The Iraqi government has declared Thursday a day off work across the country due to scorching heat, reported local media. The current heatwave coincides with the holy month of Ramadan. Temperatures sometimes exceed 50 degrees Celsius in summer in Iraq, mainly in the central and southern areas. "It has been decided to suspend work in (the capital) Baghdad and other provinces on Thursday because of the high temperatures," the Iraqi website Alsumariya News quoted the cabinet as saying in a statement. The Iraqi government made a similar decision in August last year.