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
New pipeline in works to transport Iraqi oil to Turkey Iraq and Turkey are building a brand-new pipeline that will transfer Kirkuk oil to Turkey and tie into Iraq's existing pipeline network. Iraq
Palestinians preparing for their day in court against Israel The Palestinian leadership is preparing briefs to present to the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague to address Israeli violations of the Paris Protocol, which governs their economic and trade relations. Palestine
Investors, economists see Egypt’s new mining law as promising Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi approved a new law on mining that would help promote the mineral sector by attracting foreign investors and regularizing the industry. Egypt
Egypt's expansion of no-bid contracts raises ethical issues The Egyptian government issued a decision allowing the disposal of state-owned lands through direct agreement without putting them up for public bidding, which some critics say invites corruption. Egypt
Is Belarus scheming against Russia's reconstruction policies in Syria? Belarus is tacitly promoting its own businesses in Syria, but not all of them are necessarily to the detriment of the Russians. Syria
How much are Israel's elections costing it? With only about 70% of Israelis bothering to vote, maybe it's time to reconsider election day being a national holiday and therefore a paid vacation day for workers. Israel
Intel: Why Russia boosts Iran even as Tehran pares nuclear deal commitments Despite their differences on Syria, Russia needs a stronger Iran as its partner. Russia
What did Sisi discuss in Kuwait? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah during a visit to Kuwait, to discuss economic and security cooperation as well as regional developments. Kuwait
Struggle for water continues in Palestine’s Jordan Valley Israel seems to be trying to drive Palestinians out of the Jordan Valley by denying them access to water. Palestine
The interplay between exchange rates and inflation in Iran While the Iranian rial has strengthened against the dollar, inflation remains high, and the budget deficit is not helping the matter. Iran
Video game exec encourages independent developers in Mideast Hussam Al-Natour, founder of Rababa Gaming, describes the challenges and potential of the Mideast’s video game industry. Jordan
Key economic data suggests Turkey turning corner Slowing inflation and a smaller-than-expected contraction in the economy could mean Turkey is emerging from a year-long downturn. Turkey