Protesters take to streets in Iraq

Hundreds have taken to the streets throughout Iraq to protest against the government, demanding open elections and improved public services.

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Hundreds have taken to the streets throughout Iraq to protest against the government, demanding open elections and improved public services. A protest in Baghdad drew about 200 demonstrators, who chanted: "No water, no electricity in the country of oil and the two rivers". Another 500 took to the streets in southern Basra in support of a call by the country's most senior Shiite cleric to boycott January's national elections if voting was by party rather than by individual candidates.

The protests come as the Iraqi government is struggling to restore Iraq's infrastructure after years of neglect, corruption and insurgent attacks. *AP