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
Istanbul’s mayor faces off with Erdogan over 'crazy' canal Ekrem Imamoglu, who wrested control of Turkey’s largest city from the ruling party in a contentious election this year, calls plans to build a waterway between Istanbul’s two seas a "disaster." Turkey
New oil, gas field in Egypt promises more discoveries Egypt’s successive governments have largely ignored drilling of oil and gas in the Western Desert given the high cost of such an operation, although the area is rich. Egypt
Reshuffle of HTS-linked government fails to bring hope in Idlib It appears that the new cabinet of an Idlib-based opposition government connected to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham will not earn the trust of the public, which continues to suffer under tough economic and humanitarian conditions. Syria
Could Congress' latest Syria sanctions bill backfire? The congressional bill will exacerbate the economic situation in Syria and ultimately increase Syria’s dependency on Iran. Syria
Jordanians pressure government to end imprisonment of debtors Thousands of Jordanians have either fled their country or are lingering in jail for failing to pay their debts, an act that is punishable by law in Jordan, though lawmakers are trying to make some changes. Jordan
Egypt’s military adds new factory to industrial portfolio Egypt’s military signed a deal with a Chinese company to establish a car tire factory, further tightening its grip over the country's industrial sectors. Egypt
Russia weighs two reconstruction strategies for Syria In the face of US sanctions, Moscow is considering whether the outsourcing of reconstruction efforts for Syria may be better for Russia than a long-term presence. Syria
Sell-off in Oman reveals privatization with regional characteristics Some Middle East countries in need of cash, such as Oman, are selling assets to Chinese and Malaysian state-owned entities. Oman
Potential oil spill disaster looms off Yemen's coast, but who’s to blame? Calls are rising to separate the politics of the military conflict in Yemen from the issue of an abandoned oil tanker in the Red Sea, in light of a looming ecological disaster that could affect the entire region. Saudi Arabia
Facing US sanctions, credit-fueled Turkish economy heads toward turbulence Through measures to free up capital flows, Turkey’s economy weathered the 2018 currency crisis, but analysts remain uncertain the nation’s markets can absorb more shocks as US sanctions loom. Turkey
Egypt moves into position as regional energy hub President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced Egypt is ready to export electricity to Africa at low prices. Egypt
Dollar shortage crisis in Lebanon spills into Syria The Syrian pound's value plummeted against the US dollar after the Lebanese pound depreciated. Lebanon
