Mr Assad's tightening grip over the most populous cities along a north-south axis in Syria's west has dimmed the prospects, always faint, of peace talks that were said to be in the offing in Geneva.
All these I may sketch out at some future date, but none of them present such singular features as the strange train of circumstances which I have now taken up my pen to describe.
She's one of the most famous and richest sports stars in the world, but tonight Maria Sharapova faces an uncertain future after admission that sent shock waves through tennis.