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
Turkey criticizes downgraded credit rating Turkey blames its long-standing quarrel with credit rating agencies on hasty misperceptions of its political stability. Turkey
Lebanon banks affected by wage hike The proposed solutions to the wage hike debate in Lebanon included raising the interest rates on bank deposits, which will prevent the banking sector from playing its role as a catalyst for economic growth. Lebanon
US, Saudi drifting apart despite Obama visit The core pillars that sustained the US-Saudi alliance for decades are crumbling, as changing geopolitical, energy and regional dynamics strain relations. Saudi Arabia
Can Turkey work miracle on current account deficit? Turkey’s battle against its gaping current account deficit appears to be going well, but dependence on foreign energy supplies remains a major stumbling block. Turkey
Erdogan pushes for interest rate cut Boosted by his party's performance in municipal elections, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has renewed pressure on the Central Bank to cut interest rates, but the bank fears premature cuts amid rising inflation could destabilize the economy. Turkey
Report on Renaissance Dam notes concerns for Egypt, Sudan A leaked international expert report on the Renaissance Dam says that Egypt and Sudan have not been given sufficient reassurances about the dam’s impact. Egypt
'Halal beer' flops in Turkey Turkish consumers reject even nonalcoholic beer for various cultural reasons. Turkey
Gulf states should form regional bloc with Iran Arab Gulf states can no longer ignore Iran’s vital role in bringing stability to the Gulf region, and should work on establishing a security and economic arrangement with Tehran. Gulf
Sisi counting on Gulf aid to deal with Egypt's economic crisis Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hopes that more Gulf aid will convince Egyptians he can deal with their country's economic troubles, but some are skeptical. Egypt
Turkey’s Africa policies blend hard, soft power Turkey’s humanitarian initiatives in Africa are complemented by business and strategic policies as well. Turkey
Gaza theaters battle censorship, conservatism A lack of female performers, the siege and close monitoring by the Hamas government has resulted in a dwindling Gaza theater industry. Palestine
Lapid goes after nepotism in government companies Seven years after a state comptroller's report on nepotism, Finance Minister Yair Lapid imposes new regulations designed to reduce corruption in Israel's major public companies. Israel
