Back after a short hiatus, with lots to catch up on.

Africa: News reports suggest Kenya's situation has stabilized as diplomats and politicians continue to seek a mediated agreement that will end post-election violence. Kenyan Pundit offers a long list of recent news and information.

Asia: China cracks down on dissent only months before the Olympics, Human Rights Watch observes. Expect token concern from Olympics organizers and Western nations. The speaker of the Phillipines' House of Representatives was ousted in a bribery scandal that could have further repercussions.

Europe: A planned agreement between the EU and Serbia, where an election was recently held, has been delayed amid political disputes over the future of Kosovo. Kosovo is expected to declare independence within weeks. Italy will hold an election in April after its unstable parliament was dissolved. Turkey is voting on allowing headscarves in universities, a move that freaks out the country's secular demographic.

North America: A good analysis of the US presidential race, post Super Tuesday, from the NYT. Talking Points Memo on the US Administration's latest stance on torture -- admitting it used to happen, and not ruling it out for the future.

Further reading: A profile of France's foreign minister (who also founded Medecins sans frontieres). A graph of privacy levels, by country. Foreign Policy on the final four US presidential candidates.