Politics

Authored by Zainab Calcuttawala via OilPrice.com,

Oil revenues still are not high enough to allow the Iraqi government to fund the reconstruction of the country, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi.

“Oil prices are not at the required level to be used for sustainable development,” state TV quoted al-Abadi as saying during a press conference.

Iraq proclaimed itself victorious earlier this year after a three-year, hard-fought war against the terrorist Islamic State.

We noted in June that Zimbabwe's cash crisis continued unabated.

Those awaiting cash transfers at a bank may wait a month to be cleared and, even then, the transfer may be refused.

The Standard, Zimbabwe’s leading Sunday newspaper, ran an article at the time entitled, “Black market thrives, as banks run dry.”

Some highlights from that article:

A new CNN investigation has uncovered a network of slave markets operating in warehouses in various cities across Libya six years after NATO-led intervention in the country toppled the government of Muammar Gaddafi in support of US and UK backed rebels. And not only did CNN confirm the presence of slave auctions where human beings are being sold for as little as $400 in "liberated" Libya, but CNN's crew was actually able to film a live auction in progress, while also gathering the testimonies of multiple victims.

We noted yesterday that Zimbabwe military commander, General Constantino Chiwenga, said on state television that he was not launching a military coup, while Mugabe and his family were safe, they were targeting criminals around the Mugabe family and the situation will return to normal soon. Well, that changed fast and with events fluid, the latest from Zimbabwe is that the army is in control of the country, and holding president Mugabe "for his own safety", while it was removing “criminals” around him such as the country's finance minster. 

According to a recent estimate published by the Federal Association for Assistance for the Homeless, the number of homeless people living on Germany’s streets has risen by 33% in a matter of just a couple of years, to 52,000.  Meanwhile, as The Local notes, the number of Germans who can't afford their own home and have been forced to rely on the generosity of family and friends for a place to sleep every night has also risen a staggering 26%, to over 400,000 people.