Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiar al-Zibari has stressed that holding the Iraqi elections on Jan. 30 has reached a point of no return, Egypt's Arabic-language daily al-Ahram reported on Sunday. Zibari said in an interview with the daily that any change of the election date would mean Iraq and democracy have given in to terrorist acts. In the past, the Iraqi people suffered from isolation but now they will never accept to be marginalized, the minister said. (XINHUA online)

Supporters of radical Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr demonstrated for the second-day running to demand better living conditions, a rare display of popular interest in an electoral campaign which has so far been stifled by relentless violence. (TurkishPress.com)

People in Iraq want to vote in the elections for the country's national assembly on Jan. 30, the commander of coalition forces in Ninewa province said at a news conference today. Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, Task Force Olympia commander, said anecdotal evidence suggests Iraqis in Mosul "have the desire to vote. But they don't yet know how, or the mechanisms. We've got to work on that." (US Dept. of Defense)