BAGHDAD: The Iraqi government has announced a mandatory official holiday due to a heat wave.
Wednesday’s late night statement calling for a Thursday holiday came from the Iraqi Cabinet as temperatures hit 50 degrees Celsius (123 degrees Fahrenheit). It is the first heat advisory issued by the government this summer.
The public holiday applies to all government workers.
Last on Thursday, the state-run Meteorological Department warned that temperatures in much of the country would reach as high as 51 degrees Celsius (123.8 Fahrenheit).
Temperatures reached 51 Celsius in Baghdad and as much as 53 degrees Celsius (127.4 Fahrenheit) in Basra last year, prompting the government to announce a two-day mandatory holiday.
The country typically faces brutal heat in the summers and endemic electricity outages make life even harder when temperatures soar.
Iraq announces mandatory official holiday due to heat wave
Iraq announces mandatory official holiday due to heat wave
Syrian government foils Daesh plot to attack churches and New Year celebrations
- Bomber kills soldier in Aleppo, detonates explosives injuring 2 others
ALEPPO, DAMASCUS: The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that it had thwarted a Daesh plot to carry out suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations and churches, particularly in Aleppo.
The ministry said in a statement that, as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts and careful monitoring of Daesh cells in cooperation with partner agencies, it had received intelligence indicating plans for suicide attacks targeting New Year celebrations in several provinces, particularly Aleppo, with a focus on churches and civilian gathering areas.
The ministry added that it took preemptive measures, including reinforcing security around churches, deploying mobile and fixed patrols, and setting up checkpoints across the city.
During operations at a checkpoint in Aleppo’s Bab Al-Faraj district, security forces intercepted a suspected Daesh member who opened fire. One internal security soldier was killed, and the attacker detonated explosives, injuring two others.
Daesh recently increased its attacks in Syria, and was blamed for an attack last month in Palmyra that killed three Americans.
On Dec. 13, two US soldiers and an American civilian were killed in an attack Washington blamed on a lone Daesh gunman in Palmyra.
In retaliation, American forces struck scores of Daesh targets in Syria.
Syrian authorities have also carried out several operations against Daesh since then, saying on Dec. 25 they had killed a senior leader of the group.
