Iraqis Protest Over Power, Water Cuts Amid Heat Wave

BAGHDAD - Hundreds of Iraqis protested Friday in Baghdad over worsening power and water cuts as temperatures exceeded 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius)  in some parts of Iraq.

At Friday prayer in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, men sweated and prayed under parasols, then held a protest criticizing the government for not providing its citizens with enough electricity. "It's just getting worse. We can take power cuts, even 10 hours of cuts a day, but just give us something," said Haider Hussein, a 32-year-old laborer. Power went out completely across most of the country's provinces before dawn, residents said, in some of the worst shortages this year. Some main grid electricity had returned to Baghdad by the afternoon.