The Iraqi government has announced plans to increase the cost of fuel by up to 30 per cent, with the higher prices to come into effect from the start of May.
At its weekly meeting, the cabinet decided to raise the price of premium petrol (95 octane) from 650 Iraqi dinars per litre ($0.50) to 850 Iraqi dinars ($0.65).
Super petrol (98 octane) will be increased from 1,000 Iraqi dinars to 1,250 Iraqi dinars. Regular petrol (low octane) will remain at 450 Iraqi dinars.
The decision has caused frustration among Iraqis feeling the effects of the country's fragile economy and rising costs of living.
"It's a new disaster," said Suleiman Hussein, a politics and economics researcher in Baghdad. "When you increase the petrol price, don't forget to raise the salaries of employees.
Social media influencer Mustafa Emad warned the decision would have a knock-on effect. "With increased petrol prices, the prices of everything – food, medicine and other things – will be increased as well, because it will affect transport," he said.
The government needs instead to focus on fighting against corruption and improving public services, he added. "I warn against staying silent about such decisions. They retaliate against the Iraqi citizens, burdening and shackling them," he said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, who has been in office since October 2022, has launched series of projects to rebuild infrastructure and attract foreign investors.
He also promised to fight against endemic corruption and to introduce reforms.
The government also plans to increase taxes and to introduce levies to new sectors, including ride-hailing companies and social media influencers, the general director of the General Commission of Taxes, Ali Waad Allawi, said in a statement this month.
Iraq, Opec’s second-biggest producer after Saudi Arabia, offers fuel subsidies that contribute to the budget deficit. The country’s debilitated refining sector has forced the government to import petroleum products to meet the local demand.
According to Global Petrol Prices, Iraq has been ranked 14 in the list of the world's cheapest petrol prices this month, while Iran has the cheapest price of $0.029 per litre.
In the past, the government has hiked prices to cut the government subsidy bill, freeing up investment for building more refineries, but each move to reduce fuel subsidies causes public backlash.
The government justified the latest decision as part of plans to encourage public transport to reduce traffic congestion and promote the use of gas as an alternative and cheaper fuel for vehicles.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan
Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)
Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)
Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)
Court 1
Starting at 10am:
Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska
Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet
Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)
Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage
Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse
Court 2
Starting at 10am:
Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang
Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka
Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic
Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
Starting at 10am:
Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar
Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova
'The Predator'
Dir: Shane Black
Starring: Olivia Munn, Boyd Holbrook, Keegan-Michael Key
Two and a half stars
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Sri Lanka's T20I squad
Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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