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/ 27 November 2005

Arrested gay Arab men face hormone treatment

More than two dozen gay Arab men — arrested at what police called a mass homosexual wedding — could face government-ordered hormone treatments, five years in jail and a lashing, authorities said on Saturday. The interior ministry said police raided a hotel chalet earlier this month and arrested 22 men from the Emirates.

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/ 27 November 2005

Cold spell brings chaos to Europe

An early winter cold spell brought heavy snowfall to parts of Europe over the weekend, paralysing public transport and roadways, toppling trees and cutting electricity to tens of thousands of households. Several people died in car crashes caused by the freezing weather conditions.

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/ 27 November 2005

Rap rival named as 50 Cent’s attempted killer

There is no bigger name in gangsta rap than 50 Cent, the former crack dealer who survived nine bullets to become one of the bestselling names in American music. Now one of the most notorious mysteries in the music industry has apparently been solved after the man who wanted the singer dead has been named during a New York court case.

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/ 27 November 2005

Santa flights to clog Arctic skies

Norway will call in extra air-traffic controllers for the Christmas rush as hundreds of thousands of tourists, primarily from Britain, take to the skies to visit Santa in Finland’s far north, Norwegian officials said on Thursday. Each year during the holiday season, dozens of special flights link the European continent to the Arctic village of Rovaniemi.

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/ 27 November 2005

Swedish post office spread Christmas cheer

Postal services around the world are gearing up for their most frantic period of the year — ensuring wishful letters from millions of children get through to the jolly fat man running the North Pole toy factory. But in reindeer-dotted Sweden, the post office is ready to go just a little bit further in the spirit of Christmas.

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/ 27 November 2005

Quake in China: ‘I felt very strong shocks’

Zhang Xuping and his family dashed out of their home as soon as they felt the ground shaking. Minutes later, their neighbour was killed and buildings near them collapsed as a strong earthquake rolled through their village in central China. The quake killed 15 people and injured more than 450 others in two provinces.