A close result in Venezuela sees Nicolás Maduro declared the winner. Now he has to show whether he can be more than just an understudy for Hugo Chávez.
Author: Charles Richardson
Reform in the Vatican: Pell to the rescue
Australia's own George Pell is appointed to a new committee of cardinals that will advise on reform in the Vatican: a unique and difficult task.
Election preview: Venezuela
Hugo Chávez will be a hard act to follow, but Venezuelans go the polls this Sunday to elect his replacement.
Pakistan update
Sorry I've been out of town for the last week so there hasn't been much blogging. I'll be catching up on a few topics over the next few days, but if you're looking for some reading material in the meantime, have a look at Terry Friel's piece in New Matilda on the Pakistani election to … Continue reading Pakistan update
Fundamentalism east and west
An anti-blasphemy demonstration in Bangladesh raises some questions about our perceptions of religious fundamentalism.
The Republican war against constitutionalism
It looks as if there'll be no established religion in North Carolina, at least legally. But the Republican Party has shown off some interesting views about the constitution.
The politics of (illegal) style
Actions are illegal, not people. But Associated Press has got itself into a political storm by acknowledging this conceptual truth.
Another weighty discrimination issue
A Samoan airline is charging its passengers by weight. Is this discrimination, or a move to end discrimination?
Meet the new Kim, same as the old Kim
Kim Jong-un is engaging in the same game as his father did, upping the rhetorical ante to win concessions from the west. It doesn't mean he's going to start a war.
Judges have the last word in Kenya
Kenya's Supreme Court has upheld the victory of Uhuru Kenyatta in this month's presidential election. He still has a problem with the International Criminal Court, but for now it looks like a triumph for Kenya's democratic institutions.
The World is Not Enough 