2A - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 19, 2005 first annual " fA NATION/WORLD Iraqi voting re suits delayed BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The first bags containing sheets of vote counts from Iraq's provinces arrived in Bagh- dad for tabulation, but delays from other areas mean a final result in the landmark referendum may not be known until the end of the week, election officials said yesterday. Complicating the count is the need to audit results that have raised eyebrows because they show an unexpectedly high number of "yes" votes, triggering questions of irregularities. Two crucial provinces that could determine the out- come are apparently among the regions that need investigation. The audit comes as Sunni Arab lead- ers who oppose the charter claimed that voting was fixed in the two key provinc- es - Ninevah and Diyala - and else- where to swing them to a "yes." Both provinces are believed to have slight Sunni Arab majorities that likely voted "no" in large numbers Saturday, along with significant Shiite and Kurdish communities that largely cast "yes" ballots. But initial results from election officials in Ninevah and Diyala indicated around 70 percent of voters supported the charter and only 20 percent rejected. The questions about the count further raised tensions over a referendum that has polarized Iraqis. Sunni Arabs large- ly reject the draft constitution, saying it will split Iraq and leave their communi- ty powerless. Shiites and Kurds eagerly support it, in part because it will enable them to form powerful mini-states ini the oil-rich south and north. Insurgent attacks began to heat up1 again after being nearly silent on ref- erendum day when polling stations were heavily protected across the country. Militants killed at least eight Iraqis yesterday in shootings and a mor- tar attack in Baghdad and elsewhere, including an adviser to the indus- try minister, one of the country's top Sunni Arab officials, police said. The handcuffed and mutilated bodies of six Shiites were found dumped in a pond north of Baghdad, and three other bod- ies were discovered elsewhere in the capital. A U.S. soldier was shot and killed in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Bagh- dad, early yesterday, the military said. In fighting in western Iraq, two U.S. Marines and four militants were killed Monday near the town of Rutba, not far from the Jordanian border, the military said. At least 1,979 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the war in 2003, according to an Associated Press count. A sandstorm that had closed Bagh- dad's airport cleared yesterday, allow- ing vote counts from three provinces - Anbar, Karbala and Babil - to be flown in for the final tally. The head of the Electoral Com- mission, Ezzeddin Mohammed, said material from 14 others were likely to be flown in today. The 250 work- ers at Baghdad's central counting center will then take two days to go through them to produce a final count - meaning Friday. The audit of the unusual numbers could further delay matters, Mohammed said. The electoral commission must send representatives along with United Nations officials to the concerned prov- inces to carry out the review. Mohammed could not say whether that would push announcement of the final results into next week. 0 S $1.00 BEFORE 6:00PM - $1.50 AFTER 6:00PM TUESDAY 50C ALL SHOWS ALL DAY MADAGASCAR 12:40 5:00 PG MUST LOVE DOGS 2:50 7:00 9:15 PG13 WAR OF THE WORLDS 12:15 2:30 5:00 7:30 10:00 PG13 CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 12:00 2:45 7:20 PG FANTASTIC FOUR 5:00 9:45 PGJ 3 SKY HIGH 12:25 2:35 7:15 PG MR. & MRS. SMITH 4:45 9:30 PG13 MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan Military relief arrives in Kashmir Pakistani and U.S. military helicopters delivered aid at a brisk pace to the earth- quake-stricken region of Kashmir yesterday amid warnings from the World Food Program that a half-million survivors have yet to receive desperately needed help. Choppers landed under sunny skies in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan's portion of the divided Kashmir region, bringing tents and other supplies, while relief workers set up field hospitals to treat thousands of stranded, injured people. Authorities warned that exposure and infections could drive the death toll up from 54,000 as the harsh Himalayan winter loomed. Landslides caused by the magnitude- 7.6 earthquake Oct. 8 cut off many roads, and they could take weeks to clear. Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, visiting the earthquake-stricken region, said he would allow Kashmiris to cross the boundary with Indian-held ter- ritory to help in quake reconstruction efforts. BEIJING Rumsfeld: China understating military Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday accused China of under- stating the scope of its defense spending, and he said this is sowing suspicion about how China intends to use its growing military might. Rumsfeld arrived in the Chinese capital for his first visit since he became President Bush's defense chief in 2001. He was scheduled to meet today with President Hu Jintao, who also is chairman of the Central Military Commis- sion, which runs the Chinese military. In an interview aboard his plane en route from Washington, Rumsfeld ques- tioned China's motives in underreporting its defense spending. He mentioned no figures, but the Pentagon said last summer that China may be spending $90 billion on defense this year - three times the announced total. TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras Hurricane Wilma strengthens, heads to Florida Hurricane Wilma whirled into the record books yesterday as the 12th such storm of the season, on course to sideswipe Central America or Mexico and looming as a "sig- nificant threat" to Florida by the weekend. Forecasters warned that Wilma was "a major hurricane" that was likely to rake Honduras and the Cayman Islands before turning toward the narrow Yucatan Channel between Cuba and Mexico's Cancun region. By 2 p.m., Wilma was centered about 180 miles south of Grand Cayman Island, and was moving toward the west-northwest at nearly 8 mph, with maximum sustained winds at 80 mph. Forecasters said Wilma was likely to become a Category 3 hurricane, with winds reaching 120 mph by tomorrow. Wilma was blamed for one death in Jamaica as a tropical depression on Sunday. BAGHDAD Saddam's lawyer plans to ask for 3-month delay The lawyer for Saddam Hussein said yesterday he will ask a tribunal for a three- month adjournment of the former Iraqi dictator's trial for a 1982 massacre. Saddam and seven senior members of his 23-year regime go on trial today to face charges they ordered the killings of nearly 150 people from the main- ly Shiite town of Dujail following a failed attempt on Saddam's life. Khalil Dulaimi told The Associated Press he would ask during today's opening session for more time to prepare Saddam's defense and arrange for Arab and West- ern lawyers to join him in the defense team. - Compiled from Daily wire reports CORRECTIONS An article in the Oct. 4 edition of the Daily (Ogling ocular diseases) incor- rectly stated that 506 sequences were observed to be associated with retinitis pigmentosa. It should have said that 506 sequences were observed that are not necessarily associated with retinitis pigmentosa. The article also incorrectly stat- ed that the microarray is embedded with gene patterns. It should have said that the microarray is embedded with specific gene sequences. An article in the Oct. 13 edition of the Daily (MSA wants you) incor- rectly stated that Jesse Levine won with 57 percent of the vote in the Michigan Student Assembly presidential elections last winter. It should have said he won with 75 percent of the vote. Please report any errors in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com. 0 ~be ficbig an uailg 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com Ilu llt~sively il es als see esv forfo. JASON Z. 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