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
Turkey's social security agency withholds data as financial crisis deepens Turkey’s social security agency has stopped releasing data on the labor force and its own financial situation, fueling suspicions that Ankara is trying to smokescreen the true impact of the country’s economic crisis. Turkey
No sex, slang or booze: Turkish state is watching New regulations requiring government oversight for online content are narrowing Turks' media world even further. Turkey
Zarif says foreign ships making Gulf 'less safe' Iranian officials continue to push back against the naval presence of the United States and United Kingdom in the Persian Gulf. United States
Environmental problems provoke protests on all fronts in Turkey The Justice and Development Party government’s policy of ignoring environmental concerns cause tensions in Turkey. Turkey
Will Egypt launch its own official digital currency? As Facebook announced it might not launch its digital currency as previously announced, experts in Egypt are debating whether the country should regulate digital currency. Egypt
Fire, redevelopment controversy engulf 127-year-old Cairo market An Egyptian presidential decision to vacate and restore the Ataba market stirs traders’ fears of the government's desire to control the largest market in Cairo and turn it into an investment zone. Egypt
Why farmers reject Egypt’s new cotton trade strategy The Egyptian government has announced a new trading system for cotton, which would be sold through public bidding, raising the ire of farmers who already suffer from severe losses. Egypt
Can Iran combat corruption in petroleum sector? Iran is showing a greater transparency about corruption, perhaps in part because of the problems caused by sanctions, but has a long way to defeat this scourge. Iran
Pentagon repeats warning to Israel on Chinese port deal The Donald Trump administration is repeating warnings to Israel to cancel a potentially lucrative port deal with China. Israel
Russia, Lebanon seek synergy in projects to rebuild Syria Moscow and Beirut each see potential benefits in working together to secure lucrative reconstruction contracts in Syria. Lebanon
Expect Turkish business world to embrace former economy czar's new party Turkey’s business leaders appear to be quietly welcoming a new political initiative to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule as frustration grows over his inability to address economic woes. Turkey
Yemen’s farmers brace for slow pomegranate season Harvest season for pomegranates has kicked off in Saada amid fears of how a Saudi ban on importing the fruit will affect farmers, exporters and markets. Saudi Arabia