NPR 2010-08-02

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The Netherlands officially ended its combat mission in Afghanistan today, the first NATO country to bring troops home from an increasingly unpopular war. Brigadier General Josef Blotz is a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force. He says other nations will fill the gap left by the Dutch troops.

"We will make sure that following a very thorough joint¹ planning between the Dutch and a couple of countries coming in and of course the Afghan partners, there will be a seamless transition over the next months."

The Netherlands had nearly 2,000 troops in Afghanistan. During the mission, 24 were killed.

A minibus of civilians² struck a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan today. Six people were killed. The explosion occurred in Kandahar province, where US and NATO forces are increasing operations against the Taliban.

Rescue efforts are under way in Pakistan to save tens of thousands of people trapped by floods. Hundreds have died. The estimates range from 700 to 1,100. Floodwaters are beginning to recede³, but the BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports there's now concern more rain will fall in the coming days.

Vast areas of northwest Pakistan remain submerged. The army says 30,000 troops are now involved in relief operations. But with around a million people estimated to have been affected⁴, there are of course many who've yet to receive help. Thousands have seen their homes and businesses entirely⁵ washed away by the violent torrents⁶ caused by the heaviest rains in Pakistan's history, and bodies of those who drowned are being recovered all the time.

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool reporting.

Russia doesn't have enough water. Record-high temperatures and a drought have combined to trigger wildfires, which have killed at least 28 people. Jessica Gallaher reports from Moscow the fires are now approaching Russia's foremost nuclear research center.

Russia is experiencing the hottest weather in at least 130 years, with temperatures hovering⁷ near the century mark. According to Emergency Ministry⁸ officials, nearly 800 fires are burning out of control in an area of about 500 square miles. Officials say firefighters are having problems containing the blazes due to the high temperatures and shifting winds. State television footage showed entire villages burned to the ground and thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Russian news agencies also say that the country's federal nuclear center, where researchers designed the first Soviet⁹ atomic and hydrogen bombs, is also in danger of being engulfed¹⁰ in flames. Meanwhile, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called the fires 'a natural disaster', and Patriarch Kirill has asked people to pray for rain. For NPR News, I'm Jessica Gallaher in Moscow.

Firefighters in Southern California have a wildfire that's been burning in the high desert north of Los Angeles, 87% contained. It's been burning since Thursday in the city of Palmdale. Officials hope to have it completely surrounded sometime tomorrow.

This is NPR News from Washington.

Today is the one-year anniversary of the death of former Filipino President Corazon Aquino. Commemorations culminated¹¹ in a memorial Mass at a Catholic university, where the people power movement began in 1986. From Manila, Simone Orendain has more.

A close friend of the Aquino family, Bishop¹² Socrates Villegas, presided over the Mass at De La Salle University in Metro¹³ Manila. He peppered his sermon with the reminder¹⁴ of how quickly time flies, especially in the months between her death and her son's rise to the presidency¹⁵.

"Her memory is a sterling¹⁶ lesson of detachment from power and prestige."

Villegas then advised her son, President Benigno Aquino III, to remain equally detached. In a snap election in 1986, then dictator Ferdinand Marcos claimed to have won over Corazon Aquino. A group pushing for free elections tallied¹⁷ the votes at De La Salle, declared her the winner and a mass protest that started at the university ended when Marcos was toppled. For NPR News, I'm Simone Orendain in Manila.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today she's not nervous at all the Democrats¹⁸ will lose the House in the midterm elections. She told ABC she's feeling confident, but not taking anything for granted. For many voters, the election may be a referendum on President Obama. He told CBS he thinks he's accomplished¹⁹ a lot in the last 18 months.

"Preventing the country sinking into a Great Depression, stabilizing²⁰ the financial markets, saving the US auto²¹ industry, oh, and by the way, passing health care. I'd say that's a pretty good track record."

But the president said he'd given himself a grade of 'incomplete' because the economy has yet to rebound²².

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.