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
Egypt's parliament considering banking system draft law Egypt’s new Central Bank of Egypt draft law could raise the minimum capital requirement for banks tenfold. Egypt
Turkey becomes new dump for global plastic waste Due to lax regulations, plastic scrap imports to Turkey have skyrocketed since 2018; why is the AKP letting the country turn into a global wastebasket? Turkey
Egyptian-Turkish trade: A love-hate relationship Egypt's free trade agreement with Turkey ends in 2020, but it is unclear whether it will be renewed in light of the political antipathy between the two countries' leaders. Egypt
Female entrepreneurs fight crisis by reviving heritage Female entrepreneurs from Iraq, Palestine and Egypt show that hardship does not always impede creativity, particularly when you build on your country's artistic heritage. Palestine
Can Russia plug through US sanctions to reconstruct Syria? Russia seeks to work around US sanctions to help reconstruct Syria, but some of Damascus' own policies may be unhelpful in this endeavor. Syria
Ankara plays down US ultimatum on S-400 Despite the US announcement that Ankara will be excluded from the F-35 fighter jet program if it goes ahead with its purchase of a Russian missile system, Turkish officials continue to behave as if Washington is bluffing. Turkey
Lebanon university strike threatens students’ futures As the Lebanese parliament is considering austerity measures that would see public wages slashed, the Lebanese University continues its open-ended strike, with students missing classes for weeks now. Lebanon
Egypt’s electricity deal with Cyprus, Greece brightens energy outlook Egypt has signed an agreement with Cyprus and Greece to build undersea electrical cables allowing it to export electricity to Europe. Egypt
Construction sector in Gaza under pressure The Israeli siege and the deteriorating economic situation in the Gaza Strip have forced dozens of construction companies to shut down and relocate to the West Bank or neighboring countries. Palestine
Iran sticks to 'Look to the East' doctrine amid frustration with Europe As Europeans continue to let it down, Iran is increasingly focused on its "Look to the East" doctrine, grabbing every chance to boost trade with China, India and Japan. Iran
Should Iranian guild associations be brought closer together? Iranian guild associations are separately pursuing a multitude of labor actions, including strikes. While many have called for closer collaboration, it is unclear whether such a convergence would aid their cause. Iran
Can Erdogan mend fences with US, Europe while saving face? Turkey is seeking to improve relations with the West to stave off further damage to its ailing economy, but wants to do so without appearing to concede any ground or make concessions. Syria