I just enjoyed the play “Mama Mia” on the stage of the Bai Lien Theater on my campus. Only moments ago, I walked from the hugs that followed the show (can't help but be proud of those students) directly to my computer.

Brush fires from stray mortar bombs were still ablaze on the occupied Golan Heights on Friday as Israeli farmers returned to their fields, a day after battles in Syria's civil war reached a U.N.-manned border crossing.

After three years of delay, the military trial of U.S. Army soldier Bradley Manning for stealing and supplying to WikiLeaks masses of classified documents has finally begun. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange once boasted his mission was to “crushing bastards,” and that he enjoyed the work.

The Obama administration's cybersecurity agenda, which includes expanding the military's Cyber Command and beefing up protection for critical infrastructure, faces more intense scrutiny after two vast domestic surveillance programs were exposed this week.

After all the years that Thailand has been involved with sheltering refugees from neighboring countries, one would think that our authorities' handling of sensitive humanitarian issues would have improved over time. But as a recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) suggests, Thai officials have learned little and haven't improved their overall attitude to those in vulnerable situations.

Just a year after the Socialist Party regained the presidency, the winner and unassuming new occupant of the Elysee Palace (White House) Francois Hollande, may be wishing he was still in the political opposition. After all, it is easier to critique than to govern, especially in a country battered by the waves of domestic left-wing union demands, a global recession, and a lingering eurozone currency crisis.

The capture of Qusair by Syrian troops spearheaded by Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Islamist militia, risks turning the war in Syria into a wider sectarian battle between Sunni and Shiite forces that will sweep through the country's neighbors. The fall of the town after weeks of fighting has emboldened the Syrian government and left the rebels contemplating their biggest defeat in a two-year-old war that has killed 80,000.

U.S. government health experts are recommending changes to safety restrictions on former blockbuster diabetes pill Avandia, in light of a new analysis suggesting that the drug may not increase the risk of heart attack as previously believed.

This year's edition of the World Newspaper Congress, held in Bangkok the last several days, ended with two reminders (their pairing perhaps unintended) on the perils and promises facing journalism.

Tayyip Erdogan has walked Turkey's political stage unchallenged for a decade, bringing powerful generals to heel and driving economic success that has changed the face of the country, spreading its influence across the region.