Years on, the Syrian civil war is no less thorny than when it began, with various ethnic groups, antagonists, and volatile battle lines. Our series of maps illuminates some of these complicated dynamics.

A recent Pew poll found that a huge majority of Indians are dissatisfied with the current government, and that many would choose the right-wing, Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party to lead the next government.

The University of California could lose up to $136 million in taxpayer and student money due to bad Wall Street investments.

Will Crimea secede from Ukraine? It’s not likely, unless actors in both Kiev and Moscow behave so egregiously that they end up destroying the very balance that has allowed Ukraine to work so far.

The childhood obesity rate has dropped 43 percent in the last decade. This piece of good news reminds us that cultural and behavioral changes are key for reducing pressure on the health care system.

India has surpassed Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest importer of U.S. weapons. No wonder: it’s got a lot to worry about from China and Pakistan.

The Nebraska agency in charge of reviewing the Keystone pipeline’s path through the state has a history of corruption allegations and precious little oil pipeline experience.

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe unveiled a national energy plan that includes nuclear as an “important baseload electricity source.” This won’t go over well with those still haunted by the catastrophe at Fukushima, but it could go a long way towards reducing Japan’s significant trade deficit.

A new document by Pope Francis suggests he is serious about fixing the Vatican’s finances. It’s looking more and more like Francis could turn out to be a genuine reformer.

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