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
Israel, Palestinian Authority dispute electric bill payments Despite Israeli accusations, the Palestinian Authority says it remains committed to paying for the electricity it receives. Palestine
How Russia plans to take part in building Syria's IT sector As Syria seeks to restore some of its damaged IT facilites and build "an information society" in the country, Russian companies consider opportunities to chip in. Syria
PA wants to break free from reliance on Israeli fuel Following the rupture of US-Palestinian ties and Israeli violations to the Paris Protocol, the PA is moving forward with its plan to break free from reliance on Israeli fuel, particularly since the financial crisis requires purchasing fuel at cheaper prices. Palestine
US blames Iran for Gulf tanker attack Secretary of State Mike Pompeo points finger at Iran in Thursday's attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Gulf
Plenty of fish in Gaza sea, but not for Palestinians Israel has imposed a full naval closure on the Gaza Strip after repeatedly expanding and reducing the fishing zone for the past two months, claiming the measure is in response to incendiary balloons launched from the besieged enclave. Palestine
How Iran’s startup sector can realize its potential Iran’s startup scene is rapidly growing and holds great potential, but shortcomings remain and a failure to address them will undermine the sector. Iran
Greek Cyprus calls for arrest of Turkish drilling crew Ankara has vowed to continue gas exploration activities in disputed waters near Cyprus after Greek Cypriot authorities issued arrest warrants for workers on Turkey's gas-exploration ship. Turkey
Palestine, Morocco forging first bilateral economic pact For the first time independently of the Arab League, Palestine and Morocco have agreed to develop their trade exchange, which currently favors Morocco heavily. Palestine
Central Bank offers mortgages to help Egypt's middle class The Central Bank of Egypt has an ambitious plan to provide Egypt's middle class with funding to buy properties. Egypt
Growing esports market has huge potential in Mideast The video gaming industry is gaining ground in the Middle East, as its popularity and prize money continue to grow. Regional
Israel's economy faces uncertain future Employment and wage figures are excellent, inflation is low and the country’s credit rating is high, but the growing deficit will require Israel’s next government to cut expenditures or raise taxes — or both. Israel
After 50 years, Israel opens up 'Land of the Monasteries’ Israel was late in recognizing the potential of the Qasr al-Yahud site, but it hopes to do better now that the region is cleared of landmines and will open to the public. Israel