Iraq's parliament approves $88bn budget as Kurdistan MPs boycott vote – lawmakers

Iraq's parliament approved a 104 trillion dinar (US$88 billion) 2018 state budget on Saturday, two lawmakers told Reuters. Lawmakers from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region boycotted the session. "We boycotted the vote and there are proposals for Kurdistan to withdraw from the entire political process in Iraq over the unfair treatment we have received,” Kurdish lawmaker Ashwaq Jaff said. Tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdistan region have been heightened since September, when the region held a controversial referendum on independence. Iraq's Supreme Federal Court ruled the referendum unconstitutional, calling the results of the vote void.