IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Iraq

UN requests $861m assistance

The United Nations appealed on Sunday for $861 million to help Iraq meet a big funding gap in its 2016 emergency response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the war against the Islamic State group. Baghdad, whose revenues have fallen as oil prices have plunged, has said it would manage to finance less than half of its $1.56 billion plan to assist 10 million people in need. "With the expanding needs, the allocation through the federal budget will not be sufficient," Minister of Migration and Displacement Jassim Mohammed al-Jaff said in a statement.