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
Egyptian readers mourn ALEF bookstores The ALEF bookstore chain, beloved for its wide selection of books and engaging salespeople, has closed its doors after accusations of links to the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt
Will Tunisia have a seat in future Libyan dialogues? Tunisia appears to have lost an opportunity to garner international support to help it cope with the crisis in neighboring Libya when it rejected an invitation to the Berlin conference. Algeria
Syrian Kurds seek relief from plummeting pound The depreciation of the Syrian pound is so bad that Qamishli residents are struggling to buy basic goods, when available, and is forcing some to leave in search of financial stability. Syria
Iraq's outgoing government keeps mum on China pact Iraq's economic agreement with China was signed in October but its details are still a mystery, providing fodder for conspiracy theories and potential legal objections. Iraq
Hamas hikes taxes on imports, including from West Bank Hamas has imposed new customs duties on goods entering the Gaza Strip but some believe the taxes go too far, especially when they are imposed on items coming from the West Bank. Palestine
Turks question ‘quake taxes’ after deadly tremor Turkey’s citizens have paid billions of liras in special taxes introduced after a massive quake disaster in 1999, but two decades on, the country still has a long way to go in quake-proofing buildings and other precautionary measures. Turkey
Lebanon lags behind regional countries in gas sector Important planned developments in Lebanon’s oil and gas sector were postponed this month, adding to delays in the industry. Lebanon
Will Israel go through with plan to develop Gaza gas field? Amid reports about talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to import gas to the territories, sources say the PA intends to get gas to operate Gaza’s power plant and solve its acute power crisis. Qatar
Ex-Foreign Affairs chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen embraces UAE lobby Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the only ex-lawmaker currently registered as a foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates
Libya is only small part of Turkey’s ambitious Africa overture Although Turkey’s moves in Libya capture a lot of headlines these days, Ankara has been busy on other fronts in Africa. Egypt
Syrian crisis dictates peace between Damascus and Ankara The Russian side is said to be developing two strategies to thwart Turkey’s possible objections to cultural autonomy for Syrian Kurds. Syria
Intel: Iraq bank set to halt Iran gas transfers as US sanctions waiver expires The Trade Bank of Iraq is expected to stop processing payments to Iran if US sanction exemptions expire next month. Iraq
