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
Palestinians pivot to Turkey, Qatar for support in wake of normalization deals The various Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, are shoring up ties with Turkey and other countries in the region that stand against normalization with Israel. Palestine
Kenya taxes Egyptian imports raising specter of African trade war Kenya has decided to impose taxes on the imports coming from Egypt, following its unilateral retreat from the COMESA agreement. Egypt
UAE records new high in COVID-19 cases The United Arab Emirates is trying to simultaneously fight the resurgence of the coronavirus and boost its tourism industry. United Arab Emirates
Escaping coronavirus stress, Israelis buy chocolate Young Israeli chocolatiers are battling the coronavirus-induced economic crisis to keep the local chocolate industry afloat. Israel
Israeli delegation lands in Bahrain A senior Israeli delegation arrived in Bahrain today to discuss the details of a normalization agreement between the two countries. Bahrain
Team Emirates rider wins Tour de France as cycling gains legs in Middle East The region is warming to investments in sports such as cycling as governments in the region seek to expand their sports diplomacy and soft power. Gulf
Abu Dhabi scraps liquor license requirement for alcohol purchases People in the emirate now need only be of age and in a certified drinking area such as a bar to consume alcohol. United Arab Emirates
Egypt announces record-high crude oil production for first time in decades Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum has recently announced the achievement of a record number in producing crude oil, exceeding 65,000 barrels per day, for the first time since 1957. Egypt
Intel: Libya to resume oil production at facilities without militia, Wagner fighters Tripoli's parliament says it is not on board with a deal struck with with Hifter's son in Russia last week. Libya
US imposes sweeping new Iran sanctions as Security Council ignores snapback attempt Nearly every UN Security Council member state says the United States lacks the legal authority to reimpose sanctions on Iran. United States
Turkish lira slips further as Central Bank unlikely to raise rates The Turkish currency dipped further Monday as few economic analysts expect the nation’s Central Bank to reverse an easing cycle that’s kept borrowing costs below inflation. Turkey
Russia pushes COVID-19 vaccine in Egypt Moscow is busily promoting its COVID-19 vaccine in Egypt, which it hopes to recruit for testing and production purposes. Egypt
