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
Bitter Maliki-Nujaifi exchanges strain political system With Iraqi parliamentary elections set to take place in less than two months, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's relationships with both Council of Representatives Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi and Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani are going from bad to worse. Iraq
Jordan Valley essential for a viable Palestinian state US Secretary of State John Kerry should work to ensure that full sovereignty of the Jordan Valley is given to the Palestinians to ensure a future state is economically viable. Palestine
Is Tel Aviv's vegan craze here to stay? A vegetarian diet amasses more and more supporters in Israel, but is this a genuine change of heart, a fashionable trend or the latest outlet for an “acceptable” aggressiveness? Israel
Yemeni ports see traffic decline dramatically Piracy and the rise of competing ports has cost Yemen’s Aden Port a lot of business. Yemen
Iran-India energy ties may take off If the P5+1 and Iran agree on a nuclear accord, India’s energy sector stands to benefit. Iran
Iraq looks East in foreign policy As disputes between Iraq and the West seem to be on the rise, Baghdad is refocusing its efforts on the “East,” in particular Russia, China and Iran. Iraq
Rouhani seeks to turn around Iran's auto sector Despite President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's raising car import duties to 90%, domestic manufacturers have struggled with low-quality cars, resulting in high layoffs. Iran
The Qatar channel between Gaza and Israel Qatar, which has taken upon itself major construction projects in the Gaza Strip, has become an indirect communication channel between Israel and Hamas. Qatar
Cement shortage in Gaza leaves thousands jobless Israel's restrictions on cement imports into the Gaza Strip are having a devastating effect on the local economy. Palestine
Iraqi oil dispute reveals KRG vulnerability There might be a short-term fix before the Iraqi elections in April, but a lasting solution on the Baghdad-Erbil hydrocarbon question is not imminent. Iraq
Iraq’s budget problems go beyond Erbil-Baghdad crisis As the conflict continues between Baghdad and Erbil regarding Iraqi Kurdistan's share in the state budget, there is a pressing need for the government to address other budget-related issues, namely its near total dependence on oil. Iraq
Why is Turkey buying more gas than it needs from Iran? Why does Turkey want to double its gas imports from Iran when it's already importing more gas than it consumes? Turkey
