. >>: now, after 30 years of civil war, we are opening the first non-stop connection between kabul and frankfurt >>: and the right stuff, the unlikely resurgence of taxidermy. >>: there's definitely been a market for it. the works in the gallery sell for anything between, for a very small piece, for about 1000 pounds up to 30 thousands >>abirached: hello and welcome. i'm raya >>abirached: hello and welcome. i'm raya abirached and this is world business, your weekly insight into the global business trends shaping our lives. as china boomed, so did investment in the means to deliver its huge volume of exports from the factories to the world's sea lanes. but then, the financial tsunami struck. exports shrunk dramatically and rapidly. and now, quaysides are stacked high with empty containers while shipyards nervously wait for the next order. china's logistics industry is clearly weathering the storm badly. >>reporter: cutting here, welding there, in 2008 the output of china's shipbuilding industry was up 52% on the year before - building 3000 ships like this, a total of 28 million deadweig

we ve this story from kabul. >> they did not make their customers a break for winter. the taliban, forgn forces,nd the afghan ar were to blame. >> [speing foreign language] >> stayow. >> the taban at bad themselves i civilianareas do deliberately blurd the distinctioetween combatants and civilians, drawing a military response into areas where ere was a hh likeliho that civilians would be killed. at the same time, an increase o u.s. and u.k. forces in the south had made t likelihood of civilian sualties higher. the number of casualtie was up 24% since t same time last year. the taliban and other insurgents were blamedor 595 deaths, 310 killedy afghan vernment and foren forces, and of the, 200 ed in air strikes. the un. reports reporteto the increased use of suicide atcks and roadsiombs hity the taliban and other insurgent groups launched near civian traffic and markplaces, but even a rge increase record is likelto b an derestimate, as ma deaths are not counted there is no formal process for collecting figures. both u.s. forces anthe taliban have recently me statents say

we get that fromajiv cndrasekaran of the "washington postin kabul. judy woodruff talkewith him earlier this evenin >> wdruff: rajive, it's good to see you again, rst of all, whayou can tell us abo today's truck bomb near a shool in logar province which i gath is not far from kabul? >> this was particularly horrifiact of vience hereoday. a total of 25 people were killed, 15f them young chdren in the worst bombing in mo than a year here in ahanistan. what appears to have been the case thathere were explosives that were creted underneath some mber in a truck that was headed towards kabul. that truck overturned late last night, this morning as police went to investigate and a bunch of chilen gathered around. those explosives detonated and leaving just a hrific trail of devastion. what's particulay disturbing hre is that ther is a belief that these explosives mightave been their way to kabul, the afghan capitol and logar provincis one of the quarter -- areas that has seen a significant irease in the numr of u.s. troo over the past year. and to see an ac o

this is the midwivery training center in kabul. this gives them a glimpse of what to expect. a mother waits as her child lay dying. the training midwife step by step attempted to save the baby's life. in the end, reality takes over when the baby dice. the women have to cope with the loss. although they were just acting, this scene is played out in real life all too often in hospitals and homes throughout afghanistan. it's very heartbreaking, sadi tells me. when the training is over, she'll play the caregiver in real life. the reason she wants to be a midwife is to offer something new to afghan women after years of war, depression and isolation. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: the women here come from various places and are of varying age. they are learning skills that will help other women. sympathy for women in afghanistan is the biggest motivator shared among the students here. they know what it's like to be ignored and forgotten. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: these women are in their second semester of training and have two more to go. some days are

. >>> these images are from kabul, afghanistan.t's a place where the average life expectancy is only 43 years. a location where health is continually crippled by conflict. 70% of the medical services come from the outside. u.s. military, countless aid organizations, still the statistics are shocking. according to the united nations development program, more than 13% of babies die shortly after birth. 26% of children die before reaching the age of 5. the maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the world. in the search for the basic human right of health care, we find a story of strength and hope in a land that desperately needs it. >> reporter: a massive chemical fire erupted in the center of a bazaar we believe had been controlled by the taliban. >> the war in afghanistan may no longer be forgotten. but the true victims always are. women and children continue to pay the ultimate price after decades of conflict, simply because their lives are considered not precious enough to save. afghanistan is a country where ignorance a

afghan authorities suspect the explosive-laden truck was headed for kabul. there was also word that two nato soldiers were killed in a separate roadside blast. >>> claims that the cia misled congress with back as an intelligence funding bill comes up today for debate. cia director leonpy n pinetta admitted the cia concealed facts from congress since 2001. house speaker nancy pelosi accused the cia lying about interrogation methods. >>> and an investigation into cyber attacks on u.s. government and private computer systems over the july 4th weekend. the prime suspect, north korea, though u.s. officials say they don't have proof yet. several federal websites were hit, including the state department and the national security agency. the treasury, transportation, and ftc sites were shut down. experts called them denial of service attacks. unfikd, but in this case, effective. >> normally, even the strongest denial of service attack is mitigated within a few hours, certainly within a day. this one went on for several days, and it hit some pretty marquee organizati

in washington, half past 3:00 in the afternoon of the afghan capital, kabul. if future strategy for the insurgency in afghanistan. barack obama has about afghanistan as a major priority for his administration, and he has committed additional troops to combat taliban militia. today, mr. miller band is focusing on dialogue. he ascended -- mr. -- mr. miliband. >> british troops in afghanistan have had their deadliest month so far. 20 soldiers killed in the past four weeks. of the nato -- other nato countries have seen their casualties rise as well, so the question now is how the campaign against the taliban can be won. britain's foreign secretary, visiting nato headquarters this morning, came with a clear message -- military force alone will not be enough. there also needs to be political reconciliation and reintegration. >> that means in the long term an inclusive political settlement in afghanistan, which draws a way conservatives nationalists, separating those who want islamic rule locally, from those who would commit violent g h jihad globally. >> afghanistan

in kabul. that's where more civilians are being killed because the afghan battlefield is spreading to residential areas. that's the conclusion drawn by the united nations in a new report. it says that 1,013 died in the first half of this year. the figure is 24% higher than the same period in 2008. more than half lost their lives because of taliban car bombings and other attacks. international forces are also criticized, though, for carrying out air strikes. >> the sheer intensity of the fighting which this year did not make its customary break for the winter was the reason for the increase in civilian casualties, and the taliban foreign forces and the afghan army were all to blame. >> stay low! >> the u.n. report said the taliban had based themselves in civilian areas to deliberately blur the distinction between combatants and civilians. drawing a military response into areas where there was a high likelihood that civilians would be killed. at the same time, an increase in u.s. and u.k. forces

fox's reporters joins us live on the telephone from kabul. connor, do we know, the soldier in afghanistan, who exactly is holding him. >> caller: the u.s. military is focusing the search for the school in and around the pa teeka province where he went missing and the military will not say if they think he is in eastern afghanistan but the soldiers continue to do daily searches for him throughout the region and the u.s. military condemned the release of the video, calling the taliban propaganda and in violation of international law and the military is also -- asking the afternoon people for information for his rescue and doing everything they can to bring him home safely. >> eric: do you have a sense how he was captured, and the soldiers were supposed to have a buddy system and do you know what happened? >> caller: we are getting conflicting stories, and it is unclear. originally defense officials said he walked off the base without his weapon and by himself and completely alone but in a 28 minute long video the taliban claimed they actually c

for cnn, kabul. >>> our next guest has a special interest in what happens in afghanistan. she was born there, but her family fled when she was just 2. and her soon to be released book, "however tall the mountain" she tells her story and the story of several girls with whom schae kept touch with over the years and joins us now from philadelphia. >> thank you. >> is it your feeling the women in afghanistan as a whole want the same things that the afghan women who are now currently living abroad, such as yourself, people you know who are living in the united states, do you all want the same thing for the women in afghanistan? >> sure. i mean, i would say on a very purposeful, yes, easy to say we want the same things but i haven't experienced the struggles and know what it's like more so on a daily basis to know what they're up against. very much so when it comes to women's rights, organic and come locally. it's not enough for me to tell them what they need. really, there is to speak up for themselves. the piece you just showed, a very prominent member of the parliament as wom

and you have a new kabul compound, where it -- supposedly u.s. forces in afghanistan headquarters, where mr. -- general mccrystal will be sitting except he won't because there are structural cracks and improperly plumbing and incorrectly sized sewage systems and broken and leaking pipes, and sinking sidewalks and other construction defects. how does that happen? that somebody signs off on a project like that, and we end up getting tagged for the bill and have and newsable building on that. >> one of the -- an unusable building on that. >> one of the things, is accountability and how does that happen. in this particular instance, u.s. corps of engineers. >> i cannot hear you. >> in the instance, the united states corps of engineers signed off, that this $18 million contract by a turkish construction company was adequate. and it is interesting, because, it talks to our methodology and when we were there we interviewed the senior, happened to be a major, individual, that inherited the building. actually, you talk about rework, great example of rewor

the blast happened in a province south of kabul. it was caused by explosives hidden beneath a pile of firewood. it is the latest incident of increased violence in afghanistan. >>> a man is dead after being struck by lightning while vacationing floor of. the 54-year-old oakland man was on vacation with his family when he was it yesterday afternoon. paramedics rushed him to gospel but he died. his wife and son suffered minor burns but are expected to be okay. you are looking at an ad that was released in california from a group called the marijuana policy project. they say legalizing marijuana may help california's finances. governor schwarzenegger disagrees. backers of the campaign say the real objective is to stimulate a debate in washington and legalize marijuana nationally. still to come, two beautiful labrador puppies are doing time behind bars. why some maryland inmates are learning valuable lessons and what it will take to get these dogs to be trade. we also have answers to pet questions. >> it is an awesome day to take a dog f

we have a base in kabul. we are doing more in security. we welcome. that is the line of the new american administration. >> what about this before the show began. you were talking about the popularity with the man on the street. the afghanistan mission, there is less support for it. that is an issue across europe. how do you make sure the public, your public, makes sure you support it over the long term? >> in somalia, we are protecting the delivery of food to civilians. it is obvious that has a vast public support. we are also stopping acts of piracy. afghanistan is a complicated story. we need to secure the support of the afghan people. we need to do better when it comes to foreign aid. we need to, as far as possible, limit civilian casualties in afghanistan. that is important for us in sweden. it is important for the public in afghanistan. we need to show that we need to lead to a better future. the results are quite significant in afghanistan. we are looking at an election on 20th of august. it is a major step. a number of girls going school. that

the blast happened in central afghanistan south of kabul. the power of the explosion sent truck pieces flying more than a mile. no one has claimed responsibility for that blast. >>> and a series of bombings killed more than 40 people today in iraq. six victims lost their lives when two bombs, just a few hundred feet apart exploded in baghdad. one man was injured when he went to investigate the first blast and the second explosion followed seconds later. >>> south korea is experiencing a new wave of cyberattacks. the latest assault on government websites began this morning and is expected to last throughout the day. intelligence sources believe north korea is behind the attacks that have triggered website outages in south korea and also here in the united states. it is unclear whether u.s. sites will be targeted again today. >>> coming up ahead on 9 news now, lobbyists are providing homeless jobs but not everyone is happy about it. we'll explain. >>> plus, it's your chance to own a post office that starred in the batman movie. we'll explain a

. -- we will make it safe for the kabul government. now we're doing nation-building. i would not look for an early exit from afghanistan. >> the wild card is whether the afghans will be up to this job as well, because the u.s. cannot do it as well. -- the u.s. can i do it alone. the iraqis have to prove their capacity to take over and run things themselves. will that happen in afghanistan? can the u.s. bring this along and transfer responsibility? >> a lot of the locals say they are more afraid of the local police then they are of the taliban. we have tried this before and this has some new wrinkles, but it did not work before. we will see if a greater commitment of troops will work. >> the problem here is what roger said about the time scale. there are a lot of democrats who are moderate to said obama gets one year. >> they are reflecting public opion as well >> there was a different story saying this week in iraq. those are iraqis are celebrating because of iraqi forces had finally assumed control of baghdad. there has been a string of deadly bombings. is this a hin

kabul for right now you may get dips but dips should be box and we're gonna break out and upside entry to a thousand a little over 9000 in the dow but i think what you have to remember is that in the fourth quarter there is a lot build on this economy been a normal recovery in is what be anything but normal because companies right now have to show that they can grow their top line. and right now they have shown they can cut costs but to sustain this thing in to get a bull move duquesne you need to get the wind at your back and we'll have the wind at our back right now fundamentally. let's move on the best trade for the second half of when you to pick one place where you will want to put to money in the second half of 2009. would it be? it just one place?. yes just one place. i will say the tax sector because technology looks like it has something building here and i think there some cash and i think they have a chance to make some good and roads. what about the small stocks rose to 2000 small cap stocks? i'd rather be in technology are like small-cap in china. well thank you so much fo

texas, video conference -- video, and with their son or daughter serving in baghdad or couple --or kabul, a student in a remote alaskan fishing village, and iowa farming town, an indian reservation in new mexico learning math and science over a broad band from a teacher and a major university. yesterday, i heard a farmer in pennsylvania who grew up thinking that computers and connectivity have no relevance to him. he now thinks that farmers cannot live without broadband. they need real-time access to weather, commodity pricing, agricultural information. i had a chance to visit yesterday with a senior computer clinic in downtown .. >> commissioner mcdowell and i spoke this week about his hands on visits to alaska where he saw broadband making a real difference in people's lives. but if we do our jobs right at the sec, we can accelerate economic growth -- at the fcc, we can accelerate growth and ensure we have a sustainable economic engine in the united states. the weekend make america a world leader in mobile. the weekend improve small businesses so they can commit -- compete every where,

man difficult clark, cbs news, kabul. >> authorities in san francisco are investigating the country's latest mass transit accident. a collision between two light rail trains in the city's westport tall district. ben tracy tells us what happened. >> reporter: some witnesses say it sounded like a bomb went off, two san francisco light rail trains collided saturday afternoon sending 48 people to the hospital, at least four with severe injuries, including the operator of one of the trains. >> they need to have this area cleared so paramedics and the injured can get through. >> reporter: the san francisco municipal train rea rear ended e train at 2:00 in the afternoon both packed with saturday shoppers. >> i had to spend hours away, inside, it was frightening. >> rescue workers treated some of the wounded on the scene, but there were so many they brought in a public bus to transport the rest to the hospital. >> most of the people on board this bus was the one that was able to walk right now. >> reporter: the ntsb is investigating the cause of the crash and will consider both mechanical and

. >> in i man and bali, islamabad and kabul, and they have the blood of innocent americans on their hands. they're allowing them to train and operate, particularly along the border of pakistan and afghanistan. that's why america has a clear goal, to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al qaeda and its allies in afghanistan and pakistan. we seek no bases, nor do we want to control these nations? instead, we want to work with international partners, including russia, to help afghans and pakistanis to advance their own security and prosperity. and that's why i'm pleased that russia has agreed to allow the united states to supply our coalition forces through your territory. neither america nor russia has an interesting in an afghanistan or pakistan governed by the taliban. it's time to work together on behalf of a different future, a future in which we leave behind the great gain of the past and the conflict of the present, a future in which all of us contribute to the security of central asia. >> earlier, mr. obama met with prime minister vladimir putin, the man many say holds all the power. char

mandy clark, cbs news, kabul. >>> actress angelina jolie made a trip to iraq. jolie, a u.n. good will ambassador, visited a camp for displaced people near baghdad yesterday and posed for pictures with u.s. troops. jolie said there was progress getting iraqis back to their homes but that more needs to be done. ben fell in love with the scent of gain laundry detergent in 1972. ( ♪ ) more than 30 years later, not much has changed. ( ♪ ) gain. to smell it is to love it. what are you waiting for? gain. to smell it is to love it. discover a smoothie like no other! new activia smoothies. creamy, delicious, and above all, it contains bifidus regularis and is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system. new activia smoothies. >>> good morning, i am mary bubala. the morning top headlines in a moment. first over to the weather center say our first good morning to meteorologist tim williams on this friday. >> good morning, everyone. definitely a very muggy and humid day out there starting off even though the sun hasn't come out. first warning doppler radar. pretty clear. la

have same travels back to kabul. >> thanks so much for having me.nterview with sarah reported earlier this week. >>> coming up on "countdown" -- senator sharon brown and elizabeth edwards will join guest host dr. howard dean. >>> next on this show, kent jones has a "rachel maddow show" exclusive about our new robot overlords. i, for one, welcome them. your diabetes properly. it's very important for me to uh check my blood sugar before i go on stage. being on when i'm feeling low can be like a rollercoaster. it does at times feel like my body is telling me to do one thing... and, my mind, my heart is telling me to do something else. managing my highs and lows is super important. with my contour meter i can personalize my high/lo settings so it really does micromanage where my blood sugar needs to be. i'm nick jonas and never slowing down is my simple win. well i was shopping for ♪ which one's me - a cool convertible or an suv? ♪ ♪ too bad i didn't know my credit was whack ♪ ♪ 'cause now i'm driving off the lot in a used sub-compact. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that

cleans better or your .money back, guaranteed., >>> a powerful bomb blast south of kabul killed 25 peoplenwhile a military surge that includes thousands of u.s. marines battles the taliban in the country's helmand province. in the southern territory of sabul, a group of army soldiers is fighting in isolation, and awaiting reinforcements. our nick schiffren has been with them. >> deep in southern afghanistan, 50 young americans are under fire. this is their home, the taliban have launched an attack on their base. charlie company has been dug in here for six months. and this area the enemy is as strong as ever. >> did -- >> the men are led by lieutenant patrick higgins. two years ago, higgins was in college. today, the 24-year-old is in charge of the district of afghanistan's province. the taliban control 90% of the area. >> the challenge in is how much can you control with what you have, and that's the challenge we have been trying to meet out here. >> on the base, a few romanian soldiers, 75 afghan forces, the company mascot, and higgins' men. >> we're supposed to disrupt the enemy moveme

have safe travelled back to kabul. >> thanks so much for having me. an honor. >> my interview with sarah chayse. she is a special adviser to the top military commander in afghanistan. okay. coming up on "countdown," elizabeth edwards will join dr. howard dean. next on this show, kent jones has a exclusive about our new robot overlords. i, for one, welcome them. that's next. ever worn your clothes in the shower? if you're using other moisturizing body washes, you might as well be. you e, their moisturizer sits on top of skin, almost as if you're wearing it. only new dove deep moisture has nutriummoisture, a breakthrough formula with natural moisrizers... that can nourish deep down. it's the most effective natural nourishment ever. new dove deep moisture with nutriummoisture. superior natural nourishment for your skin. we're shopping for car insurance, and our friends said we should start here. good friends -- we compare our progressive direct rates, apples to apples, against other top companies, to help you get the best price. how do you do that? with

the blast near the capital kabul is among the latest attack. barbara starr with the latest. >> reporter: good morning to you, heidi, there is some video coming from this area in afghanistan showing the aftermath of this huge blast by all accounts it took place in some sort of truck carrying lumber that exploded. nobody really sure what kind of bomb this actually was. 25 people killed, including 21 afghan civilians, we're told four policemen, a number of them nearby school children. this took place in an area called logar province, south of kabul the capital. this is an area where there's a good deal of insurgent activity for more than a year. and because it's near a main highway, this is a place, an area u.s. forces have been keeping their eye on because the concern had been that the taliban, the insurgents would use this highway, this route as a route into kabul to launch attacks in the city there. so a lot of concern about this area just the latest. it has been a very deadly week in afghanistan. >> it sure has. we know you're watching it clos

dismantle bomb, those so-called improvised "the new york times" james dowd reports from southeast of kabul. >> what else do you need? ssary.l be calling that up if >> reporter: during the past week i embedded with a special counter ied team under lieutenant james brown. this team has been deployed to tackle a growing threat. combat deaths from ieds or improvised explosive devices are projected to set a record in 2009. already they have killed at least 46 american troops this year. i was with lieutenant brown's team when an emergency call came in. an aggressive afghanistan police commander and close ally of the americans had been killed. >> not sure what the ied was at this time. it hit the truck, killed all five of the officers at the time. including -- he was one of those few good guys i was telling you about. we've done a lot of missions with him. >> reporter: more than 15 counter ied teams are deployed around afghanistan to dismantle unexploded bombs and to collect evidence from bomb sites. they're compiling up a forensic database in hopes of identifying the taliban cells that are build

. -- by the embassy in kabul, and u.s.rces in afghanistan. >> are you planning on sending anymore to supplement those? you mentioned the three so far. do you expect that to increase? >> as i said, we have two more -- two there now and we have another one that is planning to arrive this weekend. but then, as i said, we also have this larger civilian effort that we will a lot over the next few months. >> so, there will be something -- >> the larger civilian of their -- effort is part of our plan to help afghanistan in general. i'm not exactly where they will be positioned with in afghanistan. >> how many civilians in afghanistan by the end of the year? do you have any idea? what i'm not sure of the exact time line. but the number is 450. >> if we can go back to the earlier point about the secretary, when will she resume a normal schedule? can the state department confirmed why she is not traveling to moscow? is it because of the elbow injury, or another region -- reason? >> you all saw her on monday. she is very actively inv

and there is nt kn information d Ãmoalled from kabul, see ghanisl connor, thanks for calling in and tells what yoclohave heare >> reporter: we have found out that it was two british troops killed in the province and one killed by a rgo,ket attack and one by a roadside bomb and they are pushing deep into hell man province and they have encountered little resistance but this british have not been as for9,nate and l brit four marines and soldiers the last two days and the u.s. marine cog. wo bying to push this taliban o of hell man provinces, long a strong hold of theirs and a -- and what they use to fund their insurgency across afghanistan and pakistan. >> jaom e: what are you learnin about the kidnapped u.n. de-mining unit. >> omb. nfarom w: aou whanistaning a is one of the m brit heavily mined countries in the world. not the m brit heare ily minen counwo by in the wovoln country in the world and 16his . workers were in eastern afghanistan and were stopped by armed gunmen and we're not sure if they were tal suran or arse linals but they were kidnapped and are being held for ransom. and lg

martin patience, bbc news, kabul. >> while that was going on, the british forces in helmand were concentrating their efforts on clearing taliban positions around the town. around 700 troops were also working to secure the canal, a key crossing point used by the taliban, to transport fighters and weapons. on the afghan border, the pakistan army deployed troops to support the operation. now the rest of the week's news. bernie madoff was given the maximum penalty this week and sentenced to 150 years in jail for committing the biggest fraud in u.s. history. the crime was described by the judge as extraordinarily evil. the severity of the ruling means he'll die behind bars. victims of his $65 billion ponzi scheme cheered the news, as greg wood reports from new york. >> there were cheers and clapping in the courtroom from bernard madoff's victims as the sentence of 150 years was passed down. the judge said that his crimes were extraordinarily evil, a fraud which was off the charts. his victims agreed. >> if mr. madoff got 150 years or he got 100 or he got 50, it doesn't matter. he still goes to pris

conner powell joining us today on the phone from kabul, afghanistan. thank you, sir. >> julie: makeshift memorials at the scene of deadly hotel bombings in jakarta. mourners are placing flowers outside the hotels. terror experts are combing through the evidence and yet to name a suspect. it's believed the terrorist tied to al-qaeda was the mastermind that killed nine people and dozens more americans that were injured. reena ninan is live in indonesia with the latest. there was a delay between the two of us via satellite. all our viewers are aware. do we know anything more about the suicide bombers? >> right now police are focusing on trying to reconstruct the face of suicide bombers. the explosion initially they believe one of those suicide bombers could have been a woman. they are backing away from that saying the woman that was found was one of the victims. they believe they can reconstructed the faces of these suicide bombers. that might help identify them and say they are linked to the group as you mentioned that has links to al-qaeda. >> julie: do

afghanistan, ivan watson is in kabul, the capital. returned from being embedded with marines in southern afghanistan and it's been a really hard hit in that area and it's been a very difficult month for the marines and other international forces. >> absolutely. what you had on the ground there, tony. a major u.s. military offensive to try to push the taliban out of some of its safe havens in southern afghanistan. summer is the fighting season here in afghanistan, traditionally, tony. the deadliest month yet for u.s. and nato forces in afghanistan, tony. some 40 american forces killed this month, more than 30 nato forces in addition to that killed. the bloodiest, deadliest month for nato and u.s. forces since this war began some eight years ago. and the taliban tactics have evolved over these years. what we have seen over the past couple weeks, taliban insurgents strapped with suicide bomb vests attacking a number of eastern cities armed that same time. and they run in and they blow up the bombs and they shoot at the same time. it's a

carrying out that mission, georgia's national guard in afghanistan's poor capiza province outside kabulrmally the soldiers train afghan police. this time, toy delivery to the school. 860 boys, ages 7 to 16. art class was in session. but a few taps on an old bell signalled school was over. time to get out the toys. the soldiers were mobbed. hands reaching into their pockets and into their helmets. most of these children work in the fields after school, this is a very poor village. and for the vast majority of them, these are the first toys they have ever received. and they're very excited about it. in ten minutes. 500 cars were in children's hands. >> if you win the hearts and minds of the little kids. eventually we can win the hearts and mind of the parents and let them understand we are here to help. >> reporter: watching the boys play it seemed to work. >> hopefully somewhere in the world some kids are getting this, bid tharg roadthi this -- building their roads and tunnels. it's bringing joy. >> reporter: spending joy from american troops who hung up their uniforms decades ago. richa

. >> chris sanz of the national newspaper is based in the afghan capital city of kabul. >> well i think the significance of today's attack is it shows the taliban to know to get stronger in afghanistan. the more american soldiers and the more american troops to come to the country the more the violence ratchets up. the affect that has is that it increases the militiamen and the afghan population and security appears to be preding. >>> in a separate incident today near the afghan city of jalla bad three militants attacked the u.s. military base. two militaitants were killed on was captured. >>> america's allies continue to try to define their role in afghanistan. germany's got the third largest contingent of troops there. approximately 3,500. but as deutsche welle reports years after they arrived in that country the role of the germans, even with what they call their mission is still being debated back home. >> reporter: visited conduse base camp in afghanistan in june. the parliamentary arms commissioner wanted to assess for himself the dangers facing german soldiers stationed there. th

so the situation, i think, is as bleak as tony puts it, but, again, i want to stress that kabul is notgoing to fall tomorrow. kandahar is not going to fall tomorrow to the taliban. but we have to think really hard over the next 1 months about how we're going to reverse this momentum. in old phrase in counterinsurgency operations is if you're not winning, you're losing. in addition, momentum matters. so i think we owe it to the american people and the voting populous of western europe and australia and the other contributing nations exactly how we're going to turn this ship around. because, again, we do not have an inexhaustible line of resources and we have to think very carefully about how we use those resources when we commit them into a dangerous environment like afghanistan. >> rose: share us your assessment of the nature of afghanistan period. in terms of the narcotics traffic, in terms of corruption in the government, in terms of the power of tribes, in terms of what makes it unique and therefore different and therefore challenging. >> yeah. i think afghanistan on the one hand we

mandy clark, cbs news, kabul. >> couric: coming up next on the "cbs evening news," hallowed ground, now a massive crime scene. the latest outrage at an historic cemetery. e is jane andh@ ve gotot osteoporosis, but i'm an on-the-go woman. i've been active all my life. that's why i'm excited about reclast, the osteoporosis treatment my doctor gives me once a year. my doctor says one iv of reclast can help protect me while i'm on-the-go for twelve months. how? well, reclast helps to restrengthen my bones to help make them resistant to fracture. and with reclast... well... no other osteoporosis treatment is approved to help protect in more places: hip, spine, even other bones. (announcer) you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems or you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily. tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain or if you have dental problems, as rarely, jaw problems have been reported. the most common side effects include flu-like symptoms, fever, muscle or joint pain and

take sergeant first class theresa kabul here. she is a beginning gel bhom she heads to afghanistan next month as scheduled. she will be leaving her 5-year-old son behind on the home front. >> a wave from behind got you from behind. >> to me, it's a constant battle. i'm a single parent and i'm in the military. leaving your family, the deployment cycles that we are in right now, that's not an easy thing. >> she is my baby. i worry about her. >> want to come out? >> i am out. >> having a a-year-old and a great relationship, it's going to be hard on her. >> this is my third deployment. i have been to iraq twice. i will be gone for 12 months this deployment. he wants to come with me. i told him he couldn't come. >> i do wish she would get out sometimes, absolutely, you know. >> can i get you some cheetoes. >> a year away from being able to get out of the military. with the way of the economy was heading, i said absolutely not. being able to provide for him to know i have a paycheck coming twice a month, to know i will always have food

mandy clark, cbs news, kabul. >> couric: one more military note. secretary gates said today he plans to make the army bigger. right now it has 547,000 soldiers, but gates says the army's being stretched thin fighting two wars so another 22,000 will be recruited over the next year. turning to the home front now, president obama is waging an allout battle for health care reform. the fear at the white house is he's losing momentum as the opposition gets louder. so a f you thought you'd been seeing a lot of the president on television already, get ready for a whole lot more. here's our chief white house correspondent chip reid. >> reporter: with congressional opposition on the rise and public support slipping, the president today tried to get health care reform back on track. >> there are too many families who will be crushed if insurance premiums continue to rise three times as fast as wages. >> reporter: the democratic party came to his support. >> when i lost my job, i lost my health insurance, too. >> reporter: with ty ads aimed at waivering senato

afghanistan today where a truck loaded with timber and concealed explosives blew up on a highway into kabul, 25 people killed. more than half of them children walking to school. >>> in italy today, day two of the g-8 summit, the yearly gathering of the world's largest economic powers, despite the fact that this is a meeting about global economy, president obama is taking heat over economic concerns here at home. our chief white house correspondent chuck todd traveling with him, with us tonight from rome. hey, chuck, good evening. >> good evening, you have heard the saying while rome is burning. for president obama it is his domestic agenda and his political poll numbers. while not burning up, seem to be wilting a little bit in the summer heat. overseas trips can generate picture-perfect moments for presidents like this one of mr. obama receiving a soccer jersey from the president of brazil. >> beautiful. >> reporter: these trips can carry risk and this one comes at a time when mr. obama's health care and economic policies are under increasing fire at hope. republicans are attacking his vice

and you can help to shore up karzai and whoever the future presidents of afghanistan as the mayor of kabul, but that is very different from actually coming up with the sort of progress that would be required to allow for a long-term support internationally. the u.s. and europe, to continue this thing. that's probably not going to happen. >> you made a very important point here that the taliban and their allies, including al qaeda, are fighting a traditional guerrilla war based on the mayo model, which is when the enemy is strong, retreat. when the enemy gets strung out, harass. when the enemy gets weak, attack. so the marines who i think have done an outstanding job in helmand province. they're very well trained. they put the emphasis more on soft power than on firepower, but they're faced with the situation. anytime they get strong, the enemy disappears. anytime they get strong or isolated in a smaller unit, they get attacked. >> but when does this war become a political liability for the president? >> right now, it is a political liability. it's his war. he made it so. that is during the