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
Israel pushes West Bank toward economic disaster Turning the West Bank into the economic twin of the Gaza Strip will provoke new threats to Israel's security, which is why the US administration leans toward cooperating with the new Palestinian unity government. Palestine
Is Israel's 'startup nation' a mirage? In an interview with Al-Monitor, economist Dan Ben-David warns that despite Israel's world-leading high-tech, its productivity remains among the lowest in the developed world, threatening rate of growth and quality of life. Israel
S&P dashes Turkey’s hopes, again Standard & Poor's defies expectations for a positive revision of Turkey’s economic outlook, adding fresh chill to its troubled relations with Ankara. Turkey
Turkey pivots to Baghdad to close deal on Kurdish oil Turkey has realized it can’t sell Kurdish oil without Baghdad’s blessing. Iraq
Not all PA civil servants in Gaza want jobs back Around 3,000 public servants in Gaza are scheduled to return to their government posts as part of the April reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas, providing more opportunities for the unemployed — but some of them prefer their second jobs. Palestine
Turkey's countdown to nuclear energy When Turkey’s two planned nuclear power plants become fully operational, the country’s annual bill for energy imports will decrease by an estimated $7.2 billion. Turkey
AKP government under fire over coal mine tragedy Was the mine disaster in Turkey, which has claimed at least 283 lives, the result of flawed policies and negligent acts, or an inevitable accident? Turkey
What next for Turkey’s stock market? Having recovered in the wake of political turmoil, Turkey’s stock market appears on a downward trend in the short run. Turkey
Russia stakes out Iranian market Both Russia and Iran see a shared interest in deepening economic ties, parallel to the P5+1 talks. Russia
Poverty in Gaza sustains used-clothing market Secondhand clothing sellers in Gaza see a steady increase in demand despite the social stigma. Palestine
Turkey, Qatar strengthen economic ties Turkey is again stepping up relations with Qatar by adding cultural and commercial links to their political collaboration in the international arena. Qatar
