[Published here January 24, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday approved the government’s 2019 budget, which at $111.8 billion is one of the largest ever for the oil-rich country.
politics
In Iraq, political wrangling spawns debate over US troops | AFP
[Co-written with AFP’s Salam Faraj; published here January 22, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – From the halls of parliament to the lightning-fast rumour mills of social media, pro-Iran factions are demanding US troops withdraw from Iraq in a challenge to the country’s fragile government.
War, displacement reshuffle Syria’s demographic map | AFP
[Published here May 25, 2018]
Seven years of war and massive displacement have redrawn Syria’s demographic map, erecting borders between the country’s ethnic, religious, and political communities that will be hard to erase.
