Yet its bureaucrats insist on a ruinous road-building programme that has the taxpayer shelling out for more road building in 2001 than in 1969, when Japan needed many more motorways and its economy was growing at 10% a year.

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"The ruinous state of the building was a symbol of the dramatic and disquieting situation of the church herself, " Benedict said.

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John Allen, they can strengthen Afghanistan enough mainly by building up the indigenous security forces to prevent a Taliban takeover or a ruinous civil war even after U.S. forces finally start drawing down.

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