Protesters block roads in Iraq after third day of power cuts

By SAMYA KULLAB
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Demonstrators blocked roads as protests broke out in southern Iraq on Monday after power outages left many without electricity during scorching peak summer heat. Temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius  (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, nearly matching last year’s record high. Southern provinces, where the heat wave is most intense in Iraq, suspended working hours. The Electricity Ministry last week announced a state of alert, anticipating outages as temperatures rise. In the oil-rich province of Basra, dozens of people took to the streets for a third straight day and burned tires, blocking the main road to the provincial capital to protest power cuts.