Baghdad, Iraq - Recent

Storyline:
Iraq, which is enduring scorching summer heat, has recorded more than 5,500 fire incidents in the past five months, according to the Civil Defense Directorate.

The capital city of Baghdad, as well as other Iraqi regions, have remained the hottest cities in the world during this summer, according to international weather data.

Temperatures in the regions exceeded half the boiling point on most summer days, an issue elevated due to shortages of electricity.

Environmental activists attribute the high temperatures to the country's vulnerability to drought and global warming.

The Iraqi government has reduced working hours across all government offices by one hour in response to the heatwave.

The Ministry of Interior has asked civil defense forces to stay alert for fire incidents during the summer to safeguard the lives and property of residents.

Shotlist:
Baghdad, Iraq - Recent:
1. Traffic, pedestrians;
2. Various of man washing face;
3. Electric fan working;
4. Various of street vendor, shoppers;
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Jabbar Maher, street vendor:
"We work from seven in the morning until five [in the afternoon]. The temperature reaches 51 or 52 degrees Celsius [in the hottest hours]. My work is to push a cart under the sun. I'm very tired, and when I return home, I don't have electricity. It comes for one hour and then goes out for four hours. Electricity is what we need the most, and also afforestation and public parks and gardens.";
6. Fire brigade;
7. Various of firefighters putting out fire;
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahdi Laith, environmental activist (starting with shot 7):
"For the past decades, we have not been accustomed to such heat. It could be a flame for grills or other things in one of the areas with forests and high temperatures that cause the death of trees and plants. All these may lead to fires that we are witnessing in different regions of Iraq and the world. What we must do today is try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause temperatures to rise and to plant trees which can help reduce temperatures inside cities.";
9. Various of firefighters putting out fire.

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