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
Ancient Palestinian Village Threatened by Israeli Settlement The ancient village of Sebastia is losing tourism and agricultural income due to a neighboring Israeli settlement leaking raw sewage onto its fields and failing to protect historical sites, reports Dalia Hatuqa. Palestine
In Weak Economy, Iraqis Look for Government Jobs Amid a floundering job market, many Iraqis look to public-sector jobs as a means of stable, permanent employment, reports Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Gaza Gas Can't Help Palestinians Despite extensive gas reserves off the coast of Gaza, the strip's residents are unable to benefit from their own resources, writes Omar Shaban. Palestine
Iraq Reconstruction Report Documents Waste, Corruption Stuart Bowen, the US official in charge of monitoring $60 billion spent by the US on Iraqi stabilization and reconstruction, says 15% was wasted, millions were stolen and the US government is still not properly organized to carry out such operations, writes Barbara Slavin. Iraq
Palestinian Finance Minister Resigns Amid Cash Crisis Minister of Finance Nabil Qassis found himself cornered and unable to deliver proposed reforms to address the Palestinian Authority’s financial crisis, writes Daoud Kuttab. Palestine
Iraq and Russia Going Ahead With $4 Billion Arms Deal Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari confirmed that Baghdad will go ahead with the arms deal it signed with Russia in 2012, but is waiting on the budget approval to begin payment, reports Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Iraqi Telecoms Infuse Stock Market Newly offered mobile phone stocks in Iraq promise to draw in investment and investors from Iraq, the Middle East and around the world, reports Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
No End in Sight for Iraq Oil Dispute Roxana Saberi reports from Erbil that Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, is calling for a solution to the Iraqi oil dispute, which is likely to prevent Iraq from reaching its goals. Iraq
Baghdad, Erbil Trade Accusations on Oil Payments Baghdad has accused the Kurdistan Regional Government of failing to pay Western companies for oil-extraction costs, further raising tensions between the two sides, writes Omar Shaher. Iraq
Lebanon Prepares for Gulf Tourists Amid Unstable Security Despite the unstable security situation prevailing in Lebanon, many Kuwaiti tourists plan to spend an official holiday in the country, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
Turkey Can Improve Democratic Record for EU Bid Turkey has shown progress since it officially applied to become a full member of the European Union in April 1987, but it's still lagging in many basic aspects of democracy, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
US-Funded Employment Programs Criticized by Iraqi Activists The United States seeks to combat perceptions from some Iraqi activists that its training and employment programs have been ineffective, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
