World Bank warns Mena growth will drop by half - The National

Growth in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) will slow by nearly half this year, the World Bank said yesterday.

The warning came as it pointed to fresh risks across the region and a deteriorating outlook in the euro zone.

The institution forecast economic expansion in the Mena region of 0.6 per cent, down from 1 per cent last year. The impact of sanctions on growth in Iran and continued GDP declines in Syria and Yemen were among the main reasons for the lower forecast it said. But it warned that threats to the region from the euro zone loomed large.

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