Regime

• The Atlantic Council's Freedom and Prosperity Center released a report outlining a democracy assistance agenda for 2026-2028 to combat anti-US regimes. • The publication serves as the conclusion to "The future of democracy assistance" series, focusing on actionable policies to promote global democratic governance. • It draws parallels to the U.S. role three decades ago in transforming former Soviet bloc nations through the establishment of free elections and multiparty systems.

• A new, shorter treatment regimen for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) has proven to be as effective as standard care. • Developed through research at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, the protocol is notably applicable to children and pregnant women. • This breakthrough is significant because it reduces the duration of treatment for a highly resistant form of TB, potentially improving patient adherence and global health outcomes.

• The Myanmar regime has denied Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro access to visit detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who recently turned 81. • This incident marks the second failed attempt by the Asean chair to meet Suu Kyi, following a previous unsuccessful visit to Naypyitaw on January 7. • According to Lowy Institute director Marston, the regime is using these restrictions to signal that they are in total control of the situation and dictate all diplomatic access.

• Factions within the Iranian regime are intensifying internal infighting, signaling a structural crisis and a system in irreversible decline. • The struggle is driven by growing public unrest, political paralysis, and mounting uncertainty regarding diplomacy, war, and future succession. • This instability undermines the traditional power balance where the Supreme Leader acted as the final arbiter to contain factional conflicts.

• Internal power struggles are intensifying within the Iranian regime as various clans compete for control following the elimination of Ali Khamenei. • The vacuum of leadership has created a volatile environment where competing factions are vying for dominance over the state's political and military apparatus. • This instability is significant because it threatens the regime's cohesion and increases the likelihood of open internal conflict.

• The Iranian regime is experiencing a significant decline in internal confidence, with senior officials now openly acknowledging the risk of renewed nationwide protests. • This shift follows years of projecting absolute unity, but is now being undermined by deepening economic crises and internal political contradictions. • The situation matters as it reveals a fragile political system increasingly governed by fear rather than ideological stability or public support.

Fears of resurgence of HIV/Aids amid loss of access to PrEP drugs as at least 40 people arrested in ‘toxic’ climateA “witch-hunt” is under way in Niger, where dozens of people have been arrested for homosexuality in the west African state following the introduction of a new penal code earlier this year.Up to 40 people have been arrested and 16 men, including high-ranking military officials, have been imprisoned across the country, according to local media. Continue reading...

• Internal power struggles within the Iranian regime have intensified as rival factions clash over the direction of the country's nuclear talks. • The conflict has escalated beyond foreign policy disagreements, evolving into a bitter battle for political influence at the highest levels of government. • These regime divisions are coinciding with public protests that continue to challenge the stability of the existing political system.

• An Iranian state newspaper has inadvertently highlighted the strategic weaknesses and internal pressures—political, military, and economic—forcing Tehran to return to diplomatic negotiations. • These vulnerabilities coincide with a reported trilateral agreement between the United States, Israel, and Lebanon aimed at stabilizing the region. • A key component of this diplomatic effort involves reducing the military and political dominance of Hezbollah within Lebanon.

• The Iranian regime has introduced a 14-point draft agreement with the U.S., a move that has sparked internal divisions and increased tensions within the government. • This diplomatic push occurs amidst severe domestic crises, including chronic energy and water shortages, environmental degradation, and rampant inflation that has eroded purchasing power. • The situation is critical because widespread public frustration and growing poverty have created a volatile social climate fundamentally different from previous negotiation periods.

• The Iranian clerical establishment is experiencing a period of systemic volatility and intense internal political friction. • High-level administrative infighting has escalated into an overt political war centered on the regime's approach to international diplomacy. • These deepening vulnerabilities expose critical weaknesses within the regime's leadership structure during a time of multi-front crises.

Hong Qi, who orchestrated protest against Communist government, claims interpreter on 101 call launched political tiradeA Chinese dissident who orchestrated an anti-government protest in China after fleeing to the UK has claimed that a “pro-regime” interpreter used by a British police force berated him when he sought help.Hong Qi, who made headlines last year after using a mobile phone while in the UK to remotely project anti-regime slogans on to a building in his home city, Chongqing, contacted police after discovering that his bank accounts had been frozen. Continue reading...

Some Iranians hoped foreign intervention would unseat the regime but instead the US-Israel war has damaged livelihoods and strengthened those in powerAs Donald Trump swung this week between threats of new military action against Iran and predictions that a lasting ceasefire deal was imminent, many Iranians were left exhausted and gripped by uncertainty.Despite the partial lifting of an internet shutdown that began when the war started on 28 February, fears of worsening repression at home have also fuelled pessimism about the future among some of those to whom the Guardian spoke. Continue reading...

Internet monitors unsure if political or technical issues behind delay after access was cut off during anti-government protests in JanuaryMiddle East crisis – live updatesAn Iranian government announcement on Tuesday that an 88-day internet blackout was being brought to an end did not have any immediate noticeable impact, according to internet monitors.It was not clear if technical or political issues were delaying the end of the clampdown, the longest in Iran’s history, which was imposed during brutally suppressed protests in January. Continue reading...

Supporters of Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of the late shah, are clashing with those who oppose a return of monarchyWearing a bucket hat, a blue Adidas hoodie and khaki shorts, Tony Mohraz, also known as 021kid, chest-bumps a friend in front of a memorial wall in Golders Green, in north London.Photographs can be seen behind him of those who were killed protesting against the Iranian regime. As a large lion and sun flag used in Iran before the Islamic revolution is waved overhead, Mohraz starts to rap. Continue reading...

Charges filed against Raúl Castro for allegedly shooting down planes in 1996. Plus, US employers spend more than $1.5bn a year to fight labor unionsGood morning.On Wednesday, the US issued a federal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, and five others, in a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign to oust the country’s communist regime.What are the details? Castro, 94, was charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft related to an incident in 1996 – in which four men were killed by the Cuban military, when two small planes were shot down during a humanitarian mission in the Florida Straits.How has Cuba reacted? Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Cuban president, condemned the indictment as a political stunt that sought only to “justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba”.What does the video show? Images of dozens of men and women kneeling in rows, with their foreheads to the ground and their hands zip-tied behind their back. Ben-Gvir posted it on his social media account. He appears waving an Israeli flag, mocking and taunting the detainees.What are global leaders saying? The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, one of the country’s staunchest allies, described Ben-Gvir’s behaviour as “despicable” and said the minister had “betrayed the dignity of his nation”. Others criticizing the video were Italy, Spain, the European Council, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and others. The Spanish foreign minister called the treatment “monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane”. Continue reading...

Charges filed in Miami against 94-year-old for allegedly shooting down exiles’ planes in 1996The United States has issued a federal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, on Wednesday, and five others in a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign to oust the country’s six-decades-old communist regime.The 94-year-old political figurehead was charged in Miami, Florida, with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft, according to court filings obtained by CBS. Continue reading...

Facebook and Instagram owner claims charges should not be calculated based on a company’s global revenueMeta has launched a legal challenge against the UK’s media regulator over the fees and fines regime it is enforcing under landmark digital safety legislation.The Facebook and Instagram owner is claiming that Ofcom’s methodology for calculating the charges is flawed and should not be based on a company’s global revenue. Breaches of the Online Safety Act can be punished by fines of up to 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue (QWR) or £18m – depending which is higher. Continue reading...

Hangings are latest wave of near-daily killings as authorities seek to instil fear in Iranian societyMiddle East crisis – live updatesIran has executed three men charged in connection with political protests this January, authorities said, the latest in a wave of hangings against the backdrop of the war against the US and Israel.Iranian authorities have carried out executions on a near-daily basis in recent weeks, in what activists have denounced as a bid to instil fear in society at a time of international and domestic tension. Continue reading...

• President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order imposing targeted sanctions on several Cuban regime officials and entities the administration alleges have supported repression and human‑rights abuses. • The White House says the action sends a message of solidarity with Cuban dissidents and complements broader efforts to pressure authoritarian regimes in Latin America. • Critics in Congress, including some Democrats and even a few Republicans, argue the move could backfire by tightening U.S. leverage ahead of upcoming negotiations on migration and regional security.

Coordinated attack by JNIM and the Tuareg minority inflicted significant casualties on government forces and Russian auxiliariesWhen al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic militants launched a series of attacks on military bases and raids into major towns in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso last summer, observers suggested they had been inspired by their counterparts in Syria, who had overthrown the regime of Bashar al-Assad and taken power six months or so earlier.Despite the tactical successes that earned them the fearful title of the “Ghost Army”, seizing swathes of territory and denying cities and the military of fuel and other essentials, the chances of Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) definitively defeating Mali’s military regime and the thousand or so Russian mercenaries hired to defend it looked poor. Continue reading...

Tensions around US negotiations may reflect mistake of assassinating more pragmatic and experienced figuresMiddle East crisis – live updatesDonald Trump has claimed that the infighting between moderates and hardliners in Iran’s leadership is so intense that the country has “no idea who their leader is”, but many Iranian experts questioned his analysis, saying that – given the mass assassinations of senior commanders – the country has shown remarkable institutional cohesion.Trump’s allegations of “CRAZY” splits in the Iranian leadership – the second outing for this argument in three days – is remarkable since he has previously said either he has little knowledge of the new Iranian leadership or that there has already been regime change. Continue reading...

Activists say clamp down on period products to target insurgents is gender-based violence and violates rightsMyanmar’s military regime is expanding its ban on the distribution of period products, claiming they are being used to treat wounded resistance fighters, according to local activists.The south-east Asian country has been locked in civil war since 2021, when the military usurped the democratic government and launched a violent crackdown on dissidents. Artillery fire, the burning of townships and arbitrary arrests have become common in the years since then. Continue reading...

Jubilation is turning to disenchantment as young activists arrested after protest calling for election date to be setThe arrest of several protesters in Madagascar has increased fears among young people that the military regime that took power last year after huge Gen Z demonstrations will be no better than the government it overthrew.Four Gen Z activists, Herizo Andriamanantena, Miora Rakotomalala, Dina Randrianarisoa and Nomena Ratsihorimanana, were arrested on 12 April, one of their lawyers said, two days after taking part in a protest calling for an election date to be set. Continue reading...

• The European Commission introduced draft legislation on April 18 to impose stricter sanctions on Russian oil, gas, and refining infrastructure, aiming to reduce EU energy dependence by 35% within two years. • The proposal includes price caps on Russian liquefied natural gas imports and expanded restrictions on third-party shipping companies, targeting the "shadow fleet" used to circumvent existing penalties. • EU energy ministers debated the plan in Brussels, with Hungary and Slovakia expressing concerns about potential economic costs to their economies, though Germany and Poland voiced strong support.

Three arrested by federal agents had family ties to Iranian military general, regime spokesperson or security chiefUnited States federal agents arrested three Iranian nationals – including the son of a revolutionary at the center of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis – after the US state department terminated their green cards, the department announced on Saturday.State department officials revoked the green card status of Seyed Eissa Hashemi, whose mother was an Iranian revolutionary who served as the spokesperson for Iran’s regime during the hostage crisis that defined the late Jimmy Carter’s presidency. The state department also revoked the green card – or legal permanent resident – statuses of Hashemi’s wife and son. Continue reading...

More than 850 public demonstrations of support held since start of war and at least 1,400 arrests, research revealsIran’s regime has organised more than 850 public demonstrations of support of the government since the beginning of the war and launched a continuing crackdown on unrest that has led to at least 1,400 detentions, research reveals.The high number of pro-regime gatherings and the increasing number of detentions underlines the resilience of the Islamic Republic despite a month-long campaign of intensive airstrikes by the US and Israel, experts said. Continue reading...