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
Why is Rouhani backing off from those profiting from sanctions? Is Rouhani's softer tone against those who've benefited from the sanctions on Iran a tactic to win them over — or is he just giving up? Iran
Qatar launches initiative to ease power crisis in Gaza As Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to suffer from daily power cuts, Qatar proposed to Israelis supplying Gaza with natural gas. Qatar
Israeli budget becomes political playground Ministers Moshe Kahlon, Aryeh Deri and Naftali Bennett each look to appease their constituencies when voting over the 2016 Israeli state budget. Israel
Egypt rushes to bolster tourism after Sinai plane crash Egyptian politicians and public figures have created dozens of initiatives to bring tourism back to Sharm el-Sheikh after Western countries decided to suspend their flights to Sinai in response to the Russian plane crash there. Egypt
How a statuette dashed hopes for Turkish-Egyptian reconciliation While a visit to Egypt by representatives of Turkey’s Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges initially sparked hopes of a reconciliation between Ankara and Cairo, things seem unlikely to change anytime soon. Egypt
Is it from Israel or Palestine? EU labeling guidelines spur more controversy Congress — and Israel — say new European labeling guidelines are an anti-Semitic ploy; the EU says they’re in line with 15 years of trade law. Palestine
Oman looks East As Oman practices diplomacy in the Middle East, it also is strengthening ties with China as a potential long-term partner. Oman
Despite ongoing war, is trade between Turkey, Syria rebounding? As the number of Syrian companies set up in Turkey increases, the trade between the two countries is returning to prewar levels. Syria
Infighting overshadows Iran press exhibition Boycotts and accusations against media close to the administration have overshadowed Iran's 21st Press Exhibition. Iran
Turkey's alcohol restrictions spark boost in bootleg booze The Turkish government’s hefty taxes on alcohol have led to bootleg liquor production, which has claimed at least 26 lives over the past month. Turkey
Iran sets its sights on Armenia Competition between US, Iran in Caucuses heats up as Iran identifies a new trade partner. Iran
Why Iraqi women are turning to the Internet to buy books Iraqi women are ordering books from the comfort of their own homes, overcoming the crippling security conditions. Iraq
