Despite Myanmar authorities claiming a return to normalcy after a 2021 military coup, a vibrant and clandestine elite party scene persists in Yangon. Clubbers sleep through loud music in warehouse venues, highlighting a stark contrast between official messaging and the reality on the ground.
Military leaders in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have intensified repression since 2020, using defamation and antiterrorism laws to detain journalists and activists, and shutting down independent media. Critics, including Ulf Laessing and Binta Sidibe-Gascon, highlight the severe curtailment of freedoms and the rise of authoritarianism, with little hope for immediate peace or democratic restoration.
Iran analysts debate a historic transition from theocracy to military rule, accelerated by war. The IRGC's economic power grows, and Mojtaba Khamenei's appointment as Supreme Leader signals a shift from religious to political calculation, despite economic crisis fueling protests.
Investigation reveals Israeli military control exceeds declared borders in Gaza, southern Lebanon, and southern Syria, with expanded zones of control and frequent incursions beyond official lines.
Myanmar’s appointment of a close confidant of US President Donald Trump to rebuild ties with Washington could offer the regime a sliver of hope to rebrand itself, even as a breakthrough on major issues, such as American investment in the country’s critical minerals sector, is likely to be limited. Naypyidaw’s Ministry of Information has hired veteran American political lobbyist Roger Stone to boost relations with the Trump administration, according to filings under the US Foreign Agents...
Coordinated attacks by Tuareg rebels and jihadist fighters across Mali killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara in a car bomb attack at his home in Kati. His wife and two grandchildren also died. Junta leader General Assimi Goita has not been seen since Saturday's dawn offensive, which analysts describe as the most serious challenge to Mali's rulers since the 2012 offensive repelled by French forces.
