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 Egypt trash its latest waste-sorting initiative? The latest initiative to encourage households to sort waste has been unsuccessful due to mismanagement at the government level. Egypt
How Internet censorship protects Iranian businesses Contrary to popular perceptions, more than political considerations inform Iran's Internet filtering policies. Iran
After failing to find work, many Gazan medical professionals 'lease' their degrees to others Haunted by a skyrocketing unemployment rate, medical graduates in the Gaza Strip are leasing their degrees to businessmen to make a living. Palestine
Palestinian olive oil sector squeezed by production shortfalls Olive oil is the main source of income for 100,000 Palestinian families, yet authorities keep ignoring warning signs in the struggling sector. Palestine
Is Qatar Iran's door to the Gulf? The recent Iranian-Qatari rapprochement has created further controversy in the Middle East but some countries see it as a positive step in alleviating the ongoing conflict. Saudi Arabia
Will new Egyptian employment law help its women lean in? Nearly five years after the revolution, Egyptian women still face much the same obstacles in the workforce as the economy continues to limp along without their full participation. Egypt
Iran sees 'battle of the brands' as US franchises look to enter Bootlegs of American franchises in Iran may very well fall victim of the nuclear deal as Western companies consider expanding their businesses there. Iran
Could desalination solve Gaza's water woes? The Gaza Strip is in dire need of a seawater desalination project, in light of a severe water shortage and the depletion of the only freshwater source. Palestine
Israeli politicians wary of being shocked by electricity union Even with the mass power breaks following the flash floods this week, Israeli politicians didn't dare confront the mighty electricity labor union. Israel
Egypt’s industrial sector struggles with growing Chinese presence Faced with various economic challenges, the Egyptian government now has to protect its national industry from Chinese goods, which are both cheaper and made to better suit the population’s needs. Egypt
You won't believe what some Iranians have found in their bottled water Iran is being plagued by an increasing number of scandals involving violations of food safety standards. Iran
Why are Iran’s environmental workers protesting? Employees of Iran's Environmental Protection Organization are protesting corruption, negligent budget management and low wages. Iran
