About 1,000 people protested against frequent power cuts in the Iraqi city of Baquba today, in the wake of the resignation of the country's electricity minister over the energy crisis, dpa reported. Baquba, which is situated in eastern Diyala province and 60 kilometres outside of Baghdad, is one of many areas where lack of electricity and power outages has fuelled public anger and led to regular street protests. Iraqi security forces deployed to monitor the protest, prevented vehicles from entering the city. Some areas have experienced power cuts up of to 20 hours a day, as the country's air conditioning needs peak in temperatures of around 50 degrees Celcius. -- SPA
