The official added that at least 95 other people were suffering from the effects of exposure to tear gas.Hundreds of protesters gathered early Friday in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad for anti-government protests. Some attempted to enter the Green Zone by removing concrete walls placed by security forces on the bridge leading into the fortified area where the Iraqi Parliament and several Western embassies are situated, including the US embassy. The Green Zone, an area carved out of central Baghdad by U.S.-led forces after their invasion of Iraq in 2003, is seen by many Iraqis as a virtual city within a city where privileged residents enjoy more security and better public services than elsewhere in Baghdad.In a televised speech Friday, Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said a ministerial reshuffle would take place next week, focusing on "competencies and independence of ministers and increasing presence of women and youth."
''We will reduce the salaries of the three presidencies (President, Prime Minister and speaker of Parliament), lawmakers, special degrees, and directors to half salary," he continued. ''The resignation of the government today without providing a constitutional alternative would lead the country to chaos.''
Earlier this month Iraqi government forces killed more than 1Read More – Source
