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
Will Israel Solve Gaza Fuel Crisis? Hamas chosen to unilaterally cut itself off from Israeli fuel and to replace it with gas from Egypt — a decision that has turned out to be a mistake. Palestine
Congress Not Won Over By Rouhani Victory in Iran Congress wants to press ahead with sanctions on Iran but the White House may go slow if Iran improves cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran
Fewer Iranian Religious Tourists Are Visiting Iraq's Holy Places Economic and security concerns have led to a marked decrease in the number of Iranians visiting Iraq as religious tourists. Iraq
Iran’s Housing Crisis President-elect Hassan Rouhani must tackle a seemingly intractable crisis in Iran’s housing sector. Iran
Music Festival Revives Hope For Tourism in Bethlehem Hopes that tourists will return to Bethlehem are buoyed by a successful Bet Lahem Live Festival. Palestine
Syrian Civil War Reopens Trade Route Through Israeli Port The port city of Haifa, once a major gateway to the Near East, is regaining some of its lost commercial importance thanks to the Syrian war. Israel
Only Politics Can Save Egypt's Economy Solving Egypt’s economic woes is a non-starter until there is political stability. Egypt
Lebanon Seeks to Make The Most of Hydrocarbons Lebanon seeks to avoid a false euphoria and make the most of a potential oil and gas windfall. Lebanon
Beirut’s Historic Hamra Street No Longer Cultural Epicenter Once an epicenter for Arab and Lebanese intellectuals, Beirut’s famous Hamra Street has in recent decades been transformed by consumption-oriented establishments. Lebanon
Hotel Construction Explodes In Erbil To Keep Up With Tourism Having enjoyed relative stability since Saddam Hussein's fall in 2003, Iraqi Kurdistan region capital Erbil is growing rapidly as it becomes more attractive to tourists and foreign investors. Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan Struggles With Environmental Policies Facing drought, sandstorms and other factors contributing to the deterioration of its natural environment, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region is working to document and protect its ecosystem. Iraq
Are Palestinian Industrial Parks Illusion or Real Development? While the Palestinian Authority and others push plans for West Bank industrial parks, critics say the projects give the illusion of economic growth while entrenching Israeli occupation. Palestine
