Stanley Fischer is set to become Vice-Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Watch out, here come the anti-Semites!

Syria is serving as a petri dish for European jihad, EU officials have found. There are now entire training camps in Syria composed of European fighters, sending EU interior ministers into a panic over the prospect of their return. The costs of inaction in Syria continue to mount.

Across the Middle East, Kurdish politics are growing more assertive and self-confident. The status quo is increasingly untenable, but the United States appears to have no game plan.

Obama and Code.org have taken some flak for suggesting that every child needs to learn to code. But while it’s true that not every child is a programmer-in-training, Americans could still deal with a good deal more computer literacy than they have now. Schools need to start thinking seriously about how to integrate computer eduction into their curricula. It’s becoming a more important skill than ever before.

A new global survey of attitudes about the future of health care shows a big pent-up demand for a vastly different type of system than we currently have: one that is more DIY, less hospital and doctor-centric, more personalized, and characterized by smarter use of technology and better service delivery. The closer we can come to realizing that vision, the cheaper, more efficient, and more open to reform our health care system will be.

The top Western-supported rebel commander in Syria has been run out of town by Islamist fighters in the latest setback to US policy in the Syrian civil war. General Salam Idris, the commander of the Free Syrian Army, was forced to flee to Turkey after fighters belonging to the Islamic Front overran his offices and took control of warehouses that stored gear sent by the US to help Idris and his men fight the Assad regime.

Canada last week expanded its claims in the Arctic, enticed by the region’s oil and gas riches. Russia isn’t taking that laying down—Putin ordered his military to beef up bases in the region, and sharpen its focus on Arctic goings-on.

Where does public opinion stand on the Affordable Care Act now that the front-end of the website is functioning better? It depends on which poll you use. Five new polls have come out in the past few days, and they paint different pictures of how the law is being received. But one lesson can safely be drawn from them taken as a whole: Americans are skeptical of parts of Obamacare but determined not to return to the pre-ACA situation.

The Mexican Senate passed an historic energy reform bill late last night. The bill now heads to the lower house, where it is expected to pass. The reforms could kick-start the country’s stagnating oil and gas production and help it realize its goal of becoming the world’s “new Middle East.”

MOOC critics have been making hay over some studies and interviews suggesting that the movement may be losing steam. But despite some setbacks, “blended” MOOCs that mix online courses with in-class instruction are still on course to transform higher-ed.