Iraq Iraq's long-oppressed Shiite majority scored a resounding victory in the first vote since Saddam Hussein's downfall, setting the stage for the first Shiite government in an Arab state in 1,000 years. Iraq The United States and Britain welcomed the results of Iraq's landmark elections, but Baghdad's neighbors warned steps needed to be taken to include groups that boycotted the vote or were marginalized. Mideast Israel approved the release of some 500 Palestinian prisoners in a bid to bolster the position of moderate Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas as he tried to persuade militants to refrain from attacks. Iran Iran rejected a European offer aimed at limiting its nuclear fuel activities and warned Washington against "playing with fire" in an increasingly bellicose standoff between Tehran and the West. Australia The government played down allegations by a former Guantanamo Bay detainee that he was tortured and abused while he was in US custody, including in the presence of an Australian official. Germany UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on Europe and the United States to devise new ways of adapting collective security solutions for a world facing fresh threats. Spain Madrid authorities warned there was a "high risk" a 31-storey office building would collapse after the biggest fire in the city's history engulfed one of the Spanish capital's landmarks sending flaming chunks of debris plummeting to the street. Germany The German city of Dresden paid its respects to tens of thousands of people killed in the Allied bombing 60 years ago, as far-right extremists rallied and marred the commemorations. Pakistan Severe flooding and avalanches have killed around 350 people in Pakistan, officials said after a week of torrential rain and heavy snow, while 2,000 others were missing and tens of thousands left homeless. NKorea North Korea came under increasing pressure from traditional allies China and Russia to return to multi-party talks on eliminating its nuclear weapons programme.