A protester holds a sign that reads “We ask the decision makers to provide the things we are deprived of” during a protest in south of Basra, 16 July At least three protesters have been killed and dozens injured in Iraq , after week-long rallies against soaring poverty gripped the oil-rich but neglected south of the country. On Sunday, security forces fired into crowds in Samawa town, 170 miles south of Baghdad , killing at least two people, when a mob stormed a courthouse. It followed the death of another protester last Tuesday in Basra, Iraq’s second largest city, where the rallies first erupted. Dozens have also been injured, including 50 in Basra on Sunday alone. The security forces began a sweep of mass arrests, saying over 30 officers have been wounded. Read more The rising tide of violence has piled pressure on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, at a […]