Iraq Rocked by Protests After Power Cuts During Searing Summer Heat Wave
July 3, 2021, 6:33 am

Iraq Rocked by Protests After Power Cuts During Searing Summer Heat Wave

The Media Line reported that Iraqis took to the streets on Friday to protest power outages as temperatures soared above 50°C (122°F) across much of the country. Heat Wave

The outages have impacted the water supply, which relies on electric-powered pumps. Iraq’s Electricity Ministry said Friday morning that its grid, which normally generates around 20,000 megawatts of power, was generating just 4,000 MW.

The outage was said to be due to the cutting of a major power line, for unknown reasons, between the capital, Baghdad, and the southern province of Babylon.

Government officials say terrorists frequently target the country’s high-tension power lines to disrupt the lives of citizens. The high temperatures can result in both added need for electricity and damage to the distribution lines and defect-prone transmission network, creating a critical shortfall between supply and demand. Heat Wave

Cuts by Iran, which normally supplies up to a third of Iraq’s electricity in peak demand periods, are another major contributor to Iraq’s power shortfall.

Tehran says it stopped supplying power due to an unpaid debt of $4 billion owed by Baghdad.

Iraq’s electricity minister resigned earlier this week. The poor state of government services, exacerbated by rampant corruption, led to a campaign of mass anti-government protests across the country in 2019. Heat Wave

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Source: themedialine

Image source: Getty Images- themedialine

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.