IN FOCUS

Kazakhstan: demands for radical change met with lethal response

President puts himself firmly in Putin’s pocket to deny democracy

Lebanon: corrupt government fails victims of the Beirut blast

Rights groups demand international investigation

CONFLICT | CRISIS

Interpol: a growing instrument of international repression?

Authoritarian states seek political gain by abusing a system designed to catch criminals

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Lebanon: wildfire season further exposes government failure

Civil society steps up to combat the blaze

ECONOMY | ENVIRONMENT

Tunisia: protests force government to negotiate over waste crisis

Refuse site dispute points to broader failings of governance and democracy

ECONOMY | ENVIRONMENT

NORTHERN AFRICA

Guinea: no timetable for democracy

How long will the military hang onto power?

Turkey: refugees targeted in surge of xenophobia

Politicians are ramping up hostility towards Syrian refugees

What hope for a more democratic United Nations?

New report suggests some potential for change, but fails to go far enough

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Nicaragua: the king is naked and everybody knows

Ortega claims victory while most Nicaraguans stay away from the polls

CENTRAL AMERICA

Switzerland: anti-rights challenge overcome – with rainbow colours

64 per cent of Swiss voters say ‘yes’ to same-sex marriage