Many cities across Iraq have been suffering blackouts since late April amid a spike in temperatures across the region. Iraq struggles to meet power demand during summer at the best of times, but Adel Kareem, former electricity minister and current advisor to the Iraqi PM, this week said the loss of 800-1,000MW of Iranian power imports after the US cancelled a waiver allowing indirect payment has exacerbated the situation (MEES, 14 March). Maintenance to get plants ready for the summer is also still ongoing, further adding to the woes. On 4 May, protestors took to the street in Diwaniya province after a blackout, and there could be a summer of unrest ahead of November’s parliamentary elections.