High-level talks between Turkey and the European Union have wrapped up in Ankara. European Commision President, Ursula von der Leyen, and Head of the European Council, Charles Michel, met with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a bid to reset their relationship and improve co-operation. The two sides discussed a number of topics, including trade, visa liberalisation and the ongoing refugee crisis. The bloc has pledged new funding to support Turkey, which has taken in more than four million refugees, as well as improvements to their customs union.

#TurkeyEURelations #Exports #CustomsUnion

The end of the pandemic is in sight. That's according to the International Monetary Fund. It's raised its forecast for global growth this year, thanks to the speedy roll-out of vaccines and generous stimulus programmes by large economies. But as Paolo Montecillo reports, not everyone is expected to emerge from the crisis at the same time. For more, we spoke to Christian Lawrence. He's a senior cross-asset strategist at Rabobank in New York.

#IMF #VaccineRollout #GlobalGrowth

In Kenya, increased interest in the drone industry is driving up demand for trained operators. But licensed institutes are still limited in number, meaning those already in the game have a head start. Shoaib Hasan explains.

#Kenya #Drone #Dronespave

As the situation in Lebanon becomes increasingly untenable, some medical professionals are moving overseas. The economic crisis, the pandemic, and the devastating explosion in Beirut last year have pushed the healthcare system, and those who work in it, to the brink. Imogen Kimber reports.

#BrainDrain #LebanonEconomy #MedicalProfessionals

Jordan's former crown prince, Hamzah bin Al Hussein has been accused of trying to destabilise the country and plotting with 'foreign entities'. King Abdullah's half brother was put under what he calls house arrest, along with several high-profile officials. The prince has released a voice recording saying he'll ignore the army's orders not to communicate with the outside world. Liz Maddock reports. Sami Nader joined us from Beirut. He's the Director of the Levant institute for Strategic Affairs.

#Jordan #Unrest #RoyalFamily

The World Health Organization's vaccine alliance, known as COVAX, says more than two dozen countries are yet to receive any inoculations for COVID-19. The group is blaming a rise in vaccine nationalism, which has seen wealthy economies hoard much of global supplies, leaving little for everyone else. Paolo Montecillo has more. For more, we spoke to Muhammad Munir. He's a virologist at the University of Lancaster in the UK.

#WHO #immunisations #VaccineNationalism

In just 12 months, the coronavirus pandemic has set the cause of gender equality back by 36 years, according to the World Economic Forum's latest gender gap report. With thousands of job losses and growing 'double shift' responsibilities of work and care, 2020 has rolled back years of economic advancements for women.

#WEF #GenderGap #Equality

Visual arts are giving a group of hearing-impaired Palestinian women a chance to bring their dreams to life. At a youth centre in Gaza, they're learning how to make short animated films they hope will educate others too. Mustafa Fatih Yavuz reports.

#Animation #HearingImpaired #VisualArts

The UK's Culture Secretary has told the country to get ready for a "summer of fun" as the vaccine rollout gathers pace. Britain is also preparing to host a number of world renowned events. Some experts say social distancing and vaccine passports of some kind will be needed to facilitate large crowds. But how will small businesses cope? Oliver Regan takes a look.

#UK #SummerOfFun #PandemicLockdowns

Rising Turkish exports are keeping authorities and workers at the country's largest port busier than ever. In the previous quarter, the Mersin Port, in southern Turkey, was operating at nearly 100 percent of capacity. Now, it's launched a major expansion as overseas sales by the region's businesses continue to drive demand for logistics providers. Mobin Nasir reports from Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

#TurkeyTrade #MersinPort #CargoCapacity