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
Activists claim forgery in Beirut beach development plan The planned development of the Dalieh of Raouche threatens to prevent public access to one of two remaining natural areas along Beirut's coastline. Lebanon
Prospects for Egyptian-Jordanian cooperation remain hazy Since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi, economic ties have strengthened. Egypt
Egypt 'tourism rebound' slow to reach South Sinai Egypt’s tourism sector has been slowly growing as people do not differentiate between South Sinai and North Sinai, where the fighting is ongoing between the Egyptian army and the Islamic State. Egypt
Is Iran on the right track to managing inflation? To make the economy stable and predictable, the government needs to put an end to its borrowing habit and cut spending in a significant way, economists believe. Iran
Will AKP's loss benefit Israel? Many in Israel reveled over the AKP's loss in the parliamentarian elections, but their defeat might actually harm the normalization process between the two countries. Israel
Gaza's ice cream industry melts Although ice cream is popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, local ice cream shops struggle to sustain themselves under Israel's blockade and Hamas' law on imported goods. Palestine
Gulf countries rake in billions in Ex-Im Bank subsidies Several Middle East nations are taking full advantage of a US export financing program whose loans and guarantees supporters say create American jobs and critics claim undermine the US economy. Scroll down to see our interactive table. Saudi Arabia
The last of Iraq's hand-woven carpets Once an Iraqi trademark and a sought-after speciality, it seems like the handmade carpet industry in Iraq is drawing its last breath. Iraq
Ultra-Orthodox protest businesses open on Sabbath The ultra-Orthodox sector is rallying thousands of consumers in its battle against businesses that operate on Saturdays. Israel
South African Jews, not Israel, suffer from boycott The BDS movement has been active in South Africa for years, but it's the local Jewish community, not Israel-South Africa bilateral trade relations, that are paying the price of the boycott calls. Palestine
Rouhani: Saving environment starts with sanctions removal Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been criticized for linking possible help for the country's environmental problems with sanctions relief from a nuclear deal. Iran
Netanyahu derails debate on boycott, occupation Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views the boycott campaign against Israel through a prism of anti-Semitism and is avoiding public debate over the BDS movement's motives, namely the occupation. Palestine
