More allegations of election fraud

Iraq opposition alleges 'flagrant' election fraud

AFP reports (March 12^th): A senior member of Iraq's main secular opposition bloc protested of blatant fraud in favour of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during Iraq's general election.

"There has been clear and flagrant fraud," said Intisar Allawi, a senior candidate in ex-prime minister Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc, the main rival to Maliki's State of Law Alliance.

"There were persons who manipulated or changed the figures to increase the vote in favour of the State of Law Alliance." She said that Iraqiya's own election observers for last Sunday's poll had found ballot papers in garbage dumps in the northern disputed province of Kirkuk.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g7hNVskfantamiTBTfBWIxp8Mybw

Ayad Allawi accuses Nouri al-Maliki's group of fraud in bid to retain power

The Times adds (March 12^th): Ayad Allawi told Western officials that aides to Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, had hidden ballot papers and falsified computer records in an effort to retain power. “They are stealing the votes of the Iraqi people,” his spokesman told a press conference called to set out the main claims.

Several violations alleged by Mr Allawi have been confirmed by diplomats and election observers. Mr Allawi also claimed that 250,000 soldiers were denied the chance to vote, and that an election monitor had found ballot papers with votes for Mr Allawi dumped in the garden of a polling station in the northern city of Kirkuk.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article7058578.ece

Fallujah doctors report rise in birth defects

Finally the BBC has picked up the story and its Foreign Affairs Editor John Simpson has gone to the city to investigate:

): Doctors in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are reporting a high level of birth defects, with some blaming weapons used by the US after the Iraq invasion.

The city witnessed fierce fighting in 2004 as US forces carried out a major offensive against insurgents.

Now, the level of heart defects among newborn babies is said to be 13 times higher than in Europe.

British-based Iraqi researcher Malik Hamdan told the BBC's World Today programme that doctors in Fallujah were witnessing a "massive unprecedented number" of heart defects, and an increase in the number of nervous system defects.

She said that one doctor in the city had compared data about birth defects from before 2003 - when she saw about one case every two months - with the situation now, when, she saw cases every day.

More at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8548707.stm