UK warns of lack of urgency over Copenhagen talks

By Peter Griffiths


LONDON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - The world lacks a sense of urgency over the importance of the U.N. climate change talks in Copenhagen in preventing a "human emergency" affecting hundreds of millions of people, the British government said on Thursday.

With United Nations talks on a new deal to combat global warming less than 50 days away, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said too many people still failed to grasp the scale and urgency of the problem.

Climate change will deepen Middle East tensions, trigger wars over water and food and lead to unprecedented migration unless action is taken now to curb global warming, he said.

"For too many people, not just in our own country but around the world, the penny hasn't yet dropped ... that this climate change challenge is real and is happening now," Miliband told a news conference.

"The penny hasn't dropped too that Copenhagen is the chance to address on a global scale the climate change challenge. There isn't yet that sense of urgency and drive and animation about the Copenhagen conference."

Disagreement between rich and poor countries on levels of emissions cuts and aid for developing nations to help make those reductions have hampered talks leading to Copenhagen.



BREAK THE IMPASSE

Miliband is the latest senior member of the British government to attempt this week to persuade the 192 countries meeting in Copenhagen to "break the impasse" preventing a deal.

Finance Minister Alistair Darling told Reuters he feared the climate talks could drag on like the world trade negotiations [ID:nLL174744], while Prime Minister Gordon Brown said world leaders should intervene to avoid a catastrophe. [ID:nLI642078]

Unchecked global warming will lead to a further 150 to 200 million people migrating, four billion people facing water shortages and climate change dominating the U.N. Security Council, Miliband said. Water shortages in the Middle East will exacerbate the region's problems, he said.

Miliband and his brother Ed Miliband, energy and climate change secretary, published a map showing the possible effects of a global average temperature rise of 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels.

It suggested northern areas, such as the Arctic and North America, will have larger temperature rises than the rest of the world. Every continent will face a higher risk of forest fires, while yields of maize and wheat in Africa could fall by 40 percent. Rice yields in Asia may drop by nearly a third.

The hottest days of the year in cities like New York and Washington could be as much as 10-12C (18-22F) warmer.

Sea levels could rise by 80cm by the end of the century, threatening low-lying islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

The map was based on computer models run by the Hadley Centre, Britain's climate research centre, and the data was peer-reviewed. It is online: www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk.

The 4C rise could be reached by 2060, although it could be as late as 2100, according to the British government's Chief Scientific Advisor John Beddington. He said it was crucial that the world agrees to limit the temperature rise to below 2C.

"There is going to be a danger of (reaching) a tipping point: a sudden, dramatic and unexpected change," he said.

READ MORE - UK warns of lack of urgency over Copenhagen talks

Fees serve as deterrents to Cambodian health care

Many families delay care for their children in Cambodia because they are worried about costs, says Dr. Dina Kulik. Photo Credit: Dr. Dina Kulik

When I went to Cambodia to work in the National Paediatric Hospital, it was to learn about HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and dengue. While I was there, I found I learned much more about health care delivery and inequality.

In Cambodia, those who have money receive care, despite the facade of a “public” and “free” health care system. Navigating the system for families felt much the same as it does in Canada, though in Cambodia the stakes were much higher.

In Canada. I fight for MRI access; in Cambodia I was fighting for simple access to care.

Despite the Jakarta Declaration’s investment in the determinants of health, including equity and access to health care services for all, I quickly realized that these basic needs are not being guaranteed in Cambodia.

Cambodian health care is public, though many families are charged fees. This leads to an underlying distrust of the health care system. Accordingly, many families will delay visiting hospitals because of the bills they encounter and children will often come to hospital only after they have become very ill.

I saw many cases of dengue, tetanus, AIDS and tuberculosis progressing to end-stages before families thought it necessary to bring their child to hospital. It is not uncommon to hear stories of families that went seriously into debt after borrowing from loan sharks to pay for the care of family members. In fact, many families delay care for their children because they are worried about cost.

In addition, and perhaps most sadly, I saw the consequences of care being delayed even when the patient was brought to hospital in a timely manner. Typically, a family must come up with the funds to pay for investigations and medicines, and until it does, the patient often waits without care — despite the care being “free” and seemingly accessible to all.

Most families seek the much cheaper services of pharmacists, who appear to act as Cambodia’s ‘frontline physicians’. However, the pharmacists are not trained as they are in developed countries. Therefore, it was common to see cases of overdoses, medication interactions and other medication errors. This often led to such consequences as dystonia secondary to metoclopramide prescribed for gastroenteritis and overdoses of paracetamol causing hepatotoxicity.

Nevertheless, despite inequalities of health care delivery, once care is obtained it is of good quality and provided by well-trained health care professionals. Children receive holistic, comprehensive treatment with modern medicines, procedures and investigation. The people are warm and inviting, and eager to gain knowledge and advance their practice.

Health care professionals and patients alike inspired me to continue to strive for excellence in my practice, no matter what challenges I face. Further, my work in Cambodia served as a reminder that unfortunately, we may have a long way to go before all determinants of health are guaranteed for all children around the world.

— Dina M. Kulik, MD, Toronto, Ont

READ MORE - Fees serve as deterrents to Cambodian health care

Boeing Posts Wider Loss

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Boeing on Wednesday posted a larger-than-expected quarterly loss on costs related to its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner program, but the world's second-largest planemaker reaffirmed that the aircraft is on track to fly this year.

The loss, combined with a lowered 2009 earnings outlook, sent shares down in early trading, although most of the details in the earnings statement had been previously publicized.

"The surprise was they reiterated the (787) schedule," said Alex Hamilton, senior managing director at Jesup & Lamont.

"I always look at these as opportunities to kind of reset the bar," Hamilton said. "I think there's a lot of scepticism growing on the street about their delivery schedule."

Chicago-based Boeing and rival Airbus have been hit hard this year as carriers and cargo operators grapple with the global recession and credit crisis. Meanwhile, Boeing's defence unit struggles with sweeping government budget cuts.

Boeing said its revenue was $16.7 billion (10 billion pounds), up 9 percent from the year-ago period, which was impacted by a labour strike, but still far short of $17.16 billion that analysts had expected, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

"There is no doubt that both our commercial and defence businesses continue to face challenging times right now," Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney said on a conference call with analysts and reporters.

Shares of Boeing, a Dow component, were down 1.18 percent at $51.28 at midday on the New York Stock Exchange.

DREAMLINER ON TRACK

Boeing has grappled this year with delays to the Dreamliner program. The Dreamliner is Boeing's upcoming aircraft that features revolutionary composite materials and construction methods. The plane is two years behind schedule, and some industry watchers say it could be delayed further.

Boeing said on Wednesday the plane would fly this year with first delivery set for the fourth quarter of 2010. The company has a record 840 firm orders for Dreamliners from 55 customers.

The company previously said it would reclassify to research and development costs incurred through July for the first three 787 flight-test planes. Those costs amounted to $2.46 per share. Boeing reported an additional cost of 14 cents per share related to spending on those planes for August and September.

Earlier this month, Boeing said it would delay the first flight and delivery of its 747-8 Freighter and take a 99-cent-per-share third-quarter charge because of high production costs and tough market conditions.

To reflect the 787 and 747 impacts, earnings guidance for 2009 has been changed to a range of $1.35 to $1.55 per share, from $4.70 to $5.00 previously.

"The 787 cost reclassification and the 747 charge for increased costs and difficult market conditions clearly overshadowed what continues to be otherwise solid performance across our commercial production programs and defence business," McNerney said in a statement.

"We look forward to getting the 787 and 747-8 in the air soon and moving forward with flight test and certification for these two important programs," he said.

THE NUMBERS

Boeing said its net loss was $1.6 billion, or $2.23 per share, compared with a profit of $695 million, or 96 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding a loss from discontinuing operations, Boeing's quarterly loss was $2.22 per share, compared with analysts' estimates for a loss of $2.12 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes posted a loss from operations of $2.8 billion. A year ago the unit posted earnings of $394 million. Revenue for the division increased 13 percent to $7.9 billion on higher deliveries.

The division booked 96 gross orders during the quarter, while 17 orders were cancelled. Its backlog was $254 billion.

Boeing's Integrated Defence Systems' earnings from operations were $885 million. Third-quarter revenue was up 3 percent to $8.7 billion on increased military aircraft deliveries.

(Reporting by Kyle Peterson; editing by John Wallace, Dave Zimmerman and Gunna Dickson)

READ MORE - Boeing Posts Wider Loss

Fed says economy perked up from depressed levels

By Emily Kaiser

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. economic conditions stabilized or improved modestly in most parts of the country, according to a Federal Reserve report on Wednesday that suggested the economy was slowly clawing out of a recession.

In its "Beige Book" of anecdotal reports on the economy, which was prepared at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond based on information collected before October 13, the Fed noted improvement in two of the hardest hit areas -- residential real estate and manufacturing.

"Reports from the 12 Federal Reserve districts indicated either stabilization or modest improvements in many sectors since the last report, albeit often from depressed levels," the Fed said. "Reports of gains in economic activity generally outnumber declines, but virtually every reference to improvement was qualified as either small or scattered."

U.S. stocks stayed at higher levels after the report was released, while prices for government debt remained lower, as did the U.S. dollar.

The central bank gave a grim assessment of commercial real estate, which is widely seen as one of the big remaining trouble spots for the still-struggling financial sector.

"The weakest sector was commercial real estate, with conditions described as either weak or deteriorating across all districts," the Fed said.

A number of the regional Fed banks said businesses in their area did not expect commercial real estate to improve much, if at all in, in 2010.

"Tenants are demanding significant concessions -- including space improvements and one- to two-year leasing commitments -- along with low rental rates," the Boston Fed reported.

THOSE WALL STREET BONUSES

Labor markets were typically characterized as weak or mixed, although there were "occasional pockets of improvement." That assessment supported the view that the worst of the job losses are over, but it may be a while before growth resumes.

The Atlanta Fed said many employers "indicated that they were holding on to the most skilled workers, but have reduced overall hours. They feel that a sustained increase in orders and sales is a prerequisite to adding to payrolls."

Despite all the recent talk about huge bonuses at Wall Street firms, the New York Fed heard from one of its contacts that times were getting tougher for top-tier bankers.

"Compensation -- especially cash compensation -- has reportedly fallen sharply, and is expected to fall further during the remainder of the year and into 2010, most notably for the top earners in the industry," the New York Fed said.

The report said the "cash for clunkers" auto sales incentive program left depleted inventories and slower sales in its wake. Overall spending remained weak in most districts, although "some improvements" were noted.

In residential real estate, which was at the heart of the credit crisis that sparked the recession, the government's $8,000 first-time homebuyers' tax credit helped to lift sales of low- to middle-priced houses, the Fed said. However, residential construction activity remained weak in most districts.

READ MORE - Fed says economy perked up from depressed levels

Pakistan Closes Schools Amid Attacks

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's schools closed their doors Wednesday, a day after bombings at an Islamabad university, amid warnings of more attacks on a wider range of targets around the country.

The recent spate of attacks in Pakistani cities has come as the army prepared for, and launched, a military offensive in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan that is seen as a stronghold for Taliban and al Qaeda militants.

Intelligence officials warned that the militants could target foreign-controlled gas stations, banks and food chains.

All schools, universities and student hostels were ordered closed and vacated for an indefinite period, "until appropriate security measures are taken," said Qamar Zaman Kaira, the federal minister for information.

Many private schools in Islamabad and other major cities had already shut this week after intelligence reports that suggested militants would try to take students hostage to exchange for militants held by the security forces.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the two suicide bomb attacks on International Islamic University, which killed four students and two bombers Tuesday.

Tariq Azam, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a loose organization of Taliban factions, warned of more such attacks in a phone call to the BBC. Islamic militants have blown up hundreds of girls' schools in northwestern Pakistan, but it was the first time a university was targeted.

Tuesday's university bombing was the seventh major militant attack in just over two weeks and the first since the launch of the military offensive in South Waziristan.

Rehman Malik, the interior minster, said unarmed security guards posted at schools weren't capable of stopping terrorist attacks, and that police had been deployed around major educational institutions.

Fighting continued for the fifth day between government forces and Taliban militants in South Waziristan. Last week, around 30,000 troops launched the biggest offensive yet carried out by Pakistan to clear militants from the border region.

"The troops are facing stiff resistance and the militants are fighting for every space," said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, the chief military spokesman.

At least 105 militants and 13 soldiers had been killed since the military offensive began on Saturday, according to the military. Access to the region is restricted, and reports by the military couldn't be confirmed.

More than 150,000 civilians have now fled the war zone, according to aid agencies.

A major battle is being fought for the control of Koktai, the hometown of Hakimullah Mehsud, the chief of the main Pakistan Taliban faction. Gen. Abbas said government forces have secured the high ground around the town. The troops have also demolished the houses of Mr. Hakimullah and Qari Hussein, the main trainer of suicide bombers for the faction, the military said.

READ MORE - Pakistan Closes Schools Amid Attacks

Rome goes fishing in Anglican pond

By Robert Pigott Religious affairs correspondent, BBC News

The nature of the news conference was kept secret beforehand

The announcement from the Vatican, made simultaneously in Rome and at a news conference in London was dramatic, even historic.

The Roman Catholic Church was going to extraordinary lengths to make it easy for disenchanted Anglicans to convert to Catholicism.

They could join the Roman Catholic Church as full members, but hang on to many of their Anglican traditions and practices - and indeed preserve much of their "Anglican identity".

In the past Anglicans have converted (although many have and are moving in the opposite direction), but it's been on a case-by-case basis.

The creation of a special section of the Roman Catholic Church - backed up by church law - especially for Anglicans all around the world is unprecedented.

At the somewhat bizarre press conference secretively arranged at the offices of the Catholic Church in London, the Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols acknowledged converts had never before been provided with this structure.

"I can't remember quite a response that gives a juridical structure. And in that sense I think I would describe this as a courageous and a generous response by Pope Benedict."

'Progressive' trends

It wasn't just that Rome is paving the way for traditionalists on the Catholic wing of the Church of England to jump ship - it is doing so at a critical moment.

But first a word of explanation - about why this move has such huge implications for the Anglican Church.

Since the Protestant Reformation, when the Church of England broke away from Rome, it has been a sometimes uneasy coalition between its Catholic and Protestant members.

It's the huge achievement of the Church that it has kept these two wings together through numerous crises - that over homosexuality being only one of the more recent.

But traditionalists on the Catholic wing have become increasingly disenchanted by "progressive" trends, not so much with respect to liberal moves on homosexuality, but about the ordination of women as priests, and, in the next few years, as bishops.

This development - utterly rejected by the Vatican for the Catholic Church - has been agreed by the Church of England Synod, and the only question is how far traditionalist parishes and clergy will be "sheltered" from having to serve under a woman bishop.

That debate is in the balance, and the Vatican's initiative is bound to have a profound effect - not just on the numbers who leave, but on the sort of church they leave behind.

Many traditionalist "Anglo-Catholics" have threatened to leave the Church and convert to Catholicism, and leaders of their cause say having a home already prepared for them will greatly increase the exodus.

'Immediate exodus'

Fr David Houlding, the leader of the Catholic Group on the Church's synod, said "several hundred" clergy would leave immediately, and something like 1,500 altogether.

Fr Houlding might have his own reasons for thinking big, but it does stand to reason that many wavering Anglicans, including married priests, will go and others will watch to see how they fare.

If they do leave in such numbers, the ground will be cut away from those left in the Church of England trying to preserve the Anglo-Catholic wing of this "broad church".

The departure of the most vociferous opponents of women bishops would surely reduce the pressure on the Synod to make concessions.

Some liberal Anglo-Catholics, who have no problem with women bishops but are desperate to preserve "catholic" traditions, fear they would leave behind a more Protestant church.

Other groups are also deeply unhappy about the way the Vatican sprang its idea.

Bear in mind that the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams knew nothing about this far-reaching move until two weeks ago, and made no contribution to it.

(Could it be a coincidence that at roughly that time news emerged that a special committee was suggesting more generous concessions to traditionalist opponents of women bishops?)

'Unnecessary move'

Some evangelicals - traditionalists but on the Protestant wing of the Church - have joined forces with Anglo-Catholics in an alliance resisting a number of "liberal trends".

Their targets have included the Church's approach to homosexuality, but also their joint opposition to the ordination of women as bishops.

Traditionalist evangelicals now stand to see an important ally massively weakened.

Their powerful lobby, the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, set up in Jerusalem last year, criticised the Pope's move as unnecessary, insisting that Anglo-Catholics had a home in their alliance.

Considering the audacity of the Vatican's initiative, it was muted criticism. But, off the record, evangelicals were briefing that Rome was capitalising on Anglican divisions to poach clergy.

It has no negative impact on the relations of the (Anglican) Communion as a whole to the Roman Catholic Church as a whole Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

Only last week the Vatican's senior spokesman on relations with other churches, Cardinal Walter Kasper, said "full visible unity" with Anglicans was Rome's long-term goal.

"We are not fishing in the Anglican pond," he insisted.

But by removing a potentially significant portion of the most "catholic" element from the Church of England, surely that sort of "reunion" has been set back.

Dr Williams stressed the Pope had only been responding to pleas for help from Anglo-Catholics, and insisted that this was not a hostile takeover.

"It has no negative impact on the relations of the (Anglican) Communion as a whole to the Roman Catholic Church as a whole."

However, the archbishop's representative in Rome, Bishop David Richardson, described the Vatican's move as surprising, asking "why this, and why now?"

The initiative, and the extraordinary way it emerged, also indicated the distance between the churches and the public they serve.

Journalists were called to a news conference, but officials refused to say what it was about.

Then the language in which the mysterious developments were explained would have struck most people as complete gobbledygook.

We learned that an "Apostolic Constitution" had been prepared, introducing a "canonical structure" which would establish "Personal Ordinariates".

These would allow former Anglicans to "enter full communion with the Catholic Church" while preserving their "spiritual and liturgical patrimony".

It gave the misleading impression of institutions that were out of touch and irrelevant to the lives of the many unattached but spiritually hungry people whom the churches need to attract.

READ MORE - Rome goes fishing in Anglican pond

Climate cooperation to help ties, Hu tells Obama

By Emma Graham-Harrison

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Hu Jintao has told his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama that closer cooperation on fighting climate change could help improve overall ties between the world's top two greenhouse gas polluters.

Hu also said he was optimistic about U.N.-led talks on a new global framework to tackle climate change, even though the latest round of negotiations ran into trouble.

"Developing cooperation between the two sides on climate change issues would not only benefit the international community in its efforts to tackle climate change, but also have great significance for promoting the development of China-U.S. ties," the official Xinhua news agency quoted Hu as saying.

The leaders spoke by telephone on Wednesday morning Beijing time. Hu said "the two sides face common challenges in the field of climate change, and shared common interests."

Obama is due to make his first presidential visit to China next month, when he will also attend the APEC regional summit in Singapore and visit Japan and South Korea.

Officials have touted climate change as an area where both sides have much to gain from working together and much to lose if they cannot reach a deal to limit the production of gases that scientists say are warming the atmosphere.

Beijing and Washington also face contention over trade, military plans, and human rights -- all issues likely to be discussed when Hu sits down with Obama in Beijing.

OVERALL TALKS COULD HELP PRODUCE CLIMATE AGREEMENT

But potential give-and-take across these issues may also help create room for some agreement on climate change, said Wang Ke, an expert on global warming at Beijing's Renmin University.

"China may be able to make more concessions over climate change if it feels it's gaining more in other areas of the relationship, such as trade," Wang told Reuters.

"Balancing across a whole range of issues may be easier than trying for a one-dimensional agreement on climate change."

China and the United States together account for about 40 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, but China's average emissions per person are much lower.

In 2008, fast-growing China's emissions of carbon dioxide reached 6.8 billion tonnes, an increase of 178 percent over 1990 levels, according to the IWR, a German energy institute. U.S. emissions rose 17 percent to 6.4 billion tonnes.

Chinese scientists say higher global temperatures will cause more flooding in the south, droughts in the north and smaller harvests.

But despite growing concern among politicians and the public of many countries, U.N. climate talks on expanding the fight against global warming have largely stalled, making the outcome of a climate summit in Copenhagen in December uncertain. Continued...

READ MORE - Climate cooperation to help ties, Hu tells Obama

Afghan elections: Your stories

Officials involved in flawed Afghan elections are being removed ahead of next month's run-off, the UN has said.

The second round, between Mr Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, has been scheduled for 7 November.

Voters in Afghanistan have been digesting the news that they will be required to cast their votes again. Here are some of their thoughts.

Read the full story

EBRAHIM BAREKZAI, 35, GOVERNMENT WORKER, KABUL

It is clear to all that Mr Karzai is our legitimate president after the elections on 20 August.

If the US and other Western countries want a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, they should respect the votes of the poor Afghan people.

My request to the international community is - don't interfere in the elections, otherwise the consequences will be very bad for Afghans and for our international friends.

I am sure that President Karzai will win in the second round - but it's going to be a waste of time and money in such a poor and unstable country.

This is Afghanistan, not Germany or the UK. Democracy is new here.

There is no guarantee that there won't be fraud during the run-off. Only one thing is certain - the Taliban will benefit from this situation.

AIMAL ABDUL GHAFAR, 32, COMPANY WORKER, KUNDUZ

The people of Afghanistan are not allowed to make decisions anymore. It's Western countries and America in particular who make the decisions in Afghanistan.

They are not here to bring peace, but chaos.

There are explosions and suicide bombings all the time

There was some fraud, I am not rejecting that and it is a concern. Once they establish who committed the fraud, that person should be disqualified for ever. They should not be allowed to run in an election again, as they might do it again.

You can't run for government office if you are guilty of corruption and fraud. There should be new requirements for entry into the election race and we should have new candidates.

Otherwise the problems surrounding the election on 20 August will exist during the run-off. This is disrespectful for those who dared to vote during a difficult security situation.

There is lots of Taliban activity in the whole province of Kunduz, where I live. There are explosions and suicide bombings all the time.

There was fighting in the main city of Kunduz and there were rocket attacks on election day. The highway from Kunduz to Baghlan has also been in the control of militants.

People took the risk and their votes were dismissed. I am not going to vote again

Going to the polls was a big risk. Many preferred to stay at home and only a few went out to vote.

I took the plane to Kabul so I could vote there and I waited there for the ink on my finger to fade away before I returned to Kunduz. The Taliban gave a clear message as to what they would do with those who voted.

People took a risk to vote and then their votes were dismissed. I am not going to vote again.

ABDUL MALIK NIAZI, DIRECTOR, KABUL

This is bad news for Afghanistan. We, Afghans, risked our lives in order to elect our president and now, due to foreign interference, we have to do it again.

The international coalition blames our government for everything from the day they put their soldiers on our land. Decisions are made from outside Afghanistan, and I am worried that we'll have a president we didn't want imposed on us.

I doubt that the ECC findings are correct. I do accept that there was fraud, but there should have been some kind of compromise. Why did they have to annul 30% of the votes for Karzai? They could have said only 10 or 20. But I think they wanted to make sure that he didn't get the 50% he needed to win.

The same will happen in the second round, so it doesn't really solve the problem.

It's not going to be possible to hold the elections in two weeks. The weather is changing, it's getting cold and it's going to be very difficult for people to go out and vote. The timing is bad and the turnout will be very low.

The security situation also worries me. This is not Europe - it's Afghanistan.

MUZAFAR ALI, 28, OFFICE WORKER, DAIKUNDI, HAZARAJAT

Unfortunately the decision for a run-off has come too late. The government backed election commission has (unintentionally and unwillingly) dented Karzai's chance of retaining his post for a second time by delaying a run-off, because of upcoming severe cold weather in most parts of the country will prevent people from voting.

This is the first Afghan led election and it was overshadowed by irregularities in the process. A run-off means the next Afghan election will need more intense involvement of foreign observers during the process.

The Taliban's presence and anti-government propaganda has intensified in many areas. People are concerned about this matter, especially in many parts of Taliban ruled Gezab district which borders peaceful Dai Kundi province.

In the places where the Taliban used to have surprise visits in Gezab; they now have a permanent presence. They thoroughly search incoming and outgoing vehicles and passengers.

I am quite hopeful that the run-off will bring a glimmer of hope for Afghans

To some extent the run-off can wash off the bad reputation of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan.

I am quite hopeful that the run-off will bring a glimmer of hope for Afghans who are currently disappointed. The IEC also needs a major overhaul to prevent such irregularities in future elections.

If IEC officers and authorities were responsible for fraud they should not only be sacked from their position but should also be investigated and put in prison if they are found guilty. Afghans have to pay huge price for such irregularities in elections. It will take time to fully recover from current situation created by the current political dilemma.

READ MORE - Afghan elections: Your stories

Talks show Iran open to pressure - Israeli official

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JERUSALEM, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Talks that produced a draft deal presented on Wednesday to Iran and three world powers by the U.N. nuclear agency prove that Tehran is vulnerable to international pressure, a senior Israeli defence official said.

The remarks by Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai came as Israelis debate the value of diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's nuclear programme.

Many Israelis are sceptical that Tehran is open to persuasion. Their leaders have made clear they may use force instead if talks do not deliver the results they want.

"This proves just how much international pressure is significant," Vilnai told Israel Army Radio when asked about the plan for uranium stocks put to Iran.

"Iran is a country susceptible to pressures more than we tend to estimate."

Vilnai also stressed that even if Iran endorses the plan to reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium, world powers would need to keep pressure on the Islamic Republic to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons capabilities.

"It's a reason to continue it with full strength, and if we achieve something here, there will be nothing more important."

Iran declined to say if it would endorse the plan, which Western diplomats said would require Tehran to send 1.2 tonnes of its known 1.5-tonne reserve of low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia and France by the end of the year for conversion into fuel for a nuclear medicine facility in Tehran.

Though Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, the lack of transparency around its programme and the virulently anti-Israel rhetoric from Tehran has stirred global fear of secret bomb designs that could draw pre-emptive Israeli military strikes.

Israel, assumed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, and the United States launched an air defence drill on Wednesday as part of what Israeli public radio called preparation for a face-off with Iran.

Vilnai said Israel would examine the U.N. draft agreement cautiously, "paying attention to every detail", to make sure Iran was not just trying to buy time. (Writing by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)

READ MORE - Talks show Iran open to pressure - Israeli official

Local woman raising funds for a school in Cambodia

Donna Martin loves being retired after teaching full-time for 34 years in the Chippewa Falls School District.

But while enjoying the more relaxed pace of retirement, she kept asking herself: “What are you doing to make a difference?”

Last summer, while on a trip to the Boundary Waters area in Minnesota, Martin found out.

She read an article in O, The Oprah Magazine, about how to help girls around the world. The article said a Web site, Cambodiaschools.com, builds an entire school in Cambodia, a country of 14 million, for a donation of $13,000. After the Asian Development Bank matches the donation (up to $30,000), a site is selected from a waiting list and a school is built by American Assistance for Cambodia. The group, which has built over 300 schools in the country, says $10,000 of the donation is used to build the school, and the other $3,000 for a general school account. (The contributions are tax-deductible).

“I thought $13,000 was nothing,” she said.

So Carol Martin, who retired in 2003, is setting aside money she earns by substitute teaching to build a school in Cambodia. She figures that it will take three years to raise the money.

Several people suggested speeding the process by taking her idea to community groups to see if they would be willing to donate. “That’s exactly what I’m doing,” she said.

She said she’s willing to speak to groups about the school project, and has a 10-minute DVD to show about building a Cambodian school.

She talked with the Chippewa Falls Senior High School staff on Thursday, Oct. 15, asking that the school’s service clubs keep the Cambodian school idea in mind for a project.

Martin said each school built by the group behind the Web site has three to six classrooms. The teachers are state certified, and each school has solar panels that give off enough power to run a couple of computers.

Each school is built in brick, because a wooden structure would not stand up to Cambodia’s monsoon season from May to November.

Martin said some people may remember Cambodia for “The Killing Fields” days, when murderous dictator Pol Pot killed thousands. Cambodia today is a democracy, and has been since 1991. “It is stable,” Martin said.

Many in the country live in villages of 100 to 400 people. Martin said 84 percent of the population lives in rural areas. “Half of the women can’t read or write,” she said.

So there are a lot of people in search of an education. “The classes are huge. The classes are 30 to 45 people in the class,” Martin said.

Martin said within 5-8 months of getting the money, the American Assistance for Cambodia will have the school built. “I could name the school. I could go visit it. And I could teach there,” Martin said.

The main thing, however, is to get the school built so students can begin learning.

“I’m hoping to do it in a year with contributions,” Martin said.

READ MORE - Local woman raising funds for a school in Cambodia