Reuters has produced a package of features and news stories for Iraq's provincial elections, which began on Wednesday with an early round of voting by soldiers, police, prisoners and displaced people, ahead of the main polling day on Saturday. The elections, largely boycotted by Sunni Arabs four years ago, are an important sign that Iraq has emerged from the worst of the sectarian violence that engulfed it after the U.S. invasion in 2003 and worsened after the last election in 2005. The polls will reshape the political representation and give a clear forecast for the next parliamentary elections in 2009. They are also seen as a test of Iraqi forces' ability to ensure stability as U.S. President Barack Obama looks to speed up the withdrawal of 140,000 U.S. troops. To read more, click on [nLS91787]
A refugee woman from Darfur waits for treatment for malaria at the International Medical Corps' health centre hospital at Mile refugee camp, west of Guereda in eastern Chad January 27, 2009. ...
