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
Asia buoys Iran as US sanctions hit Iran is still selling considerable quantities of oil to China, Japan, India and South Korea thanks to US waivers and other mechanisms to circumvent sanctions. Iraq
Jordan, Syria make headway in resuming normal ties The Syrian and Jordanian governments appear to be moving forward with normalizing relations, with the resumption of official visits and talk of cooperation. Jordan
Economists unmoved by pause in Turkish lira's plummet Though the latest news about Turkey's currency is good, economists still believe Turkey could well be sailing into recession, while at the G-20 summit, the Turkish president is frustrated by how little is being made of the Jamal Khashoggi murder case. Saudi Arabia
Iran reintroduces fuel cards to combat smuggling The Iranian government’s reintroduction of fuel cards has the potential to increase efficiency in governance and economy. However, it is important that the government pursue a comprehensive plan to rationalize fuel consumption, subsidies and cash handouts. Iran
Legal discrimination in Israel spreads to utilities, local governance The Israel Electric Corporation's announcement that it will refrain from cutting off power for delinquent Jewish customers during the Jewish holidays marks another insidious ripple effect of the discriminatory nationality law. Israel
Why Iran’s currency repatriation rules threaten rising exports Iranian exports have enjoyed a boost due to the weaker rial in recent months, but the country’s private sector says the mandatory currency repatriation mechanism devised by the central bank threatens legitimate exports. Iran
El Al caves to ultra-Orthodox threats, retracts blame for flight fiasco Following an outrageous incident in which a flight was forced to land in Greece to avoid the Sabbath, Israel's national carrier El Al has backed down from identifying ultra-Orthodox passengers as the cause of the commotion for fear of a boycott. Israel
Egypt grapples with economic decisions amid high inflation rates The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Egypt decided to hold key interest rates for the fifth consecutive quarter, which raised questions about the government's ability to lower the high inflation rate. Egypt
Syria has high hopes for ties with Crimea — maybe too high? Damascus expects to take part in Crimea’s Yalta International Economic Forum next year, aiming to boost trade and economic relations. Syria
Turks cannot pay back lavish consumer debts While interest rates increase in Turkey, the country's laborers, white collar workers and retirees struggle to pay back debts or obtain new loans. Turkey
Anger simmers again in Jordan over controversial legislation Public unrest is looming with the Jordanian Parliament passing an income tax bill after the previous version sparked nationwide protests over the summer and discussing another law that would restrict freedom of speech. Jordan
Is Egypt's handmade carpet industry on brink of extinction? As handmade carpet factories continue to disappear in Egypt, a dedicated weaver toils on as one of three remaining workers in a surviving enterprise, doing the only job he can imagine. Egypt