World Affairs

  Myanmar’s generals have seized power in a coup, plunging the Southeast Asian nation into renewed political turmoil only a decade after the end of 49 years of strict military rule. The February 1 coup has triggered nationwide protests, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to demand the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the restoration of civilian rule. Security forces have cracked down, opening fire on unarmed protesters and killing at least 50 people across the country. Dozens more have been wounded and more than a 1,000 people detained. The US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and the EU have all announced selected sanctions on the country’s generals, while China has expressed concern, saying that “the current development in Myanmar is absolutely not what China wants to see”. Here is a timeline of events since the coup. February 1:  The military detains Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other senior figures from the ruling National League for Democra...

   Three years ago, an air, land and sea blockade was imposed on   Qatar   by four Arab countries. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,  Bahrain  and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade ties with Doha, and imposed a sea, land and air blockade on Qatar, claiming it supported “terrorism” and was too close to Iran. Qatar rejected the claims and said there was “no legitimate justification” for the severance of relations. There has since been little progress towards a resolution. Qatar and the  UAE  remain locked in a  battle  at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after Doha filed a racial discrimination case. While the Qatari prime minister visited Saudi Arabia last year for a series of summits, the highest-level meeting since the beginning of the crisis, Doha subsequently expressed  reservations  about the statements issued in Mecca. “The Gulf summit statement talked about a unified Gulf, but where is it amid the continuation ...