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
Iraq Looks to Foreign Investment To Boost Oil Capacity Technip, a French company, has been awarded a major refining contract in Iraq. Iraq
Kuwaiti Parliament is Failing Women Citizens A new proposal to increase unemployment payments to jobless Kuwaiti women will ensure more women stay at home and out of the workforce. Gulf
Moroccan King Declines to Meet With Erdogan As protests continue across Turkey, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan went on a North Africa tour to strengthen economic ties. Turkey
For Egypt's Opposition, It’s Economy, Not Religion Mass mobilization against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will not lead to effective change unless there are alternative policies to back it up. Egypt
Israeli Report Claims Labeling Would Hurt Palestinian Economy A report initiated by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin explains why labeling products made in Israeli settlements may harm, first and foremost, the Palestinian economy. Palestine
Iraqi Kurds Criticize Growing Turkish Influence The KRG’s drive for autonomy and stability via Turkey is revealing the gaps between Kurdish economic and political aims and between KRG elites and local populations. Iraq
The Fight Over Israel's Natural Gas Despite what tycoons and the government might want, Israelis seek a just division of future revenues from natural gas reserves. Israel
Gunmen Attack Convoy Of Syrian Cargo Trucks in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq may be behind an attack on four cargo trucks carrying highly flammable material from Iraq to Syria on June 2. Iraq
Fears of Civil War Cripple Baghdad Commerce As sectarian violence and car bombings continue to flare up across Iraq, new limits on mobility have created roadblocks to the flow of commerce in the country. Iraq
Gaza Fish Farms Face Closure An alternative source of local fish, scarce due to Israel's blockade, Gaza's fish farms are struggling to compete with cheaper Egyptian imports. Palestine
Turkey’s Foreign-Aid Priority Is Central Asia The Turkish International Development and Cooperation Agency (TIKA) still devotes most of its private aid to the Caucasus and Central Asia countries. Turkey
Palestinian Stock Exchange Lacks Public Regulation It's time for the Palestinian Securities Exchange, the first Arab stock exchange to be privately owned, to become a public company. Palestine
