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
Foreigners put brakes on investment in Turkey Foreigners invested only $9.1 billion in Turkey in the first nine months of the year, dashing hopes for a year-end total of $16 billion, while Turks invested $4.2 billion abroad. Turkey
Israeli expert: 'cyberspace has become a battlefield' In an interview with Al-Monitor, the head of the INSS Cyber Security Program, Gabi Siboni, states that after the recent hacking of Sony Pictures, Western countries should consider cyberattacks as a real threat to their sovereignty. Israel
Gaza imposes new taxes Gaza’s Ministry of Finance has imposed new taxes on imported goods without approval from the unity government, drawing criticism from industry and citizens. Palestine
Expanding defense budgets feed fears of Middle East arms race A new report on arms-producing companies offers insight into the Middle East, where military experts say the armament race is likely to continue at an increasing pace. Pan Arab
IRGC responds to Rouhani's comments Following the president's warning against the consolidation of power, the head of the IRGC has criticized interpretations of strife between the president and his organization, which he credits with maintaining Iran's opposition to the United States. Iran
Energy deals may make Turkey irreversibly reliant on Moscow Despite the celebratory sentiment in Ankara after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit, Turkey’s energy dependence on Russia is bound to further increase with nuclear power plant projects. Turkey
Abadi vows to hunt 'ghost soldiers' Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has publicly addressed the issue of "ghost" soldiers and employees, an aspect of rampant state corruption, and promised to fight the problem. Iraq
In natural gas, all pipelines go through Turkey Natural gas from Iraq is to reach Turkey in 2017, Azeri gas is to arrive in 2018 and Iran, Russia and Israel also want to sell their natural gas via Turkey. Iraq
Iran VP: We'll manage even if oil drops to $40 Iranian officials and media outlets have expressed concern over the president’s budget for the next Iranian year, worrying that the administration has been overly optimistic in predicting oil prices. Iran
Rouhani criticizes consolidation of power in government Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has indirectly criticized the economic power and influence of the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran
Egypt tackles embezzlement Egypt’s judiciary will consider a new reform to allow for amicable settlement between the government and those accused of embezzlement, bringing in recovered funds but also possibly legalizing corruption. Egypt
Business as usual: Turkey's never-ending love of the bribe Some 46% of Turkish businessmen believe corruption won’t end, while the country sinks lower in the global transparency index. Turkey
