Eideard

PAKISTAN — Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said that the flood had caused losses worth billions of rupees and it was not possible to estimate the exact damages caused by the floodwaters at this time.

The premier, who was in Sukkar to review the flood situation, said that the government’s first priority was to save the lives of flood-hit victims. We have to combine our efforts in the relief and rehabilitation process, he added.

“Millions of people have suffered and still there is more rain and further losses are feared. I appeal to the world to help us, we are doing what we can,” Gilani told reporters, as he urged those threatened by the “unprecedented” floods to move to safer spots…

While talking to the media in Sukkar, Gilani said that the damages caused by the floods exceeded the destruction caused by the earthquake that hit Pakistan in 2005.

14 million people are dislocated. The official death toll has reached 1700 and hundreds more are missing and possibly dead. Whatever charity you may support that provides aid to South Asia – this is the time to give.

Canadian combat troops are slated to leave Afghanistan next summer, but RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said Saturday he expects his personnel will have to stay behind to undertake the “huge challenge” of training police officers.

About 50 RCMP and other civilian Canadian police are posted to Afghanistan as part of a mission to train the Afghan National Police. The ANP, as it’s known, has had a reputation for roadside shakedowns and graft that Canadian officials hope mentoring, training and supervision will eradicate.

Elliott, who visited Kandahar this weekend to review the Mounties’ operations there, said he’s seen “indications from the government” that it wants the training to plow on once combat soldiers ship out starting in July 2011…

One question is whether the Tories will seek to send more police to Afghanistan to fill the void left by the withdrawal of the Canadian Forces. The federal government has been pressured by the United States to maintain a large presence in the central Asian country past 2011…

As foreign mentors try to cleanse the Afghan National Police of its venal tendencies — officers have been known to routinely hit up the subjects of their investigations for a payoff and are widely distrusted by the populace — they’ve had to adapt their teaching methods for the different calibre of the force’s cadets.

“Let’s not kid ourselves. We are working not with a modern police force, and not with recruits that would meet the standards of Canadian recruits,” Elliott said. “Many of them are illiterate, and that in and of itself is a huge challenge…”

The Canadian police contingent has also tackled the corruption conundrum systemically by helping implement a new payroll method. ANP officers are now remunerated on par with soldiers in the Afghan National Army, and they receive their wages by direct deposit to their bank account to avoid skimming by bureaucrats. It’s hoped that with more money in the officers’ hands, they will solicit less from the public.

Uh, OK. That’s a heck of an ethic determining education and a job description.