To the Point

Red Lake Shooting Highlights Conditions on Reservations

Yesterday, teachers were allowed into the high school where a 16 year-old Native American boy shot and killed himself and nine other people two weeks ago. Last Friday, parents on Minnesota-s Red Lake Reservation learned that 20 other kids, including the son of the tribal chairman who has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident, might have known in advance about what was being planned. Could the same thing happen on other reservations? Are Native American kids subjected to more pressures than other teen-agers are? Is the influx of gambling money helping some tribes to solve long-standing problems? We speak with tribal leaders, journalists and developers about an isolated community with its share of economic and social troubles. Making News: British Prime Minister Tony Blair Calls for Elections Britain-s Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for an election on the fifth of next month, with four new opinion polls showing the gap has narrowed between his Labour Party and the conservative Tories. Toby Helm, chief political correspondent for London-s Daily Telegraph, has more on the likely motive and timing for the early election. Reporter-s Notebook: Pope's Death Sparks French Debate over Church-State Separation In France, the government has ordered that flags be lowered to commemorate the late John Paul II, but a Deputy Mayor of Paris is among many who call that -an abuse of power.- France may be a majority Catholic country, but the legal separation of church and state is a fiercely guarded tradition that-s 100 years old. Patrick Sabatier, Assistant Editor and Columnist for the left-leading daily Liberation, explains.