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/ 16 December 2005

Iraq poll: Insurgents urge Sunnis to vote

Iraqis of all ethnic groups turned out in large numbers on Thursday to elect a four-year Parliament with the encouragement of local insurgents in at least one big Sunni city. Early estimates suggested more than 70% of the 15-million voters turned out, with participation strong in Sunni areas that have previously shunned the nascent democratic process.

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/ 16 December 2005

SAA diverts London flight to Milan

South African Airways will divert one of its two daily London to Johannesburg flights to Milan for refuelling as a result of the fuel shortage at London’s Heathrow airport. The fuel shortage follows the explosion and subsequent fire at a fuel depot north of London on Sunday.

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/ 15 December 2005

At least 10 dead in Chinese hospital blaze

At least 10 people died when a hospital in north-east China’s Jilin province caught fire on Thursday, forcing desperate people to jump from the building to escape the flames, state media and officials reported. The fire started at the City Centre hospital, Liaoyuan city’s largest, at about 4.30pm local time.

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/ 15 December 2005

Polls close in landmark Iraqi election

Iraqi polls closed on Thursday following a landmark poll to choose a government many hope will restore stability to a nation wracked by violence and sectarian feuding since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Despite a massive security lockdown, three men died in attacks north of Baghdad.