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
Canal project from Dead Sea to Red Sea makes waves The Bahrain canal project to link the Dead Sea to the Red Sea seems to be of great benefit to Israel, while Palestinians will mostly be affected negatively, politically and environmentally. Palestine
Lebanon's creative entrepreneurs Many Lebanese female entrepreneurs and designers have made it internationally, revolutionizing the perception of Lebanon’s fashion. Lebanon
Iraq's illegal employment agencies Unregistered recruitment agencies in Iraq bring Asian laborers to work long hours and for wages lower than what Iraqis demand. Iraq
Israel tightens control on Erez crossing The Israeli authorities have arrested at the Erez crossing Palestinian and Israeli merchants who were accused of smuggling prohibited goods to the resistance in Gaza, which is said to be using these materials to rebuild the tunnels destroyed during the war in summer 2014. Palestine
Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia inch toward resolving Nile dam crisis During the closed negotiations held in Khartoum, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia agreed on a plan to find technical solutions to the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Egypt fears threatens its share of the Nile. Egypt
Khamenei warns against destruction of Iran's forests Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that illegally privatizing public forests and mountains is harming the country's environment and the world at large. Iran
Turkey’s conflicting visions of the economy There is a growing conflict in Ankara between two distinct views of the economy: the rational/conventional one led by Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and the conspiratorial/revisionist one led by Yigit Bulut, senior adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Iran holds first ever fashion week Contrary to Western stereotypes, Iranian women are avid followers of fashion and increasingly prominent in an industry that they hope to expand even to US customers. Iran
Turkish Twitter user: Erdogan to target CHP-linked bank Fuat Avni, the handle of an anonymous Twitter user who has successfully revealed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s moves in the past, just issued another explosive prediction. Turkey
Iranian minister slammed for warning of 'dirty money' in politics Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli has been forced to walk back his claims that money from illegal drug smuggling has entered politics. Iran
Iranian banks on shaky ground Toxic loans coupled with crippling sanctions have led Iranian banks to be running out of capital, pushing deposit-taking banks to offer higher rates than monetary officials insist on. Iran
From 'zero problems' to zero trade Ankara’s support of the Islamist-controlled National General Congress instead of the government in Tobruk has had dire consequences for Turkish business interests in Libya. Turkey
