From Tehran to Tangiers, there is a devastating toll on human health. Some 140,000 people across the region have been infected with the coronavirus, thousands have died and thankfully tens of thousands have recovered. Meanwhile, the pandemic is causing significant economic turmoil in the region through the twin shocks of disruption to trade and production and plummeting oil prices. The International Monetary Fund says the priority is to save lives as the Middle East and North Africa region face the toughest fight in 100 years. What does the rest of 2020 look like for the region?  



Mustafa Alrawi, assistant editor in chief, and Kelsey Warner, future editor, are joined by the IMF's Jihad Azour, director for Middle East and Central Asia, and a former Lebanon finance minister, to discuss.

In this episode:
Mustafa and Kelsey on economy (0m 42s)

IMF's Jihad Azour on outlook and response (2m 05s)

Headlines (22m 54s)

on our website:

• Middle East's coronavirus fight is biggest challenge 'in the last 100 years', IMF's Jihad Azour says


• Middle East and Central Asia acted fast to support economies in face of twin shocks, IMF says


• JPMorgan Chase to tighten mortgage borrowing standards as economic outlook weakens


• Oman's Taageer Finance and Sohar disclose 4.67m rial exposure to NMC


• Communication changes during pandemic will shape the future, du CEO says

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