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
Tunisian president under fire for alleged abuse of power Ethics watchdogs are taking the Tunisian president to court, accusing him of corruption for ordering the release of a political ally who has served less than three months of a two-year sentence. Tunisia
Can Iranian sovereign crypto-rial loosen sanctions straitjacket? The United States is gearing up to sanction Iran’s sovereign cryptocurrency in anticipation of its introduction. Russia
Afcon soccer tourney gives Egypt chance for glory both on, off field Egypt is getting only a small amount of time to prepare for Afcon 2019, but the major soccer tournament could pay off big time. Egypt
Expect trade activity boost between Egypt, Gaza Strip Egypt and Hamas are exploring trade options, including a new border crossing, that would skirt Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Palestine
Why some Turkish media rejoice at negative economic data Glossing over unpleasant economic news has become a notable trend in the Turkish media as the country heads to local elections in the grips of economic woes. Turkey
Why Iran must shake up its approach to state-owned enterprises While the government’s general budget grabs the most attention in Iranian media, it is high time for Iran to revise the way it approaches the dilemma of the vast number of uncompetitive state-owned enterprises. Iran
Privatization of Turkish military factory draws strong criticism The lease of the Turkish military’s prominent tank factory to the private company BMC has stirred fierce criticism. Qatar
US sanctions hit Iranian students seeking bank accounts in Europe While Europe says it remains committed to the nuclear deal with Iran, the US withdrawal from the accord has created overcompliance with sanctions among banks that has made life difficult for Iranian students in Europe; however, Iranian students in the United States tell Al-Monitor they have not experienced such difficulties. United States
Syria issues coins to replace banknotes worth about a dime Given the inflation rate and the collapse of the Syrian currency, the Central Bank of Syria issues a new 50-pound coin (worth about 10 US cents) to save on high printing (and reprinting) costs for banknotes. Syria
Does China endanger Israel’s security? Israeli security experts warn that growing Chinese involvement in infrastructure projects could endanger the country’s security. Israel
Turkey’s crisis-hit soccer clubs face bitter pills in rescue plan A “rescue” plan is in the making for Turkey’s cash-strapped soccer clubs, but the operation might result in further political control over the soccer industry. Turkey