Baghdad Sets New Blistering Heat Record

Baghdad hit 125.2 degrees Tuesday, the highest temperature ever recorded for the city in Iraq. The Middle East is in the midst of a heat wave, and on Wednesday, Baghdad hit its second-highest temperature ever: 124 degrees. The previous record, set in July 2015, was 123.8, the Washington Post reports. Other locations in Iraq as well as Saudi Arabia and Lebanon broke heat records this week as well, and Syria's capital tied its record.

Two protesters were killed by security forces in Baghdad Monday in demonstrations against worsening power cuts amid the heat wave, leading to a lack of electricity, Reuters reports. Many residents have been relying on generators to power their homes after the state electrical grid failed, the Week reports. (More Baghdad stories.)