Mar 31st, 2006 · Relations between Russia and the former Soviet Republic of Georgia have gotten so bad that Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Georgia's president should be assassinated. Georgian officials suspect that Russia wants to annex two areas of their republic. Observers say a worst-case scenario would involve a direct war between Russia and Georgia over the territory.
Feb 15th, 2006 · Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testifies Wednesday before a Senate panel and is grilled by Democrats and Republicans about policies in Iraq, Iran and the Palestinian territories. The annual briefing informs Congress on State Department priorities and budget.
Feb 14th, 2006 · Hamas' landslide victory last month brings the group to the forefront of power in the Palestinian territories. Israel refuses to negotiate with Hamas and calls the group a terrorist organization. But many Palestinians see Hamas as a legitimate force fighting Israeli occupation, as well as a source of charity.
Jan 30th, 2006 · A senior Hamas official in Gaza appeals to Europe and the United States not to cut aid to the Palestinian territories after the Islamist group's election victory. The prospect of less aid and revenue is worrying many Palestinians who fear their already battered economy could be hit even harder.
Jan 26th, 2006 · President Bush hails the democratic process in the Palestinian territories, but rejects talks with Hamas as long as the organization is committed to the destruction of Israel. How will the United States proceed diplomatically?
Jan 7th, 2006 · Israel's acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, is a popular former mayor of Jerusalem who helped shape Ariel Sharon's revised stance on Jewish settlements in the occupied territories. Zev Chafets, a former columnist for The Jerusalem Post, tells Scott Simon that Olmert has sophisticated political skills.
Sep 29th, 2005 · Rob Schmitz of member station KPCC reports on a group of sea lions that are causing a great deal of damage in Newport Harbor in Southern California. The territorial pinnipeds have taken over some docks and even some boats, and experts are unsure how to best get rid of them.
Dec 20th, 2004 · President Bush has created a cabinet-level committee to advise him on ocean policy. Environmentalists who criticized the administration's record have long sought more attention to the oceans, which in U.S. territorial waters and elsewhere suffer from pollution and over-fishing. Hear NPR's Alex Chadwick and Dr. Ellen Pikitch of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science.