Iraqi Shiites protest Maliki government

KARBALA // A group of 5,000 Iraqi Shiite demonstrators in the city of Karbala turned the religious observance of Ashura into a political protest against the government of prime minister Nouri al Maliki today, expressing wide-ranging criticisms as the country prepares for a critical national election in early March. The protesters gathered outside the Imam Hussein shrine to greet the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who had descended on the city. "We don't vote for people who steal public money," the protesters shouted.