British, French governments poised to pass gay marriage into law

Amid a flurry of parliamentary action in the United Kingdom and France, two of the largest countries in Europe and, indeed, two of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, are set to legalize gay marriage in the coming months. The joint result gives an incredibly burst of global momentum for the [...]

Can Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy survive the kickback scandal?

It’s hard not to feel some compassion for Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy’s government, which limped to its one-year anniversary only in December 2012. In that time, Rajoy’s government has weathered all of the following: the passage of four budget cut packages and painful tax increases — income tax rates have increased, tax breaks for [...]

First Past the Post: February 6

East and South Asia China attempts to narrow its income gap. North America One take on the legacy of Aaron Swartz and Internet freedom. Latin America / Caribbean On Nicaraguan education. Africa I, too, can think of a few good reasons why France didn’t intervene in Centrafrique. Europe A victory in the UK House of Commons [...]