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
Debate over Syrian refugees gathers steam in Turkey Young Syrians celebrating New Year’s Eve in public Istanbul squares ignited false claims that Syrians are enjoying life in Turkey while Turkish soldiers die for their country. Syria
Iranian fintech firms carve their place in fast-changing landscape Fintech firms in Iran have overcome significant hurdles during the past year to participate in devising regulations and setting the stage to change the country’s financial landscape. Iran
Egypt’s internal debt rises on wider budget deficit Egypt announced a plan for the issuance of treasury bills and bonds worth 181.5 billion Egyptian pounds, but experts say the government should slash outlays and increase public revenues through a raft of measures to ease the country's budgetary woes. Egypt
Iran national security adviser says Europe missed chance to save nuclear deal A top Iranian official has explicitly stated for the first time that Europe's window to uphold its commitments under the Iran nuclear deal has closed. Iran
Turkey abandons Uighurs in favor of Chinese investment Turkey was once the Uighurs’ prime defender, offering easy citizenship to emigrants and speaking out against their mistreatment, but the recent economic rapprochement between Turkey and China has led Ankara to abandon its ethnic brothers. Turkey
Istanbul, the flashpoint of Turkey’s crisis and looming elections Turkey’s commercial capital, Istanbul, is in the grips of economic turmoil, which raises the prospect of the city’s local administration changing hands after more than two decades of dominance by political Islam. Turkey
US sanctions and the dynamics of Iran’s petroleum sector While US sanctions are hitting Iran’s key energy sector hard, the industry remains set to advance, albeit at a slower pace and with a lower level of technology. Iran
Egyptian silk producers hope to spin profits Egypt hopes that removing tariffs on the import of silkworms will encourage young entrepreneurs to cultivate them to help meet local demand. Egypt
Why Iraq's president can expect warm welcome in Turkey Turkey is preparing to host new Iraqi President Barham Salih, who Ankara clearly sees as useful despite his Kurdish political background. Iraq
US-Palestinian man gets life sentence for selling home to Jews A Ramallah court has sentenced a Palestinian-American to life in prison for selling East Jerusalem property to Jewish Israelis in what could be a sign that the Palestinians are considering ending security coordination with Israel. Palestine
Iran pushes Iraq to maintain trade without US dollar Iran is pushing for an agreement with the Iraqi Central Bank to maintain trade in local currencies after dollar-base trade halted following the reimposition of US sanctions. Iraq
The Israeli ultra-Orthodox paradox: earning little, feeling rich The ultra-Orthodox population in Israel is considered poor by economic measurements, but its members do not feel poor in part due to their consumption habits and solidarity networks. Israel