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
Iraqi workers protest for wage payment Iraq's Ministry of Industry has been unable to pay workers' salaries for several months, placing an even heavier burden on an already sinking industrial sector. Iraq
Egypt government to require use of fuel subsidy cards The Egyptian government, in an effort to eventually reduce fuel subsidies, plans to start requiring the use of fuel subsidy cards to keep track of the fuel consumed by each vehicle. Egypt
Life as a Gaza street vendor Owners of small businesses in Gaza are already struggling to make ends meet, and the fines and taxes they are required to pay are adding to their difficulties. Palestine
The Islamization of Turkey Two remarkable developments in Turkey on May 29 have increased concern of growing Islamization in the economy and society. Turkey
Foreign, local workers at odds in Jordan's labor market The unemployment rate among Jordanians is increasing, as Syrian refugees in Jordan are willing to work for longer hours and lower wages. Jordan
EgyptAir pilots fly amid troubled winds EgyptAir pilots are dissatisfied and feel undervalued amid relatively low salaries. Egypt
Will Iran's new mortgage plan stimulate housing market? New plans to increase the ceiling for mortgages in Iran creates unnecessary bureaucracies and is not enough to stimulate demand in the housing market. Iran
Sales of Turkish property to foreign buyers reaches $4.3B in 2014 Foreign real estate purchases in Turkey have reached more than $16 billion over the past six years, hitting an all-time annual high last year. Turkey
Kahlon's election promise blunder Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon won 10 Knesset seats after promising to dismantle monopolies and share more equally natural resources, but this promise is now questioned in view of his friendship with a leading Israeli businessman. Israel
Jordanians protest Israeli gas deal Jordanians continue to oppose the natural gas deal struck with Israel, arguing that it threatens the country’s economic and political independence. Israel
Center trains Ethiopian-Israelis for high-tech careers A technology training center for Ethiopian-Israelis trains dozens of students every year for high-tech professions, but many graduates feel disappointed in a state that still sees them as manual laborers. Israel
What will happen once Iran's assets are unfrozen? The repatriation of Iran's $120 billion in blocked assets must be paced and rational to avoid negative consequences for its economy, and Tehran must make investment decisions based on technocratic approaches as opposed to political and ideological ones. Iran
