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
Turkish inflation rate rises to record levels Higher-than-expected inflation in April makes it harder for Turkey’s Central Bank to lower interest rates as the government wishes, rekindling a long-standing controversy in the country. Turkey
Lebanon union strike not helping economy The Union Coordinating Body is missing an opportunity to fix the large amount of government waste. Lebanon
Egyptian satellite will monitor water security, Renaissance Dam Egypt launched the EgyptSat 2 satellite on April 14 to help with borders, resources and the Renaissance Dam. Egypt
Turkey’s currency prepares for a fall After years of efforts to keep its currency valuable, Turkey’s government seems to be shifting to a cheaper lira policy in an attempt to boost exports and reduce the country’s gaping current account deficit. Turkey
Turkish trade unions in death throes Restrictive laws and government hostility have crippled Turkey’s once-mighty labor movement, which made a poor showing this May Day. Turkey
Women realtors may lose jobs in Iran The announcement by an Iranian realtor syndicate that women should not work in real estate is worrying female realtors. Iran
Smuggling of banned pesticides a problem in Gaza Misuse of pesticides in Gaza’s agricultural industry poses a dangerous risk to farmers and consumers of Gazan produce. Palestine
Gazans mock Australia for cattle ban Palestinians are expressing their exasperation with Australia’s decision to ban cattle exports to Gaza because of ill-treatment, while seeming to ignore the treatment of Palestinians under occupation. Palestine
Will Turkey’s Central Bank governor survive purge? Fears grow over a looming purge at Turkey’s Central Bank, but the bank’s governor is expected to retain his post. Turkey
Gaza IT industry bypasses economic crisis Despite the high unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip, IT freelancing and outsourcing to foreign companies is insulating the industry from the siege and economic crisis. Palestine
Social media help young Iranian fashion designers Iranian fashion designers use word of mouth and social media to promote their work to middle-class women. Iran
Israel launches first cooperative supermarket The cooperative supermarket, together with the social bank, are first steps in a long-term plan by Israeli social justice activists to make the public into "educated consumers." Israel
