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
Egypt Nile water pollution on the rise Egypt’s Nile water pollution rates are alarming, and people and natural life are being affected, while the efforts on the part of the government to fix the situation remain questionable. Egypt
Turkish NGO helps mothers return to work Turkish women are poorly represented in the workforce, but a new foundation aims to change that. Turkey
Turkey can’t part with currency zeroes Though Turkey wiped off six zeroes from its currency a decade ago, politicians stick to old figures, hoping for a stronger propaganda impact in the run-up to general elections. Turkey
Damaged gas cylinders become another threat to Gazans In addition to other hardships suffered by Palestinians, damaged gas cylinder explosions are claiming the lives of citizens in Gaza who are unaware of their risks. Palestine
Is there a potato conspiracy in Turkey? A fall in potato crops, increased exports to Syria and Iraq and hoarding have led to an unprecedented potato shortage in Turkey. Turkey
Struggle of Negev region against layoffs The well-connected employees of Israel Chemicals have succeeded in making waves against a layoff plan, but there's little correlation between their struggle and the socio-economic problems of the Negev residents. Israel
Iran slashes interest rates to boost economy The Iranian leadership will need to make significant political and economic reforms, some of them counterintuitive, to complement interest rate cuts and generate economic momentum. Iran
Turkey’s 4G tender gets bad reception from Erdogan The Turkish president’s interference in establishing a 4G network in Turkey could harm the country's prospects for future technological developments. Turkey
Egypt sets tourism target for 2020 The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism is seeking to attract 20 million tourists by 2020 following setbacks in the sector due to security and political instability. Egypt
Investors remain wary of Gaza A recent conference of investors landed six projects for the West Bank, but none for Gaza because of the risk involved. Palestine
No questions asked about Turkey's suitcases full of cash Pundits fear that the new Customs Code will turn Turkey into a haven for money launderers and terror financiers. Turkey
Gazans scavenge for food, recyclables In light of the dire economic conditions generated by the Israeli siege, Gazans search for food to eat and recyclables to sell. Palestine
