BANGKOK—Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced on Tuesday his retirement from politics, nine years after he took power in a military coup, and promised to stay in charge only temporarily. His announcement was widely expected after his military-backed United Thai Nation party was thumped in a May 14 election, in which it won just 36…

Commentary After electoral authorities declared the far-left candidate, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the winner of Brazil’s presidential elections, millions of concerned citizens gathered outside the Army headquarters in Brasília and military barracks in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Curitiba to protest. Unfortunately, however, those concerned citizens might have sought the assistance of a…

CAIRO—Nearly 200 people have been wounded in the latest protests to erupt in the Sudanese capital over deteriorating economic conditions following a military take-over, a doctor’s union said Friday. The Sudan’s Doctors Committee issued a statement saying that 187 people were wounded in clashes with police in Khartoum on Thursday, 70 of whom were likely…

WASHINGTON—The United States, Britain, and Canada on Monday imposed sanctions on seven individuals and two entities connected to Burma (also known as Myanmar), the U.S. Treasury Department announced, in the latest measures against people connected to the military that seized power in a coup one year ago. The Treasury said the sanctions were timed to…

Sudan’s ruling council head, Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan, announced a countrywide state of emergency on Monday and said he was dissolving the transitional sovereign council and the government. The announcement came hours after Sudan’s military arrested acting Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, members of the Transitional Sovereignty Council’s civilian component, and several ministers. In a televised appearance…

The head of Sudan’s ruling council, Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan, announced a countrywide state of emergency on Oct. 25 and said he was dissolving the transitional sovereign council and the government. The announcement came hours after Sudan’s military arrested acting Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, members of the Transitional Sovereignty Council’s civilian component, and several ministers. In…

A recent military coup in West Africa has put the Republic of Guinea in the world’s spotlight. While this small country ranks among the world’s poorest, its abundant mineral wealth, including bauxite and iron ore, make it strategically important to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Guinea is only 94,981 square miles in size and is…

News Analysis Before discussing what’s happening with Party leader Xi Jinping, we need to look at a similar situation in China’s history. On Sept. 13, 1971, a plane crashed in Wendul Khan, Mongolia, killing all nine people on board. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) said that Lin Biao, Mao Zedong’s successor, together with his wife…

Commentary Daisuke Kondo, a China expert in Japan, recently wrote an article about how Burma is as important to the United States and China as Taiwan is to these two powers. According to Kondo, the situation in Burma now deserves even more attention as Beijing is trying to regain the influence it lost on Burma…

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab commended Burma’s ambassador to London for his “courage and patriotism” after the envoy openly called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders detained by the junta. Burma’s military seized power on Feb. 1 and arrested leaders of the civilian government, including State Counsellor Aung San…