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
Erdogan hails 'new phase' in Turkey-UK ties with trade agreement Turkey and the United Kingdom's increasing discord with the European Union make them natural partners. Turkey
US unveils new Syria sanctions targeting Assad’s British in-laws The US administration has blacklisted the commander of Syria's military intelligence organization, a senior aide to President Bashar al-Assad and Assad's British in-laws. Syria
Egypt offers fertile environment for fintech industry As Egyptians do more online, the government is seeking to harness the fintech industry for solutions to the challenges in the Egyptian economy. Egypt
Saudi, Kuwaiti investments boost Cairo, Sphinx airports Egypt received offers from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to invest in projects to expand the Cairo and Sphinx international airports, as part of efforts to boost tourism and put Egypt on the global transit map. Egypt
Emirates resumes flights to Istanbul The Dubai-based airline recently reported a massive revenue loss for 2020, but continues to rebuild its flight network toward pre-pandemic status. United Arab Emirates
Iraq, Turkey agree to cooperate on counterterrorism, trade Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi committed to enhanced cooperation on terrorism, trade and energy, although Turkey’s ongoing military operations in Iraqi Kurdistan may remain a source of contention between the two neighbors. Iraq
Turkey won't back down from S-400s despite sanctions, says foreign minister Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara will "take steps" to respond to the US sanctions unveiled this week. Turkey
British Airways stops flights to several Gulf cities The airline will no longer fly to destinations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman in 2021 as global air travel continues to take a hit amid the pandemic. Gulf
Egypt’s scorpion king hunts fortune in the desert An Egyptian man gave up his archeology job to gather scorpions and snakes and extract their venom for medicinal purposes. Egypt
Turkish Central Bank to pursue tight monetary policy against inflation Turkey’s Central Bank Governor Naci Agbal said Wednesday he would seek to stem inflation, possibly through further rate hikes, pledging to continue tight monetary policies and stabilize the nation’s currency. Turkey
Israeli Arabs break glass ceiling to become flight attendants After many years where Arab citizens were barred from courses for flight attendants, the Arkia airline decided to change its policy. Israel
Iran using disguised ship to load Venezuelan oil The tanker reportedly hid its real name. The United States sanctions the oil industries of both Iran and Venezuela. Iran
