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.

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.

Pakistan’s new army chief, arguably the most powerful man in the country, recently wrapped up his first foreign visit to none other than Saudi Arabia. Now that the possibility of an Iran-United States rapprochement has increased, the Gulf Arabs are looking to Pakistan as a possible counterweight.

Egypt’s economic outlook got a boost from Fitch, which upgraded its forecast from “negative” to “stable” for the first time since the 2011 revolution. But the big question of the moment is whether military chief (and future president?) Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his military colleagues can effectively keep the security situation from spiraling out of control.

China’s increased influence in Sri Lanka is bad news for India, which has grown estranged from its neighbor to the south. As India’s favor in Sri Lanka fades, China’s rises. That’s big news for the Asia’s grand geopolitical games.

Former two-term mayor of New Orleans and the face of its recovery from Katrina Ray Nagin has been found guilty on twenty charges of conspiracy, bribery and fraud. Like Detroit, New Orleans was the victim of an urban crime family masquerading as a political machine.

Rick Perry is enjoying more good news at California’s expense: Texas has surpassed California as America’s leading tech export state, partly because manufacturing costs are lower there. It’s mostly blue voters and officials who have been bemoaning the export of America’s factory jobs to China. But it’s our bluest state whose labor costs are so high that it can’t retain the manufacturing jobs its own tech sector creates.