If they failed warned the Commission the Anglican Communion which represents a congregation of

If they failed, warned the Commission, the Anglican Communion, which represents a congregation of 76 million people worldwide, would fracture into a collection of disparate churches.Many conservative clergy believe the Bible explicitly condemns homosexuality and African church leaders have also argued it is a strong cultural taboo in many areas on the continent. An open sludge pit sits exposed to the elements right next to the pump jack. There used to be a second sludge pit, but it was buried in gravel a couple of years ago after journalists in Utah to cover the Salt Lake City Olympics started coming round and asking awkward questions. The poisonous chemicals still remain active underground, and one can see where they have travelled through the soil by the pattern of dead foliage extending downhill.What could possibly justify such a blight on some of the most stunning scenery in the American West? A plentiful oil supply would certainly be one argument, but the scandal of Long Canyon, and dozens of wells like it, is that it is pitifully unproductive. If it weren’t for the stench of petroleum fumes, and the constant up-and-down whir of the pump jack, you might be tempted to disregard it altogether in favour of the breathtaking vista it affords across a layered, red rock landscape and out towards the ancient geological splendours of Arches National Park. As it is, it sits like a great sore on the landscape, bleeding toxins into the ground, slowly killing off the ancient junipers that provide cover on the unforgiving desert terrain, and blowing ozone-depleting gas byproducts directly into the air. Pentagon officials say the waiting period for critical spare parts has now been halved to about 24 hours.But the general’s criticism has been implicitly confirmed by Paul Bremer – until June 2004 the US pro-consul in Iraq – who claims to have repeatedly asked for more troops to be sent in the critical weeks after the invasion was complete.Mr Kerry used the Sanchez report yesterday to accuse Mr Bush of “arrogant boasting” over Iraq, in complete contradiction of the real situation on the ground.

You couldn’t ask for a more scenic oil well than the Long Canyon facility in southeastern Utah. In fact, if it weren’t for the stench of petroleum fumes, and the constant up-and-down whir of the pump jack, you might be tempted to disregard it altogether in favour of the breathtaking vista it affords across a layered red rock landscape out towards the ancient geological splendours of Arches National Park.
As it is, it sits like a great sore on the landscape, bleeding toxins into the ground, slowly killing off the ancient junipers that provide ground cover on the otherwise unforgiving desert terrain, and blowing ozone-depleting gas byproducts directly into the air. Even so National Guard and reservist units are being forced to serve ever longer tours in Iraq, in what the Democratic candidate calls a “backdoor draft”.. You couldn’t ask for a more scenic oil well than the Long Canyon facility in south-eastern Utah. He also accuses the Pentagon of secretly preparing plans for a Vietnam-style draft to make good the manpower shortage in Iraq Mr Bush has flatly denied any such intention. With crack British troops closer to the most dangerous insurgency in the centre and north of the country, Mr Bush could use British reinforcements to hit back at those claims.A concerted offensive to break the resistance in Fallujah has long been on the cards, and this month US commanders have stepped up air attacks on suspected insurgent positions in the city. But it has generally been assumed that a ground assault, with the attendant risk of high casualties, would not take place until after the election.Even so, almost every day brings fresh evidence of alarming supply and logistical problems for US forces in Iraq.

The Pentagon is currently investigating allegations that members of a reserve army unit refused to undertake a land convoy mission last week.According to reports here, up to 19 soldiers from the unit, based near Talil in southern Iraq, disobeyed orders, saying they were being sent on a “suicide mission” without proper escort and in vehicles without adequate protection.A report in The Washington Post yesterday claimed that the former top commander in Iraq had told the Pentagon last winter that his soldiers’ ability to fight was compromised by dire supply shortages, especially of spare parts for tanks and helicopters.The complaints were made by Lt-Gen Ricardo Sanchez who was commander of US forces in the country until earlier this year. But he also lambasted his opponent for his Iraq policies.Brandishing a report in The Washington Post that General Ricardo Sanchez, the former US commander in Iraq, had said the supply situation was so poor that it threatened the troops’ ability to fight, Mr Kerry said Mr Bush was guilty of “arrogant boasting” about making no mistakes in his approach to Iraq. “The President’s tough talk” about supporting the troops was “empty rhetoric”, he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin, has sided with George Bush, He said yesterday that armed attacks in Iraq were staged by “international terrorism” in a bid to block Mr Bush’s re-election. As a result, Mr Bush is barely a point or two behind Mr Kerry in the state ­ where he lost to Al Gore by a double-digit margin in 2000.The Democratic candidate meanwhile was campaigning in Florida, where early voting started yesterday ­ part of an effort to avoid a repeat of the 2000 fiasco in a state where the result promises to be almost as close this time around.In West Palm Beach, scene of much ballot box controversy four years ago, Mr Kerry delivered a scathing indictment of Mr Bush’s healthcare policies, including the administration’s failure to ensure an adequate supply of flu vaccine this winter.

The President appears to hold a narrow advantage in national surveys, but the Kerry camp maintains its candidate is doing better in the dozen or so swing states which will decide the result on 2 November.Astonishingly, however, some recent polls have put New Jersey, with its 15 electoral college voters among this number, even though the state rarely votes for a Republican.New Jersey lost 700 of its citizens in the attacks on the World Trade Centre and homeland security has overtaken traditional economic concerns as the most important issue in the election. “George Bush is playing on people’s deepest fears,” John Edwards, Mr Kerry’s running mate, said. “He’s exploiting a national tragedy for personal gain.”Mr Bush’s foray into New Jersey ­ last carried by a Republican when his father won the White House in 1988 ­ came as polls continued to show the race is extremely close. During her husband’s rule, her diaries ran in some magazines and were regarded as “political horoscopes”.. They plan to align themselves with a foreign bishop and meet in private homes in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.. With its aspirin-shaped bar stools and medicine cabinets, it was fleetingly the most fashionable restaurant in London. They were only expected to fetch £3m.The appeal was obvious from the length of the queue that snaked outside Sotheby’s in central London.A world record was set with the sale of one of the artist’s well-known medicine cabinets, Phillacid (PFS) , created in 1997-98, which was bought by a private collector for £1.2m.

America needed a leader who “will not waver when times are tough”, he said. Mr Bush refused to yield an inch on the war in Iraq, insisting that the conflict was a central front in world war on terror: “Victory in the war on terror requires victory in Iraq,” he said, mocking Mr Kerry for saying that pre-emptive wars by the US should pass “a global test” and dismissing it as an excuse “to constrain our ability to fight this war”. He insisted his strategy was working, describing this month’s election in Afghanistan as a “landmark in the history of liberty”. Yesterday’s speech underlined how, in the closing fortnight of the campaign, Mr Bush intends to hit again and again on the theme of the war on terror and protecting the homeland, the issue on which he holds a massive lead over Mr Kerry.Forced on to the defensive, the Democrats accused the President of scaremongering, and of using the attacks of 11 September 2001 for personal political gain.