Amman- Scores of Jordanian trade unionists and opposition party leaders staged a sit-in Saturday in front of the Professional Associations Complex in support of the Iraqi reporter who recently hurled his shoes at US President George W Bush during a press conference in Baghdad.

Participants shouted slogans against the US-led invasion of Iraq and raised a portrait of reporter Montazer al-Zaidi with a caption reading "Montazer, you acted on behalf of the nation."

Cairo  - Despite being detained by Iraqi forces, the reporter who threw his shoes at US president George W. Bush now seems to have more than what he ever wished for before this incident.

With hundreds of groups carrying his name on Facebook, text messages hailing his action being sent from one cell phone to another and protests held all over the Arab world supporting him, Montazer al- Zaidi has turned into an instant sensation in the region.

Skopje  - Macedonia on Friday marked the end of its participation in the peacekeeping mission in Iraq, welcoming home the troops who served there, Beta news agency reported.

President Branko Crvenkovski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and Defence Minister Zoran Konjanovski presented medals during the welcome ceremony. The soldiers received 98 US medals and a letter of gratitude signed by US President George Bush.

A total of 479 Macedonian troops have served in Iraq since 2003. A further 11, mostly officers, already returned home last week.

Baghdad - Provincial council elections in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh will be held on January 31 as scheduled, despite a vote by the provincial council to postpone them, an official from the Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) said on Friday.

"The IHEC is the only body which has the right to postpone the elections according to article 46 of the provincial council elections law," Abdul Khaleq al-Dabagh told the Voice of Iraq (VOI) news agency.

Baghdad - The Iraqi government will not excuse Iraqi journalist Montazer al-Zaidi, despite his apology and appeal for a pardon, a spokesman for the government of Nuri al-Maliki said on Friday.

Al-Zaidi, 29, who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush at a press conference on Sunday, appealed for a pardon from the Iraqi premier on Sunday.

A government official said that al-Maliki will not interfere in the trial of al-Zaidi, which began Wednesday. He has been charged with attacking the head of a foreign state. He faces between five and 15 years in prison.

Baghdad - The Iraqi government on Thursday denied media reports about an alleged coup plan by security officials, al-Arabiya news channel reported.

Earlier on Thursday, media reports said Iraqi security forces arrested 35 high-ranking security officials whom they said were attempting to revive the Baath Party of former president Saddam Hussein.

Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Abdel Kareem Khalaf confirmed the arrests, but said that "nothing will be clear until investigation ends", the Dubai-based channel quoted him as saying.