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
Netanyahu back to free market principles? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might favor returning to a free market economy, as advocated by his new political partner Moshe Feiglin, but his ultra-Orthodox allies are bound to object that. Israel
Syrian pistachio farmers watch crops wither as Turks fire on border region Turkish gunfire is preventing pistachio growers in the border areas of Kobani and Manbij from harvesting their crops. Syria
Egypt’s rate cut to boost property, gold and stock markets Egypt’s central bank recently slashed key interest rates by 1.5%, triggering public concerns about a possible depreciation of the local currency. Egypt
How much are Palestinians paying for 'peace' with Israel? After receiving another big batch of financial aid from Qatar, some Palestinians are wondering what the on-again, off-again truce with Israel is really costing them. Qatar
Rouhani says he doesn’t want photo-op with Trump — but maybe he should French President Emmanuel Macron, the man in the middle, is appealing to both sides for compromise. Russia
Digital taxation push raises eyebrows in Egypt The Egyptian Ministry of Finance is working on a bill that will tax digital ads in Egypt, much to the concern of e-commerce enterprises. Egypt
Will rancor or realism prevail in Turkish-Israeli ties? While there continues to be a large political gap between Turkey and Israel, economic ties continue to be strong despite the lack of a gas pipeline deal. Israel
Will Egypt's greenhouse project mark a leap in agricultural sector? The Egyptian army is behind a project to build thousands of greenhouses nationwide, which raised criticism over the army’s role in the agricultural sector. Egypt
How Jordan handled fuming crisis over cigarettes Residents of the border city of Ramtha in the north of Jordan have protested recently against new government measures to curb smuggling, which would further add to their economic burdens. Jordan
Istanbul mayor cuts funding to pro-AKP groups as city spending comes under scrutiny As evidence of controversial spending under AKP officials accumulates in southeast Turkey, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has cut funding for certain state-linked foundations. Turkey
Palestinian, Israeli economies intertwined A tour of the West Bank city of Bethlehem makes it clear that the Palestinian and Israeli economies are intertwined. Palestine
Israel, PA find creative ways to save West Bank from economic collapse Israel understands that implementing the "deduction" law could generate an economic collapse of the PA and in turn endanger security coordination with the Palestinians. Palestine