Iraqi List insists it still has a role to play
(Baghdad) Iraqi List member Hussein al-Sadr said the bloc had not withdrawn from talks on forming a government, contrary to rumours spread by certain other political forces. Al-Sadr said the Iraqi List would support the new government whether it was part of it not, and noted that it would in any case be active through its National Assembly seats.
(Baghdad is a daily issued by the Iraqi National Accord.)

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Sistani urges government employees to act for the public good
(Al-Mashriq) Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has issued an edict saying that public servants must not fall short of their duties, and must not divert public assets needed for the reconstruction of Iraq for their own interests. He said incoming government ministers should be selected for their ability. The supreme Shia cleric also urged Sunni Arabs to join the political process. National Assembly member Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloom commented that Sistani appeared unhappy with the delay in establishing a new government.
(Al-Mashriq is published daily by the al-Mashriq Institute for Media and Cultural Investments.)

Parliament to summon ministers to answer for poor performance
(Al-Mutamar) The Iraqi National Assembly has decided to summon three ministers for questioning. The ministers of interior and defence will be asked to account for the poor state of security, the increase in attacks, and in particular the kidnapping and killing of civilians. The trade minister will be held to account for the shortage of flour and a scandal where imported Australian flour was found to be mixed with iron filings. Parliamentary speaker Hajim al-Hasani said the issues were top priorities for the Iraqi people.
(Al-Mutamar is issued daily by the Iraqi National Congress.)

Baghdad barbers targeted in insurgent attacks
(Al-Mada) Barbers in the al-Shaab district and adjacent neighbourhoods of Baghdad closed their businesses after three were shot dead by attackers who sprayed their shopfronts with gunfire. Some local residents said killers were “foreigners with beards” who may have targeted the barbers for offering hair styles seen as too western for Islamic militant tastes. An officer from al-Shaab police station said the total number of barbers killed to date was now nine.
(Al-Mada is issued daily by the al-Mada Institute for Media, Culture and Arts.)

Power company restores electricity lines after attack
(Al-Sabah al-Jadeed) According to an official source in the ministry for energy, the Baghdad-Beiji powerline has been repaired after an attack by saboteurs which cut electricity supplies to the capital. Electricity in the city is currently available two hours out of eight; the repairs mean the blackout periods will be reduced from six to four hours. Engineers are also working to repair the al-Musayeb-Baghdad powerline which was also damaged in an attack.
(Al-Sabah al-Jadeed is an independent daily paper.)