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
Turkey announces major natural gas discovery in Black Sea President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the discovery of 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas will help Turkey reduce its reliance on foreign energy supplies. Turkey
Family silver next in line in Turkey’s debt crunch The hefty external debt of Turkey’s public and private sectors is increasingly imposing the option to offer asset swaps to creditors, including company shares and valuable real estate. Turkey
Oman kicks off ambitious reform project A significant revamp promises to slim down the Omani government, bring in new faces and mark the start of a new era. Oman
How megaprojects mitigated COVID-19 impact on Egypt’s labor market The coronavirus pandemic has increased the unemployment rate, but the impact could have been worse without the infrastructure overhaul. Egypt
UAE official says F-35 request 'legitimate,' not connected to Israel deal UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said an arms deal should be easier now that his country inked a deal to normalize ties with Israel. United Arab Emirates
Opting for backdoor measures, Turkey’s Central Bank holds interest rate steady Turkey’s Central Bank left a key interest rate unchanged in favor of liquidity measures Thursday in what analysts described as a “missed opportunity” to send a positive signal to the markets. Turkey
Intel: Iraq to ink oil deal with Chevron, foreign minister says The Iraqi government will sign an agreement with American oil company Chevron, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said during his visit to Washington on Wednesday. Iraq
Beirut’s club scene gets creative in wake of blast Lebanon's nightlife is key to its economy and spirit. Lebanon
Despite dispute with Riyadh over Kashmir, Saudi-Pakistan ties remain strong Security and economic bonds mean that Islamabad’s recent disputes with Riyadh are unlikely to impact overall bilateral ties. Saudi Arabia
Amazon seeks development of Egypt e-commerce market Amazon is planning on expanding the services it provides to the promising Egyptian market in the field of e-commerce, but some obstacles might slow down growth in this sector. Egypt
Israel's president invites UAE crown prince to Jerusalem President Reuven Rivlin said Monday he extended a formal invite to Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. United Arab Emirates
Israeli companies enthusiastic on deal with UAE, target Gulf market Israeli companies in the fields of cyber, water management, defense and even diamonds are lining up for launching business ventures in the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates
