To the Point
A Resurgent Russia and a 'Soft' Cold War?
Next month in St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin will host the G-8 Summit, a gathering of the world's most highly-industrialized nations. Russia's inclusion originally was promoted as a means of "integration" into the western world after the Cold War. As the US prepares the summit, relations between the two countries are going sour. Presidents Bush and Putin are friendly, but Vice President Cheney has been publicly critical of Russia's democracy and its power plays with gas and oil. Has Russia given up on its effort to integrate with the West? Has European dependence on Russian resources given Putin extraordinary new power despite his country's military decline? We talk to experts in Moscow and the US about what to expect when it comes to Iran and other contentious issues. Making News: Prosecutor Urges Death Penalty for SaddamAt the trial of Saddam Hussein today, the chief prosecutor called for the death penalty. Scott Peterson is in Baghdad, covering the story for the Christian Science Monitor. He offers both an update on the trial and on the search for three missing America servicemen.Reporter's Notebook: Global Crop Seeds to Be Locked in Arctic VaultMany food crops around the world already are in danger of becoming extinct. Climate change or an asteroid strike could bring an end to them all. So, the "doomsday vault" is being built to safeguard enough seeds to resurrect the world's vegetation. Today, the prime ministers of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland laid the cornerstone near Longearbyen, Norway, inside the Arctic Circle. Cary Fowler is Executive Secretary of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which will run the vault.
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenNext month in St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin will host the G-8 Summit, a gathering of the world's most highly-industrialized nations. Russia's inclusion originally was promoted as a means of "integration" into the western world after the Cold War. As the US prepares the summit, relations between the two countries are going sour. Presidents Bush and Putin are friendly, but Vice President Cheney has been publicly critical of Russia's democracy and its power plays with gas and oil. Has Russia given up on its effort to integrate with the West? Has European dependence on Russian resources given Putin extraordinary new power despite his country's military decline? We talk to experts in Moscow and the US about what to expect when it comes to Iran and other contentious issues.
Prosecutor Urges Death Penalty for Saddam
At the trial of Saddam Hussein today, the chief prosecutor called for the death penalty. Scott Peterson is in Baghdad, covering the story for the Christian Science Monitor. He offers both an update on the trial and on the search for three missing America servicemen.
Global Crop Seeds to Be Locked in Arctic Vault
Many food crops around the world already are in danger of becoming extinct. Climate change or an asteroid strike could bring an end to them all. So, the "doomsday vault" is being built to safeguard enough seeds to resurrect the world's vegetation. Today, the prime ministers of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland laid the cornerstone near Longearbyen, Norway, inside the Arctic Circle. Cary Fowler is Executive Secretary of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which will run the vault.