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
Twelve Major Consequences Of Sanctions on Iran Seyed Hossein Mousavian reviews the futility of the US sanctions policy to affect Iran’s nuclear program or change its relationship with Iran for the better. Iran
Iraqi Workers Lack Laws To Protect Their Rights In an economy lacking in diversity, many Iraqis seek refuge in government employment, placing an enormous burden on a government struggling to provide legislation that will protect their rights, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Gaza’s Green Spaces Face Constant Threats In a vast project to cut down hundreds of Kenya trees near Rafah city for the expansion of the highway, Gaza’s agricultural and green spaces face constant threats, writes Asmaa al-Ghoul. Palestine
Palestinian Al-Quds University Fights for Israeli Recognition The Israeli government says that the geographic division of Al-Quds University is at the heart of Israel's refusal to recognize it as an Israeli institution, writes Tali Heruti-Sover. Palestine
Iraqi Kurdistan Open To Arab Investment New investment projects in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have led to a strengthening of ties with Arab states, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Currency Auctions by Iraq Bank Called Into Question The Central Bank of Iraq’s practice of auctioning US dollars has come under fire amid suspicion that the practice leads to money laundering and the channeling of dollars to Iran, reports Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Economic Peace Before a Political Solution in Israel, Palestine Following dismayed reactions to Secretary of State John Kerry’s Israel/West Bank visit, both sides debate prioritizing economic peace, writes Adnan Abu Amer. Palestine
EU Countries to Label Products From Israeli Settlements The European Union has taken a step closer to boycotting products made in the settlements, writes Akiva Eldar. Israel
The Palestinian Time Warp Geoffrey Aronson writes that "new" US plans for resuscitating Palestinian economic growth sound a lot like old ones that failed to foster independence. Palestine
Iraq Ports See Influx Of 'Mediocre Products' The authority in charge of Iraq’s southern ports has increased inspections on imports after it was revealed that the ports have become a "warehouse for mediocre products," reports Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Gaza-Sinai Tensions Limit Egypt-Hamas Cooperation Tension between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai has prevented their respective governments from partaking in economic partnerships that could benefit both countries, writes Omar Shaban. Palestine
Sinai Opium Growers Repent, Turn to Medicinal Herbs Sinai herbalist Ahmed Saleh, a 38-year-old Bedouin tribesman, tells Mohannad Sabry how he persuaded local opium growers to switch their crop to herbal gardening. Egypt