Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 4 august 2017
Iraqi weather service warns of brutal heat wave Libyan general

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN tures soar. Those who can, Haider Habib told The Asso- Unlike other countries in the orders navy to
Associated Press escape to cooler spots ciated Press that Thursday’s region, Iraq lacks tourism confront ships
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s in neighboring countries, temperature hit 50 degrees destinations where people
weather service warned while those who can’t af- Celsius, or 122 Fahrenheit, can spend time to escape entering waters
the sweltering heat, leav- By MENNA ZAKI
ing the majority of Iraqis
with limited options, such Associated Press
CAIRO (AP) — The com-
as traveling to the self-ruled
northern Kurdish region or mander of Libya’s self-
styled national army in the
swimming in the rivers and
irrigation canals or killing country’s east has ordered
naval and air forces to
time inside air-conditioned
shopping malls or staying confront any vessel enter-
ing the country’s territorial
inside the home.
Exacerbating their suffer- waters without permission,
after Italy began a na-
ings is the shabby electric-
ity situation, which in past val mission to help stem a
popular migration route
years has led to protests,
with some turning bloody at the behest of the U.N.-
backed government in the
after security forced
opened fire. west. The move signals un-
resolved tensions between
The unmerciful heat and
humidity in Basra has the two rival leaders, Field
Marshal Khalifa Hifter and
slashed by more than half
the income of Hussain Haz- Prime Minister Fayez Serraj,
who pledged to cooper-
im, a photographer who
roams the city’s plazas and ate at a meeting outside
Paris last week. In two state-
corniche.
In this photo taken on Friday, July 28, 2017, Umm Ali gives her son a cool bath to beat the heat ments released by Hifter’s
in the poor neighborhood of Fadhil in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraq’s weather service warned Thursday “When summer comes, I LNA on its Facebook page
that temperatures will increase next week in most parts of the country, with the highs expected stop roaming the streets late Wednesday, Hifter
to reach 51 degrees Celsius, or about 124 degrees Fahrenheit, adding to the daily woes of Iraqi even during the night,” the directed his command
citizens already facing a deteriorated security situation and lack of public services. 42-year old father of three
(AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) said. “Instead, I visit public to eastern naval bases in
halls to offer services for Benghazi, Ras Lanuf, To-
Thursday that temperatures ford a trip abroad stay in- in three areas in southern wedding parties, but can’t bruk, as well as the capital
Tripoli, in the west, and the
will increase next week in doors or go swimming in Iraq. The cities of Basra secure a steady income
most parts of the country, the Tigris and Euphrates riv- and Maysan saw the hot- with that,” he added. air force after an Italian
patrol boat arrived there.
with the highs expected ers. test temperatures in July, Vacationers who can af-
to reach 51 degrees Cel- In some public places, registering 52 degrees Cel- ford to travel abroad, Italy’s Parliament ap-
proved the naval mission
sius, or about 124 degrees showers and water spray sius, or 125 Fahrenheit, last have a variety of options,
Fahrenheit, adding to the cooling fans have been month. said Mustafa Jawad, the to help the Libyan coast
guard curb the flow of
daily woes of Iraqi citizens set up for those who want Last year, temperatures marketing manager at a
already facing a deterio- to cool down, and some reached 51 degrees Cel- leading travel and tourism hundreds of thousands of
migrants from Africa and
rated security situation and street vendors and taxi sius (123.8 Fahrenheit) in agency in Baghdad. Mus-
lack of public services. drivers keep wet handker- Baghdad and as much tafa’s al-Merjan Agency elsewhere crossing the
Mediterranean to Europe.
The country typically faces chiefs on their heads. Carts as 53 degrees Celsius offers group tours not only
brutal heat in the summers for watermelon, ice cream (127.4 Fahrenheit) in Basra, to neighboring countries, The U.N. migration agency
reported in August that the
and endemic electric- and cold drinks are seen on prompting the government but also to destinations
ity outages make life even almost every street corner. to announce a two-day in Europe, Asia and the number of migrants and
refugees travelling via the
harder when tempera- Chief weather forecaster mandatory holiday. Maldives.q
Mediterranean exceeded
114,000 since the begin-
Israeli police: ning of 2017 until July 30,
with almost 85 percent ar-
PM Netanyahu suspected of breach of trust, bribes riving in Italy.
Italian Premier Paolo Genti-
loni said Italy’s deployment
JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime involving Netanyahu deal minister.” It said the alle- Netanyahu’s attempts to responded to a request by
Minister Benjamin Netan- with “a suspicion of com- gations are part of a cam- strike a deal with publisher the Tripoli-based govern-
yahu is suspected of crimes mitting crimes of bribery, paign to “replace the gov- Arnon Mozes of the Yediot ment, which later denied
involving fraud, breach of fraud and breach of trust.” ernment” and “there will Ahronot newspaper group striking a deal with the Ital-
trust and bribes in two cor- Netanyahu’s office has re- be nothing, because there to promote legislation to ians. Libya’s eastern-based
ruption cases, Israeli police peatedly denied wrongdo- was nothing.” One investi- weaken Yediot’s main parliament, which is also
revealed Thursday. Police ing over the investigations, gation, dubbed “File 1000,” competitor in exchange for recognized internationally,
have been questioning Ne- portraying the accusations reportedly concerns claims more favorable coverage is a rival to Tripoli and is al-
tanyahu for months over the as a witch hunt against him that Netanyahu improp- of him by Yediot. Netanya- lied with Hifter. It saw the
cases but have released and his family by a hostile erly accepted lavish gifts hu, who took office in 2009, move as a “violation of the
few details. It released a media opposed to his po- from supporters, including has long had an image as sovereignty of Libya” that
gag order Thursday night litical views. A statement Australian billionaire James a cigar-smoking, cognac- aims at “exporting the ille-
on reporting the details of from his office Thursday Packer and Hollywood pro- drinking socialite, while his gal migration crisis to Lib-
talks that are underway to night said, “We complete- ducer Arnon Milchan. The wife, Sara, has been ac- ya” by sending thousands
enlist a state witness. The ly reject the unfounded second investigation, “File cused of abusive behavior of migrants back to the
document says the cases claims against the prime 2000,” reportedly concerns toward staff. q country.q