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
Jericho entices tourists with Mount of the Temptation The Monastery of the Temptation, where Jesus allegedly spent 40 days, is under consideration for UNESCO's World Heritage List as local officials push sites for religious tourism. Palestine
Emirates reports massive drop in revenue in 2020 The Dubai-based airline's revenues fell billions and it is relying on reserves and support from the government to continue flying. United Arab Emirates
Qatar Airways resumes flights to Algiers The Doha-based airline is also increasing the number of its weekly flights to New York and Chicago. Qatar
Turkish lira makes gains on renewed optimism After hitting a series of record lows, Turkey’s currency rebounded more 7% this week as investors expect sharp policy reversals by the nation’s newly appointed economy team. Turkey
End of kafala no panacea for Egyptian workers in Saudi Arabia Although Egypt officially welcomes the end of the kafala system in Saudi Arabia, some observers worry the changes will be largely cosmetic as abusive work contracts remain in place. Saudi Arabia
Amid market tumult, Erdogan appoints new finance minister Investors are watching for policy shifts as Turkey’s Former Deputy Prime Minister Lutfi Elvan takes the helm of the nation’s Finance Ministry following the surprise resignation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayrak. Turkey
Israeli fashion industry could collapse from pandemic losses Shopkeepers warn that if the government does not take serious steps to save them from the coronavirus-induced crisis, the whole national fashion industry could go down. Israel
Shakeup of economy team stuns Turkey, cheers investors Presidential son-in-law Berat Albayrak has quit as finance minister amid economic turmoil, but most news outlets pretended it didn’t happen. Turkey
Egypt bets on oranges to boost exports to Japan Japan allowed the Egyptian government to export citrus fruits after long negotiations between the two sides, in a step officials and experts believe will contribute to increasing Egyptian exports, pumping foreign currency into the country, creating job opportunities and increasing farmers’ income. Egypt
Intel: Trump administration to propose $3 billion drone sale to UAE News of the proposal comes a week after the administration informally notified Congress of its intent to sell F-35 fighter jets to Abu Dhabi. United Arab Emirates
Assad blames Syria’s economic turmoil on Lebanon, not sanctions Syrian President Bashar al-Assad estimates that Syrians hold between $20 billion and $42 billion in Lebanon's banks. Syria
Dubai-based airline announces daily flights to Tel Aviv The budget carrier flydubai will start flying to Israel's largest city later this month in the latest sign of deepening economic ties between Israel and the Emirates. United Arab Emirates
