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
Can Saudi Arabia afford a stimulus? Oil-revenue-dependent Saudi Arabia still has $490 billion in reserve assets, but its massive foreign and domestic commitments and a long-term declining demand curve for oil could spell trouble down the road. Saudi Arabia
Turks fire back as Trump ends preferential trade status The United States removed Turkey from its list of countries that enjoy tariff-free access to the US market, a decision criticized by the Turkish government. Turkey
Exodus by big firms pushes Iran toward smaller Chinese enterprises To mitigate the impact of harsh US sanctions, Iran is increasingly turning to China by dispatching high-ranking delegations to Beijing to augment trade. But China is also mindful not to cross the red lines drawn by the United States. United States
Iran's government under fire for subsidizing pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia The Iranian government’s decision to subsidize the hajj pilgrimage has fueled anger among many Iranians who are struggling to make ends meet. Iran
Will latest interest rate hike break Tunisia’s back? Following Tunisia's third interest rate hike in 12 months, economic and political experts sound the alarm on shrinking purchasing power while the nation's largest trade union calls for protests. Tunisia
Egypt finds its nationals new job markets abroad The difficult economic conditions and nationalization of jobs in Gulf states have caused a problem for Egyptians willing to work overseas, and prompted thousands to return home. Gulf
Hundreds of Jordanians march toward capital demanding jobs As unemployment rates rise, youths from different parts of Jordan have begun marching to the Royal Court in Amman for sit-ins demanding job opportunities. Jordan
Egyptian public universities seeking to make profits Egyptian universities and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research are seeking to pass a law that will allow public universities to establish nonprofit universities in partnership with international universities, which raised fears over free education. Egypt
Is Erdogan's airport dream turning into nightmare? The Istanbul New Airport's current and projected damage to ecosystems, its subpar construction and its woeful financial setup is turning the project into a grandiose failure — one that will cost the Turkish public dearly for decades to come. Turkey
Russian Industrial Zone in Suez to be launched soon The construction of the Russian Industrial Zone in the new Suez Canal Economic zone is expected to begin soon, in a project that Egypt hopes will boost its economy. Egypt
Egypt’s unemployment rate declines to pre-revolution levels amid economic recovery Although the Egyptian government is initiating programs to encourage work in the private sector, some graduates still see unemployment as a threat to young people. Egypt
Iran’s top banks launch blockchain platform to boost ailing banking system Banking giants in Iran have established a digital tokenization platform to liquidize bad assets. If it can overcome the many challenges on the way, it could generate vital cash — and public trust. Iran