on prices’ Egypt’s supply police launch a campaign to reduce the prices of some goods, with the government calling it a war on high prices. Egypt
Why cemetery-dwelling Gazans fear the living, not the dead A cemetery in central Gaza City is home to dozens of families, who receive only minimal aid from the Ministry of Social Affairs. Palestine
Is it time for China to step up its engagement in the Middle East? It is time for China to capitalize on its position as the only great power with good relations with both Iran and Saudi Arabia to facilitate regional engagement. Saudi Arabia
Khamenei says Iran must go green Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a list of policy directives regarding the environment. Iran
Gaza's unemployed youth look online for work Young professionals in the Gaza Strip use local and international online freelancing platforms to find job opportunities and a steady source of income. Palestine
How to resolve Iraq's economic crisis It's time for Iraq to look beyond stopgap measures and develop a larger plan to resolve the country's dire economic situation. Iraq
Restaurants on the rise in Gaza The number of restaurants are rapidly increasing in the Gaza Strip, as this industry is regarded as a safe investment in light of the siege and the ban on imports. Palestine
