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
Dubai's aviation boom in question as airshow kicks off The profitability of UAE airlines is on the decline as Dubai Airshow 2019 kicks off. United Arab Emirates
Egypt conducts joint drills with Greece, Cyprus amid Turkey tensions The naval forces of Egypt, Greece and Cyprus conducted joint military exercises in the Mediterranean amid tensions with Turkey over its drilling activities in the area. Egypt
Egypt's powerful military companies to go public President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has called for listing companies affiliated with Egypt's armed forces on the stock exchange, allowing citizens to buy the shares in an effort to increase transparency. Egypt
Million-dollar lobbying campaign against Kuwait suffers major setback A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Russian businesswoman to 15 years of hard labor despite pressure from former US officials. Here's who's behind the campaign to release Marsha Lazareva. United Arab Emirates
Where are the other IPOs in the Mideast? The Middle East needs to grow companies that do not depend on the state as a key investor. Gulf
Israel's political turmoil leaves economic peace with Jordan on hold A stable Jordan may be a top Israeli national interest, but important joint economic projects between the two countries have been mired in bureaucratic red tape for a while. Palestine
Egypt eyes new IMF deal Egypt has entered into talks with the International Monetary Fund to discuss a new financing package for the country, whose current economic reform program expires this month. Egypt
Seeking to restore relations on Capitol Hill, Erdogan to visit Trump in Washington With US-Turkey ties in disarray, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed his Nov. 13 meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, where he may seek to win over allies in Congress. Syria
Penalties loom as lawyer for Turkey's Halkbank delays US court proceedings Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank may face financial penalties and further political blowback after once again refusing to recognize criminal charges in a New York court this week. Turkey
Are silk and saffron the future of this Anatolian town? The first female mayor of Safranbolu, a town dating to the 11th century, is eager to put her UNESCO-protected city on Turkey's tourism map. Turkey
Will 2020 candidates' calls to condition Israeli military aid spark public debate? The calls of Democrats Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to condition US security aid to Israel on changes of policy could alienate the Israeli public but could also trigger a useful public debate and even revingorate Israel's security industry. Palestine
Egypt launches first shipment to Kenya as part of Gosour project As part of the Gosour project, Egypt launched its first shipping line from Ain Sokhna port to Kenya’s Mombasa port — a project highly praised by the private and public sectors. Egypt