Moderate candidate Hassan Rouhani has a big early lead in Iran's presidential election. Here's how to follow along with the count.
Election preview: Iran
Iran's presidential election looks as if it might be more exciting than anyone expected, with a surge in support for the most moderate candidate and the chance of a runoff next week.
Populist insurgency not working well in Italy
Italy's centre-left finally gets some good news, but its populist movement is facing the sort of problems that typically plague amateurs in politics.
Immigration reform edges forward in the US
Comprehensive immigration reform passes its first hurdle in the US Senate. The jury is still out on whether the Republican leadership will be willing to let it through the House without weakening it beyond recognition.
Two concepts of surveillance
The US government goes much further in data collection than we should be comfortable with, but the latest revelations are not as devastating as some people think.
Nauru – a political system in miniature
Nauru elected a new parliament on Saturday, with a record number of candidates and an unusually high turnover among MPs. Being Nauru, however, the numbers are all very small.
Whatever happened to North Korea?
North Korea is back in the papers, with talks at both the local and global level sending an optimistic message. Kim Jong-un isn't likely to give up his nuclear weapons any time soon, but a reduction in tension would be a good thing.
Iran lurches further down the theocratic road
A presidential election in Iran looks like falling well short of a democratic exercise, but public opposition to the regime is by no means extinct.
The politics of science and scaremongering
The anti-science position on GMOs has been taking a battering on the left, but no-one on the right seems willing to stand up to its anti-science brigade on climate change.
Turkey hesitates between east and west
The recent days of protest crystallise the debate over whether Turkey has successfully synthesised its European and Middle Eastern elements. Is it really a democracy, or is it a place where governments have to be overthrown by force?
