Switzerland is first, Yemen last and Northern Europe the top region in a new evaluation of how nations foster their work forces. The Human Capital Report, released Tuesday by the World Economic Forum, measured 122 countries in four areas — education, health, employment and “enabling environment” — to establish the rankings. The fourth area encompasses subjects such as a country’s legal framework as well as transportation and communications infrastructure, which affect an individual’s ability to work.

This week, after many months of preparation two of China's leading educational institutions, Peking University and Tsinghua University, joined the EdX online educational consortium by providing six courses available without charge online. China now has officially entered the movement known as the Massive Online Open Courses, or MOOC.

Estonia’s capital seems a peaceful place. Tallinn’s cobblestoned streets are lined by medieval walls and towers, and tourists stroll amid churches and coffee shops. But Estonians live in a rough neighborhood; their eastern neighbor is Russia, which has never fully accepted that Estonia prefers the company of EU and NATO countries.

After more than six decades of strife, a senior adviser to Iran's leadership has signaled the country's openness to a profound and historic strategic change in Iran's relations with the West. A brief letter from US President Obama offering potential relief from international sanctions in return for a swift agreement regarding Iran's controversial nuclear program has been reportedly answered by an equally brief and amicable note from Iran's moderate new president, Hassan Rouhani.

Around the world, international education has become a policy priority for almost every developed and developing country. But just how significant is higher education to a country’s reputation and what exactly is soft power?

In our series of letters from African journalists, a week after it was announced that vast quantities of underground water had been discovered in Turkana - an arid, poor region of Kenya where oil was also recently found - Joseph Warungu considers the East African nation's knack for making history. Kenyans have a unique talent for firsts - whether good or bad.

The business world is awash with talk of soft power. It is, say gurus and thinkers, the key to durable success and it's largely thanks to women that the trend has risen to prominence. But what is it? Well, simply put, soft power is the application of emotional intelligence.