Snowmail: US to rework global ties
Updated on 07 February 2009
Krishnan Guru-Murthy writes on tonight's programme, looking ahead to US foreign policy, killer dogs and Shoesmith...
America's new relationship with the world has been laid out by Vice-President Biden at the Munich Security Conference. "We will engage. We will listen. We will consult," he says, acknowledging that "America needs the world, just as I believe the world needs America".
There are two big strands to what he's saying: there is clearly a big push to improve relations with Russia and it is time he says to press the "re-set button".
Moscow is, it seems, about to be forgiven for South Ossetia. That plays into the second big strand which is Iran.
Biden has repeated the offer to talk, but it all comes with big conditions about Tehran dropping the controversial bits of its nuclear programme and alleged support for terrorism.
Our international editor will be joining us from Iran, where a presidential press conference seems to have been postponed after news of the Biden speech. Perhaps they are rethinking their next move.
'FAMILY DOGS KILL BABY'
A baby has been killed by two family dogs in Wales - details are scant but it sounds horrific. The child was less than four months old - the dogs were a Staffordshire bull terrier and, more surprisingly, a Jack Russell.
A family member had been left in charge. Nobody has been arrested and the dogs have been sent to a vet, presumably to be destroyed but there's no confirmation on that.
The police have repeated the obvious advice that young children should never be left with dogs unsupervised.
Without passing any judgement on what happened here it never ceases to amaze me how dog lovers are blinded by the obvious risks that their animals can pose to young babies. "He/she would never hurt a fly" just never seems very convincing to me.
SHOESMITH CONDEMNS BABY P BACKLASH
Sharon Shoesmith, the sacked former boss at Haringey children's services has hit back at her treatment after the death of Baby P, in a couple of interviews today, accusing the government of recklessness.
There's no doubt she became the focus of anger because two of the people who were actually responsible for the cruel death of Baby P remain unidentified.
But the government insists it was right in seeing to it that Ms Shoesmith took her share of blame for the failures of social services and Ed Balls says he would do the same thing today.
AUSTRALIA'S BUSH FIRES TURN FATAL
Fires are spreading in Victoria, Australia amid 47-degree temperatures and strong winds. Several people have been killed and many others are effectively trapped. We're trying to get the latest.
SNOW AND SALT CRISIS SET TO CONTINUE
Here, the bad weather is far from over. More snow is forecast tomorrow and early next week, as ice continues to make driving hazardous and councils warn that they're running out of salt to grit roads.
A container ship is on its way to Britain from Spain carrying 40 thousand tonnes of salt, but it's not due to dock until next Wednesday. Supplies in Gloucestershire are so low that the county council has ordered 500 tonnes of white table salt from a company in Cheshire. Tom Clarke is on the story.
To watch last night's report click here:
IN THE SPORT
There is big news for England in the rugby, elation for Manchester City amongst others in the Premiership and we'll have the England breakthrough in the cricket against the Windies.
