Across Russia, heightened security measures are in place after twin bombings in the city of Volgograd killed at least 32 people earlier in the week.  Meanwhile, around the world, Olympic athletes and fans and international official are wondering what implications, if any, those attacks might have on the Sochi winter Olympics.

You don't need Time Magazine to tell you that Pope Francis is undoubtedly one of the most influential people of 2013. Count Sister Simone Campbell as one of those fans. She’s the Executive Director of NETWORK a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby.

An event like the Volgograd terrorist attacks raises new concerns over safety at the upcoming Winter Games in Sochi. Two men with experience in this area weigh in: Mark Camillo, the Secret Service security coordinator for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, and Bill Rathburn, who coordinated security for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, an event marred by the Centennial Olympic Park bombing.

Brazil has faced a myriad of problems in preparing for the World Cup. Hoping to raise revenue for city infrastructure for the World Cup, the Brazilian government raised taxes on bus and train fares last summer, triggering massive protests in Rio and across the country. New construction has also proved problematic. Bruce Douglas, a Brazil-based freelance journalist, examines the country's preparation for the 2014 World Cup and beyond.

Two suicide attacks in two days in the Russian city of Volgograd have left over 30 people dead and dozens injured. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which come less than weeks before the Sochi Olympic games. Sufian Zhemukhov, a visiting scholar at George Washington University and an expert on U.S. - Caucasus relations, joins The Takeaway to discuss the attack.

Last fall, Ambassador H. Christopher Stevens was killed in an attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya, after a confusing set of circumstances. As the Obama administration scrambled to explain what had happened, Republicans accused the Obama administration of trying to cover up Al Qaeda’s involvement in the attack. It's a story told in two very different ways, depending which side of the political aisle you stand on. David Kirkpatrick, Cairo Bureau Chief and Mideast Correspondent at our partner The New York Times, set out to tell the truest version possible of what really happened in Benghazi.

South Sudan gained its independence nearly three years ago, but as the country marks its third birthday, few have reason to celebrate. Violence erupted in the world's newest nation earlier this month. South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has accused his former vice president, Riek Machar, of attempting a coup. Jendayi Frazer, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and a Distinguished Public Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, examines the origins of the conflict in South Sudan, and how the international community should move forward.

A car bomb in Beirut has killed the former Lebanese finance minister and Ambassador to the United States, Mohamad Chatah. Chatah was a leading opposition figure: a Sunni Muslim and an adviser to ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri. He was also a staunch critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement that backs Assad. Andrew Tabler, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and author of “In the Lion's Den: An Eyewitness Account of Washington's Battle With Syria," joins The Takeaway to discuss the significance of Chatah's death.

It was a violent Christmas Day in South Sudan, where despite calls for a cease fire, fighting continues between rebels and soldiers. The United Nations estimates that thousands have been killed in the 11 days since fighting broke out in the young nation. Today, leaders from Kenya and Ethiopia are meeting in Juba in an effort to negotiate an end to the violence. Hannah McNeish, a freelance journalist in South Sudan, explains the situation on the ground.

The past year was pivotal for Syria. As President Bashar al-Assad fought to control the country's future, rebel groups splintered, and the West looked for diplomatic options in an increasingly complicated conflict. Mona Yacoubian, senior advisor for the Stimson Center's Middle East Program and project director for the Pathways to Progress: Peace, Prosperity and Change in the Middle East initiative, reflects on the Syrian conflict in 2013 and looks forward to how the U.S. should move forward in 2014. 

In Syria, fighting has claimed 100,000 lives, forced two million refugees to flee their homes and left three million others internally displaced. Joining The Takeaway is Reese Ehrlich, who’s just returned from Damascus as a special correspondent for the Global Post. He’s also the lead author on a series of special reports for the Global Post called In the Land of Cain and Abel.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has freed one of his most significant political rivals, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the famed Russian oil tycoon, oligarch and Kremlin critic, who has been in prison for 10 years. Putin cited "humanitarian principles" for the unexpected pardon. The move comes just ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Joining The Takeaway to discuss Putin's sudden change of heart is Bob Amersterdam, former defense attorney for Mikhail Khodorkovsky who was at his trial ten years ago.

Brian Cox, a leading British physicist and science broadcaster on the BBC, says scientists need to realize that if they don't step up like Galileo to argue against distortion and myth they will lose the war for truth—even if they win the battle of being correct. "We're trying to understand the natural world and the world that is out there—that has nothing to do with whether you're a Democrat or a Republican," he says. Professor Cox joins The Takeaway to explain why it is so important to make science apolitical. 

Early winter storms are hitting parts of the Middle East with snow and freezing temperatures. For Syrian refugees, the bitter cold is only exacerbating life in make shift homes and refugee camps. Dr. Hammam Akbik, a Syrian-American doctor who works with refugees, just returned from Jordan last week. He explains the short term challenges ahead for Syrian refugees and the aid workers trying to help them.