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 flirts with Asian arms suppliers Turkey looks east for alternatives to NATO arms markets. Turkey
Iran still digging out of Ahmadinejad-era corruption In Iran, the business and legal climate generated by sanctions led to shady business deals and opaque transactions. Iran
New Syrian Kurdish media find their voices Syrian Kurds have their own newspapers and radio stations, but are beset by familiar political challenges. Iraq
Iranian gold stars in Turkish corruption scandal The CEO of Halkbank, which has been under scrutiny for bypassing US-EU sanctions on Iran, is at the center of bribery and corruption upheaval rattling Turkey. Turkey
Iraq looks to expand trade with Iran While officials in both Baghdad and Tehran stress that they are eager to further expand trade relations between the two countries, some Iraqis fear that the government’s pro-Iran policies could be hurting local merchants. Iraq
Turkish journalists caught in cross fire of AKP-Gulen conflict The latest corruption scandal will be no picnic to cover. Turkey
Turkey’s give and take with EU on visa policy Ankara has started uphill talks with the EU on visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in return for agreeing to take back immigrants who illegally enter the EU via Turkey. Turkey
Muslim Brotherhood's new TV channel unlikely to influence viewers Unless the broadcasters behind Rabaa TV can offer more than sarcasm and spin, viewers in Egypt are likely to lose interest. Egypt
The AKP’s accountability crisis The AKP’s inability to provide accounts of its spending from the previous year generates uproar in Turkey’s parliament, raising questions on the legitimacy of the 2014 budget. Turkey
Basra officials hope new contracts will spur reconstruction Following years of rampant corruption in reconstruction projects, officials in the Iraqi city of Basra are optimistic that recent contracts concluded with Hill International will spark a construction boom in the city. Iraq
Turkey, China cooperation on ballistic missiles not new Turkish defense industry insiders are dismayed with US pressure on Turkey for it reaching a deal with China, as this is not the first time they have cooperated. Turkey
Private sector key to development in Middle East, North Africa Arab governments need to give room and encourage private sector growth if they’re serious about developing their economies. Pan Arab
