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
Iran's new budget to focus on privatization, subsidy reforms Iran's economic outlook remains uncertain amid fluctuating oil prices and continuing nuclear negotiations, while officials are looking to create a law that would make the country’s state budgets independent of oil export revenue. Iran
Falling oil prices both blessing, curse for Egypt As the price of oil continues to decline, Egypt stands to both gain and lose: It will save in petroleum subsidies while the job market for Egyptian oil workers in the Gulf, a significant source of remittances, will decline. Egypt
Political missteps in Libya cause Turkey's economy to stumble Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP government's backing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya is inflicting billions of dollars of economic losses on Turkey and eroding its political influence in Libya and Saharan Africa. Turkey
Dubai's disappointing film festival Budget cuts and a lukewarm selection made the latest Dubai International Film Festival the weakest in recent memory, raising questions about the festival’s future and Arab cinema in general. United Arab Emirates
Will oil price drop weaken Qaboos? It will be a challenge for the government to keep its commitments to Omanis while sliding oil prices hinder its ability to increase government services in times of unrest, a crucial lifeline for the monarchy since the Arab Spring. Oman
Iraqi Cabinet approves budget reforms After failing to agree on a federal budget for 2014, Iraq’s Cabinet has finally approved and submitted its 2015 budget to parliament with an announcement to enact austerity plans. Iraq
Russian crisis worries Turkish businesses Hopes that Western sanctions against Moscow would benefit Turkey appear to have been premature. Turkey
Syrian charities battle corruption Roughly 2,000 Damascenes participated in a marathon to raise funds for Syrian cancer patients, to make up for a significant drop in available medication due to corruption in the Syrian Health Ministry. Syria
Who is benefiting from the Erdogan-Gulen split? The Turkish government’s onslaught against the Gulen community has opened the door to public jobs and economic benefits for other religious groups. Turkey
Ongoing instability hurts Yemeni businesses The Yemeni economy continues its downward spiral, with Yemeni entrepreneurs finding it difficult to get financing for projects while the country’s political instability worsens. Yemen
Turkey, Iran at war over trucking A 1994 transportation accord has fueled Turkish-Iranian rivalry for economic and political influence in Central Asia. Iraq
To beat unemployment, young Gazans turn to birds In light of the repeated Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip that have destroyed the local economy, some young Palestinians are breeding canaries to overcome poverty and unemployment. Palestine
