There are about 7,000 distinct languages spoken in the world right now, but about 25% of those languages are in danger of going extinct. Not surprisingly, the rate of extinction is roughly the same as that of biodiversity in the world. The cause for both extinction is the loss of forests, an environment that favors niche existence. About half of the 7,000 languages are currently spoken by fewer than 10,000 people so the perpetuation of those languages is highly problematic. The broader context of globalization makes efforts to preserve those languages both more possible and less likely.
Syrian President Assad was re-elected President of Syria in what can only be regarded as a completely sham election. Voting was only possible in areas controlled by the government. But the outcome was hailed by supporters of Assad as evidence that there is no solution to the civil war in Syria that does not somehow include President Assad. It is highly unlikely that any of the factions within the Syrian opposition will agree to any possible settlement that includes Assad. In short, the stalemate in Syria seems only to have deepened, even as roughly 160,000 people have died in the over three-year war.
The US and Iran are holding face-to-face talks on the Iranian nuclear program. The negotiations thus far have been held under the rubric of the Permanent members of the UN Security Council (France, Great Britain, China, Russia, and the US) plus Germany. The joint negotiations were necessary because Iran and the US do not have diplomatic relations, as well as political pressures on both sides to not show any signs of cooperation. But apparently, the two states have decided to meet in Geneva to hold bilateral discussions. Neither side wishes to make a big deal about the decision since their domestic politics would likely have negative reactions. Nonetheless, the decision is a very big deal, and suggestive of warmer relations and a sense of progress in the talks.
World Politics News 
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