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
Cash-strapped Jordan imposes new taxes; public anger ensues Economists suggest the Jordanian government should cut its own expenses and those of its staff instead of imposing taxes that add to the people’s economic burden. Jordan
Will Putin's 'ice cream diplomacy' with Erdogan help resolve Idlib? In Moscow, ice cream may have been the only thing Erdogan got for free from Putin. Syria
Tehran stock market rally likely to continue Iran’s stock market is recovering dramatically as subsidized exchange rates are reduced, commodities are deregulated and certain prices are brought in line with inflation. Iran
Moroccan king announces plan to promote social, economic equality As Morocco's king marks 20 years on the throne, he's preparing a plan designed to aid the poor, largely through education. Morocco
Skepticism looms over Egypt’s plan to develop Sinai The Egyptian minister of planning announced $316 million worth of investments in the Sinai Peninsula for fiscal year 2020, but observers are skeptical in light of the threats posed by the Islamic State in Sinai. Egypt
Egyptians revive Pharaonic beauty, health secrets Ancient Egyptian remedies and practices are making a comeback in the form of natural beauty products and pharaonic medicine. Egypt
Egypt seeks to increase exports to Africa Despite figures indicating an increase in the Egyptian exports to Africa, there still seem to be several obstacles facing Egyptian exports to the continent. Egypt
Syrians in Egypt fear new restrictions signal worse to come Many Egyptians believe their government and its supporters are behind the latest xenophobic campaign targeting Syrian refugees in the country, including attacks on their businesses. Egypt
Why Iran has been quiet when it comes to Syria's Idlib, safe zone Iran has been careful not to antagonize Turkey while also opposing US-Turkish agreements on Syria. Syria
Qatar's agriculture push risks further groundwater depletion Groundwater depletion is raising environmental concerns over the long-term sustainability of Qatar’s ambitious self-sufficiency policy. Saudi Arabia
Macron to press Trump on Iran diplomacy at G-7 French President Emmanuel Macron says he will present US President Donald Trump ideas for an economic incentive package to try to advance Iran diplomacy at the G-7 summit in Biarritz this weekend. United States
How Russia could facilitate China’s role in rebuilding Syria Moscow and Beijing are eyeing a number of opportunities to push forward on the reconstruction of Syria and Lebanon could play a central role. Lebanon
