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
Erdogan’s Fateful Season The real danger for the Turkish prime minister is in the warning signs of the economy. Egypt
Iran Revives Planning Agency To Enact Economic Reforms Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will reestablish the Management and Planning Organization, which former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had dissolved in 2006. Iran
Turkey’s Babacan Warns Of Financial Turmoil Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan warns of the implications for Turkey of the US Federal Reserve’s plan to taper bond purchases. Turkey
Iraqi Dinar Exchange Rate Linked To Oil Exports, Federal Reserves Experts estimate that Iraq’s federal reserves have reached $80 billion, and are likely to grow given an expected increase in oil output. Iraq
Money Laundering in Billions, Iraqi Official Estimates Conflicting reports by Iraqi officials bring attention to allegedly rampant money-laundering operations in Iraq. Iraq
Iran's Petroleum Industry Welcomes Zanganeh's Return as Minister The appointment of Bijan Namdar Zanganeh as petroleum minister brings hopes and expectations for overdue reforms. Iran
What to Expect In Iran’s Telecom Sector Iran’s newly appointed minister of communications and information technology signals a chance for change in one of the largest non-oil sectors in the country. Iran
Iran Faces Environmental Crisis Global warming and a deteriorating environment are a large if not larger threat than sanctions to the well-being of Iran’s 75 million people. Iran
Will Lebanon’s Second Airport Begin Operation? Sectarian controversy prevented a planned Aug. 16 flight from arriving at what could be Lebanon's first regional airport. Lebanon
Arab Spring Triggers Renaissance in Turkish Art More than 560 years after the fall of Constantinople, which precipitated an exodus of artists, the Arab Spring has created an influx of artists to Istanbul. Egypt
Iraqi Women Face Workplace Discrimination In light of conservative social traditions and an unfavorable legal system, Iraqi women struggle to find work. Iraq
Syria’s Economic Crisis Magnifies Human Tragedy Often eclipsed by the Syrian conflict’s exorbitant human cost, the embattled country’s economy has plummeted over the past three years under stringent international sanctions. Lebanon
