General introduction: A 2011 World Bank study on Iraq’s financial sector indicates that bank credit in Iraq amounts to only 10% of GDP and would need to rise by an additional $38 billion to catch up to the MENA average of 55%. In a Market Assessment in 2010, over 700 Iraqi MSMEs were interviewed on their major business constraints and opportunities. Results revealed that acce
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS Like many young people in Iraq and conflict affected countries around the world, Mustafa and Rania faced bleak futures devoid of opportunities for either work or social engagement. A multi-dimensional youth project focused on job apprenticeships, and community activities gave Mustafa and Rania the opportunity to realize their potential and change t
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The purpose of the PRIX index is to forecast political developments that can affect oil exports from the world’s 20 largest oil exporters. The exports from these countries are in turn an important factor in determining the oil price. The PRIX global index number for the second quarter of 2015 is 55.87. The range of possible index values is 0-100, where 0 represents a maximum r
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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices eased off 2015 highs on Friday after Iraq said its crude oil exports hit a record in April, and as the dollar strengthened. Brent and U.S. crude rallied between 20 and 25 percent in April, helped by a weaker dollar and bets that a global supply glut would ease, following the June-to-January sell-off that halved prices from above $100 a barrel.
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(Reuters) - BP (BP.L) has been lifting more crude oil cargoes in the past couple of months as payment for its work in southern Iraq, and is comfortable with that level of shipments, a senior executive of the oil company said on Monday. Low oil prices and the fight against Islamic State have forced Baghdad to delay billions of dollars of cash payments which it owes to internati
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