William Deresiewicz’s Excellent Sheep is the latest book to bemoan the way higher education is failing to improve its students’ souls. But college is at least as important a means of preparing students for life in our increasingly changeable economy and society.

The EU brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine on Friday, in an attempt to get gas flowing once again ahead of winter, when gas demand will spike. Neither side seemed willing to budge on key issues, and supply disruptions are looking more and more likely.

Twelve McDonald’s branches have now been closed in Russia, and one hundred more are under investigation. Putin’s campaign to de-Westernize his country is continuing apace.

Increased sanctions on Iran may indicate that the White House is having second thoughts on its potential grand bargain with the regime.

ISIS’ growing allure for Jordanians has that kingdom worried, and meanwhile, the militant group’s influence could soon be felt as far away as Africa. The power of its image seems to be outstripping its actual military capabilities.

The Russian economy is on the brink of recession as runaway inflation brings the ruble to a record low compared to the USD. It looks like the sanctions are working to weaken Russia’s economy, though given the presence of Russian soldiers in Ukraine, they aren’t proving quite the deterrent that Western leaders hoped.

Bad zoning laws and other forms of overregulation are driving up housing costs in blue cities and pushing people toward red ones. Blue cities should focus on lowering the cost of living for their residents.

Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption party purge has set its sights firmly on Shanxi, a region rich with coal—and dirty officials. Even those closely connected to previous president Hu Jintao have been among the “tigers” targeted by the latest round of probes. Xi’s push to consolidate power at the very top continues.

Al Qaeda released a list of possible targets in the West as jihadi groups try to one-up each other.

New research suggests low response rates on telephone polls could be distorting official statistics.