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IMF forecasts Gulf economies shrinking by double digits

Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar face the steepest declines in the fund's outlook, as the US-Israel war on Iran reshapes the region's finances.

On air: Gloria Vance and Dr. Nina Byte on Best of BBN
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Photo: NASA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
▶ As it aired · World

Watch it as it aired: Gloria Vance and Dr. Nina Byte on this story, from Best of BBN at 3:09 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Al Jazeera's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Persian Gulf
Photo: NASA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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What BBN said about it

  1. Gloria Vance · World News AnchorIn the Gulf this morning, the International Monetary Fund says the Middle East and Central Asia will shrink in twenty twenty-six, and Al Jazeera reports Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar face double-digit declines.

  2. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentDouble-digit means households feel it in food, wages and jobs, and the fund ties all of it to the war on Iran.

  3. Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe shipping picture is not helping. Qatar is urging stronger efforts to secure Gulf maritime routes, and Saudi Arabia has halted flights at Riyadh airport.

  4. Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentAnd the Houthis keep escalating attacks, which President Trump has condemned.

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The story so far

  1. Riyadh airport reportedly hit again; Iran torches supertanker · The Guardian
  2. IMF chief warns of threat from AI to jobs and taxes · The Japan Times
  3. IMF's AI 'tsunami' warning gets a World Bank council backup · CNBC
  4. IMF scenario: Australian fuel could jump 30c a litre · The Guardian
  5. IMF warns global economy 'could soon test the limits of resilience' · The Guardian
  6. IMF warns an AI share crash could threaten global stability · The Guardian
  7. IMF forecasts Gulf economies shrinking by double digits (this story)

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