President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua doesn't want to give up the job that he first held in the 1980s.
Category: Political issues
Constitutional change is harder than it looks
Media reports on Tony Abbott's push for constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians convey an impression of novelty. Yet nothing has really changed.
French Socialists have more than sex to worry about
French president François Hollande is trying to put the recent crisis in his personal life behind him, but that's not the source of his political problems.
Breaking up Ukraine?
The ongoing protests in Kiev and other cities of western Ukraine are starting to raise the question of whether it can remain a united country.
Catalonia’s choice
Catalans want to vote on whether to be independent from Spain. Getting a referendum will be harder than it is for Scotland, but there's probably more chance of a "Yes" vote if it happens.
Ukrainian government upsets the applecart
Ukraine's parliament enacts new anti-protest laws, running the risk of reinvigorating a protest movement that was starting to run out of steam.
Britain vs Europe, drugs edition
An EU move for more rational drug policy is disapproved by the British government, casting further doubt on the link between euroscepticism and libertarianism.
US steps slowly back from Cuba sanctions
Talks between the United States and Cuba, a rare event in themselves, have proceeded well. There seems to be a dawning realisation that sanctions have outlived their relevance.
A Czech lesson for direct-election republicans
The Czech Republic has moved closer to getting its new government, but the directly-elected president will remain a thorn in its side. Maybe Malcolm Turnbull was right.
The last election roundup for 2013
A semi-regular feature, with news this week from Turkmenistan, Mauritania, Madagascar, Thailand and Austria.
The World is Not Enough 