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
Sheikha Mozah of Qatar Much More Than Fashion Icon Sheikha Mozah, the second wife of the emir of Qatar, is the principal benefactor behind a new foundation which aims to improve the lives of Arab Israeli students, writes Shlomi Eldar. Qatar
Declining OPEC Leverage Predicted in BP Forecast Growing energy production and diversification in the United States could make the US 99% energy sufficient by 2030, decreasing OPEC’s leverage over oil prices. Pan Arab
US, Iraq Seek to Boost Oil Sector Transparency Washington and Baghdad enter into an agreement to ensure greater transparency in the oil sector, reports Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Turkey Faces New Challenges Over Cyprus Negotiations between Nicosia and Moscow over gas reserves off the southern Cyprus coast are being watched with concern by Ankara, which does not accept Nicosia’s claim to full sovereignty over these reserves, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Gaza on Brink of Water Crisis Scarce rainfall, coupled with the Israeli blockade, have limited Gaza’s ability to address its water shortage and poor sanitation, reports Hazem Balousha. Palestine
New Iraqi Budget Deepens Housing Crisis Iraq’s most disadvantaged residents continue to suffer from a housing shortage, as the government’s 2013 budget has decreased allocations for home loans, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
IFC Cautiously Confident On Egypt Economy International Finance Corp. CEO Jin-Yong Cai spoke to Sarah el-Sirgany on the challenges for Egypt in attracting investment during his recent visit to the country. Egypt
Israel's First Bedouin Startup Ibrahim Sana is determined to change the lives of Bedouin high-tech graduates and has set up a new venture: the “Software Tester Enterprise,” reports Tali Heruti-Sover. Israel
Lebanon Pays a Price For Syrian Economic Collapse The worrying economic situation in conflict-ridden Syria has sent tremors through Lebanon, a country that maintains strong economic ties with its eastern neighbor, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
The Paradox of Religion In Erdogan’s Turkey Ihsan Dagi of Zaman asks whether conservatives are moving to the center; the answer is just that power is changing hands in Turkey, but not in a democratic way, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
King Abdullah Seeks to Champion Jordanian Reforms King Abdullah II of Jordan is portraying himself as a champion of reform in order to head off further protests, writes Osama Al Sharif. Jordan
Israelis Develop "Business for Peace" Projects with Palestinians Ben Gurion University of the Negev invites researchers to submit proposals for its "Business for Peace" competition to support the Palestinian economy, writes Shlomi Eldar. Palestine
