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's finance minister assures investors as lira slides As Turkey’s currency neared record lows Wednesday, Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak worked to reassure investors in a rare conference call. Turkey
Turkey's relative coronavirus success may turn sour amid looming economic crisis Turkey’s COVID-19 balance sheet: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had relative success in combat against the outbreak, but a financial collapse could be on the horizon. Turkey
Bahrain eases coronavirus restrictions, allowing shops to reopen Beginning Thursday, shops and industrial businesses in the Gulf kingdom can resume business, though some restrictions remain in place. Bahrain
Saudi Arabia braces for economic impact Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council states must make dramatic cuts in spending, and not just on megaprojects, as unsustainably large annual deficits have arrived. Gulf
UAE rejects Pakistani claim it is exporting virus The UAE said it tests everyone leaving the country and bars infected individuals from traveling, but Pakistan says up to half of those repatriated on some flights had COVID-19. United Arab Emirates
Lebanon’s lockdown extended amid fears of ‘second wave’ of virus To keep the coronavirus from spreading, a curfew and other restrictions on movement in Lebanon will continue through at least May 24. Lebanon
Report: Private sectors in UAE, Egyptian, Saudi economies suffer dramatic losses IHS Markit, a global information provider, shows how the private sector has suffered major blows in the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
In Lebanon’s new wave of protests and riots, Tripoli is leading the way Lebanon’s protests have resumed, but more violently, especially in Tripoli, where bank facades were smashed and a protester was killed by the army. Lebanon
Arab mayors in Israel strike against unfair distribution of pandemic funding The heads of Arab Israeli localities are leading a strike in protest of their communities receiving a tiny share of state compensation for losses due to the novel coronavirus. Israel
China ramps up COVID-19 diplomacy in Mideast As the Trump administration tries to link the coronavirus to a Chinese laboratory, Beijing is using the pandemic to strengthen ties in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia
Turkey grapples with manufacturing downturn, weak demand amid pandemic As demand and manufacturing output dip during the novel coronavirus crisis in Turkey, analysts warn inflation may rise in the coming months. Turkey
Iran begins reopening mosques despite coronavirus concerns Mosques across 132 "low-risk" cities reopened in Iran under strict guidelines meant to ensure social distancing. Iran
