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/ 20 December 2005
A year ago, Fallujah was a devastated city, its population scattered, its buildings reduced to rubble after United States forces overran it in the most intense battle of the Iraq war. Last week, the people turned out in droves to vote in Iraq’s crucial parliamentary election — which the US hopes will undermine the insurgency and lead to a withdrawal of American troops.
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/ 20 December 2005
Pygmies in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hope their country’s future Constitution will lead to improved living standards and security in their region. ”Everyone in our community voted” in a constitutional referendum held on Sunday and Monday, said Seseti Wiongwa, a Bambuti pygmy.
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/ 20 December 2005
North Korea announced on Tuesday it intended to build an unspecified number of light-water reactors, saying the United States had reduced a 1994 deal on mothballing nuclear power plants to a ”dead document.” Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said that the Stalinist regime would also resume the construction of two graphite moderated reactors frozen under the 1994 accord.
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/ 20 December 2005
Former Swedish international referee Anders Frisk received the Fifa president’s award from Sepp Blatter here on Monday in what the soccer supremo termed was a message of support for referees. Frisk retired from the game after receiving several death threats following the Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between Barcelona and Chelsea last season.
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/ 20 December 2005
Seven more Indian MPs have been caught on television asking for cash, hot on the heels of a similar scandal involving parliamentarians earlier this month, Star News TV said on Tuesday. Star News aired pictures of the sting operation which showed MPs from different parties, including the ruling Congress, apparently asking for cash ranging from five to 45% of the project value to approve spending on public works programmes.
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/ 20 December 2005
Jacques Rudolph drew a line in the sand and defied Australia’s much-vaunted attack on Tuesday as South Africa edged closer to what had seemed an unlikely draw in the first cricket Test at the Waca ground. At tea on the final day the tourists had lost just two wickets for the day to go into the break at 190-4, just 50 runs more than their lunch score of 140-2.
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/ 20 December 2005
Controversial Lazio star Paolo Di Canio has been banned for one match after performing a Nazi salute to fans for the second week in succession. The 39-year-old former Italian international was punished after making the gesture while he was substituted in his team’s 1-1 draw against Juventus at the Olympic Stadium in Rome on Saturday.
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/ 20 December 2005
South Africa and United Kingdom-listed financial services group Old Mutual is "very comfortable" with the 62,5% level of acceptances received from Skandia shareholders for its R38-billion bid for the Swedish insurer, according to CEO Jim Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe said he also expects to receive more acceptances from Skandia shareholders, with the offer having been extended until January 12 2006.
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/ 20 December 2005
Israel’s Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, was expected to leave hospital on Tuesday after making a full recovery from a stroke on Sunday night as Binyamin Netanyahu, his chief rival, won control of the Likud party. Doctors said there was no lasting damage to Sharon after a small blood clot formed near his heart and made its way to his brain.
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/ 20 December 2005
The ancient family Bible in the room of Charlito Baker’s heavily guarded presidential campaign headquarters is open at the page of Isaiah 54, verses 11 -17. ”O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,” runs the passage, ”no weapon forged against you will prevail and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.”