Russian president Vladimir Putin held his annual news conference today at the Kremlin. Putin emphasized the importance of Russia's membership in the G-8 group of industrialized nations. And he defended his government's record on human rights. The World's Katy Clark reports.

Russian journalist Vasily Grossman covered the Eastern Front for the Soviet Army newspaper during World War Two. Now, a new book features excerpts of his work, including previously censored reports and entries from his notebooks. English historian Antony Beevor talks about Grossman's war-time writing with The World's Lisa Mullins.

Tonight President Bush will give his annual State of the Union address. He's expected to talk about the spread of democracy in the Middle East. The World's Lisa Mullins explores the topic with author Edward Mansfield and Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.

Where in the world will we go today?

Three centuries-old Chinese vases at an English museum were smashed when a visitor stumbled into the display. The World's Alex Gallafent reports.

Australia's Northern Territory is today's Geo Answer.

Farmers in the American Southwest are facing the possibility of their crops rotting in the fields. That's because they aren't able to hire enough Mexican farm labor. It's one of the factors that is fueling the immigration debate in Washington. Laurel Druley of KNAU in Flagstaff, Arizona, reports from Yuma.

You may have noticed that many spam e-mails originate in Nigeria. In that country, these are known as 419 scams. The World's Marco Werman has more on what this means and the music that accompanies it in today's Global Hit.