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Iraq census prompts questions about budget allocations and size of parliament

The first comprehensive census since the late 1980s has revealed that Iraq’s population now stands at 45.4m. Details of the census are likely to provoke debate about the allocation of resources, not least in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and could also lead to a sizeable expansion of the number of federal Council of Representatives members of parliament, unless a constitutional amendment is agreed.

Issue 1194 - 02 December 2024

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Cracks emerge in Saudi diversification drive, with little to show after eight years

The start of services on the Riyadh Metro and hotel openings at the Red Sea Project are positive signs of progress in the kingdom’s ‘giga-project’ economy. But for all the hype about the government’s shift away from Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil revenues, hydrocarbons are as vital to the economy today as they were when Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman launched his Vision 2030 diversification strategy in 2016. The turnover of key executives suggests the Saudi top team is unhappy with progress to date.

Issue 1194 - 28 November 2024

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