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
Will Carlos Ghosn be safe from prosecution in Lebanon? Lebanese businessman Carlos Ghosn escaped from house arrest in Tokyo and headed to Lebanon, where the judiciary is now weighing whether his past visit to Israel could be considered an act of normalization. Lebanon
Will Egyptians benefit from latest fuel price move? Egypt’s Follow-up Committee for the Automatic Pricing Mechanism for Petroleum Products recently issued its quarterly decision on the trajectory of domestic fuel prices. Egypt
Israel’s economy victim of political gridlock Without a new state budget, without new senior officials and without new reforms, Israel’s economy is one of the biggest victims of the current political chaos. Israel
Are Sisi’s state assets law amendments well-intentioned? Egypt is to pass amendments to a law that would give Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the right to transfer the ownership of state assets to Egypt’s sovereign wealth fund without facing any objections. Egypt
Fresh banknotes spark new economic war in Yemen The UN-recognized Yemeni government has pumped new banknotes into the country, but the Houthis are banning their circulation in areas under their control, burdening Yemenis and exacerbating problems for the already struggling economy. Yemen
Turkish-Russia partnership in Libya likely to be to Moscow’s advantage Analysts say any Turkish-Russian “partnership” in Libya could end up working more to Moscow’s advantage than Ankara’s, as was the case in Syria. Syria
Palestinians hope Putin’s visit means bigger Russian role in peace process Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the Palestinian territories, where he and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are expected to discuss trade ties, peace negotiations and the upcoming Palestinian elections. Palestine
Mixed reactions over turning Egypt's Investment Ministry into authority In the latest Cabinet reshuffle, the Egyptian Ministry of Investment was replaced by the General Authority for Investment, whose assignments have been tasked to the premier, raising controversy. Egypt
TurkStream gas pipeline will bring Moscow, Ankara closer than ever Turkey and Russia are set to inaugurate the TurkStream gas pipeline, which promises to increase Russian leverage in regional energy markets. Turkey
Is Israel dangling economic carrot to lead Hamas to a truce? Israel has allowed Gaza to import and export previously banned goods for the first time in 13 years, and some have interpreted the move as part of an effort to entice Hamas into a truce. Palestine
Outgoing Iraqi government's policies cause billions of dollars in economic losses Abdul Mahdi's resigned government causes billions of dollars in losses to the economy. Iraq
Multibillion-dollar lawsuit in Israel against Arab Bank Israeli casualties of terrorism sue the Jordan-based Arab Bank over its alleged assistance to terror groups. Palestine
