BREAKING NEWS

Iraq cabinet plans to cut Kurdistan share in 2018 federal budget

BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq November 6 - Iraq's cabinet proposed on Sunday to slash the Kurdish share of the country's revenue in the 2018 federal budget, a move that Kurdish officials said was aimed to further punish them for a September 25 referendum on independence.
If approved, the budget would further damage the relationship between Baghdad and Erbil —the semi-autonomous region's capital —already at boiling point after the central government launched a military offensive last month that swiftly recaptured the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
A preliminary draft document seen by Reuters and confirmed by three lawmakers and two Iraqi government officials shows the Kurdistan region's share of the 2018 budget trimmed to 12.6 percent, down from the 17 percent the region has traditionally been entitled to since the fall of Saddam Hussein.