The glitter of the Sochi spectacle hides the reality of an empire in decline. Is Putin’s profligacy hastening Russia’s nosedive?

The Syria talks are close to failing after Russian negotiators explicitly refused to discuss the prospect of removing Butcher Assad from the Syrian government. Already embarassingly close to achieving next to nothing, the talks might now end completely if UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi deems it “useless” to continue.

Some schools are experimenting with a new way around the snow day dilemma: Telecommuting. When Northern New Jersey schools closed due to Hurricane Sandy two years ago, one superintendent decided to try replacing in-class teaching with virtual lessons.

There’s a growing body of butlers, cooks, estate managers, private security, maids, art advisors, and chiefs of staff employed by the wealthiest Americans. The really eye-popping part: salaries get as high as $250,000 per year.

Sectarian violence in Central African Violence is hitting a new high, prompting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to admit that “the de facto partition of the Central African Republic is a distinct risk”.

Bombs and bullets may be killing people by the busloads, but Pakistan’s Islamists know what the real threat to Pakistan is: Valentine’s Day.

Student protests that began two weeks ago got more serious today when opposition leaders joined a massive march through Caracas. Scores of people have been detained by police, three people were killed, a number of police vehicles burned, and some government offices were vandalized during the protests.

It’s not just German households and businesses struggling under the yoke of the country’s ill-conceived green energy scheme. The ripples from Berlin’s energiewende are extended in to Austria, where excess renewable energy is straining the German neighbor’s grid.

Researchers at California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) made huge progress in the quest for energy’s holy grail in the journal Nature yesterday, revealing that a fusion reaction produced more energy than it required last fall. Take that, Malthus.

A college degree is worth more now than ever before, while a high school degree alone is worth much less. We need to make college education more affordable to better prepare students for the workforce.