Nation & world

Prevention programs get

less federal funding

Since 2001, federal funding for a grant program that helps U.S.schools pay for programs to prevent substance abuse and violence hasdeclined significantly.

Funding was $439.2 million in 2001 but has fallen to $346.5million this year, with $310 million recommended for 2007.

The Bush administration has recommended eliminating the program,though Congress has repeatedly voted to retain it.

The Office of Management and Budget rated the program asineffective several years ago. Evidence did not show the program waschanging students' behavior to reduce violence and substance abuse,said Bill Modzeleski, who runs the Office of Safe and Drug-FreeSchools in the U.S. Education Department.

Brazilian leader forced

into runoff election

BRASILIA, Brazil - Brazil's leftist president faces a runoff for asecond term after voters denied him an outright victory amid last-minute allegations his party engaged in a scheme of electoralcorruption and dirty tricks.

The Oct. 29 runoff was announced late Sunday night by electionauthorities after 99 percent of the vote had been counted, withPresident Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva getting 48.7 percent compared to41.6 percent for the center-right Geraldo Alckmin, Sao Paulo state'sformer governor.

It was a stunning setback for Silva, less than a week after pollspredicted he would trounce Alckmin with 59 percent of the vote - farmore than the 50 percent plus one vote needed to win the contest inthe first round.

Iraqi parliament extends

the state of emergency

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi parliament voted today to extend thecountry's state of emergency for 30 more days.

The state of emergency has been renewed every month since firstbeing authorized in November 2004.

It grants security forces greater powers and affects the entirecountry apart from the autonomous Kurdish region in the north.

The measure allows for a nighttime curfew and gives the governmentextra powers to make arrests without warrants and carry out policeand military operations.

Hurricane Isaac

speeds toward Canada

MIAMI - The Canadian Meteorological Service upgraded a tropicalstorm watch for a portion of southeastern Newfoundland, Canada, to atropical storm warning early today as Hurricane Isaac sped over thenorth Atlantic.

The warning was issued for the Avalon Peninsula, including thecities of Cape Race and St. Johns.

A tropical storm watch was also issued for the Burin Peninsula andBonavista Peninsula in southeastern Newfoundland.

Dam project will displace

1.4 million in China

BEIJING - The total number of people who will be displaced byChina's massive Three Gorges dam has been raised by 270,000, to 1.4million people, state media said.

The official Xinhua News Agency on Sunday quoted Pu Haiqing, headof the Cabinet-level Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, assaying that total would be reached before the project is completed in2008.

The number of people already relocated has reached 1.2 millionpeople, surpassing the original estimate of 1.13 million, Pu said.

COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS

According to the report, Pu said the higher number of dislocatedpeople resulted from consideration for the local ecology. It did notgive additional details.

The $22 billion dam on the Yangtze River was completed thisspring. Its power generation facilities are slated to be finished by2008.