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
Phosphate production poisoning Tunisian city The phosphate refinery in Gabes offers employment opportunities, but it is also responsible for environmental degradation causing harm to public health, including high rates of cancer and kidney disease. Tunisia
Iran holds trump card on oil: petrochemicals To offset the drop in oil revenues, Iran can look to its petrochemical industry. Iran
Turkey missed its key economic targets in 2014 Turkey failed to attain most of its key economic targets last year, but was likely to receive a boost from falling oil prices in 2015. Turkey
Will Russia's economic decline affect its Middle East influence? Russia’s economic influence in the Middle East is bound to suffer as its economy continues to decline; but whatever happens, Moscow will retain one of its most important sources of influence — its veto power in the UN Security Council. Russia
Egypt’s revolutions have not stopped corruption Corruption in Egypt is still increasing, despite the January 25 Revolution's call for a better society, mainly due to a lack of oversight by concerned parties and government organizations. Egypt
Turkey aims to mend ties with Armenia Armenia’s entry in the Euroasian Economic Union has encouraged Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to implement his formal apology and open the border with Armenia before April 24, 2015, the 100th anniversary of the genocide. Turkey
Action needed to reform Iranian banks Poor economic conditions have led to a crisis of non-performing loans for Iranian banks. Iran
Lebanon’s continued electricity cuts portend disaster The Lebanese state has yet to secure a continuous electricity supply to its citizens, nearly 20 years after the end of the civil war, which has led to heavy debts and will incur a major disaster in the near future. Lebanon
Will investment trends change in Turkey in 2015? The Istanbul stock exchange emerged as the most profitable investment tool in Turkey in 2014, followed by the dollar. Turkey
Turkey faces demining delays Having stalled for a decade, Turkey risks further delays in meeting its international obligations to clear vast minefields, most of them along the Syrian border. Syria
Lebanon’s economic outlook for 2015 The economic situation in Lebanon does not bode well for the coming year, but hope remains if governing political forces move away from the region's conflicts. Lebanon
Turkey's threatened sea turtles An AKP-affiliated developer's privatization attempts on a beach preserved for endangered sea turtles has turned Dalyan’s residents into environmental activists. Turkey
