Security forces shot and killed (BBC) dozens of pro-democracy demonstrators in Myanmar yesterday, the bloodiest day of clashes since the February 1 coup. Several protesters were also killed today. 

Most of yesterday’s deaths occurred in the city of Yangon, where Chinese-owned factories were set on fire (Guardian), triggering China’s most forceful comments yet on Myanmar’s crisis. China’s embassy in Myanmar urged the junta to stop the violence and protect Chinese companies and citizens. Myanmar’s military subsequently imposed martial law (Bloomberg, Reuters) in several areas of Yangon. Meanwhile, observers—including UN and British officials—continued to condemn the violence (Al Jazeera). Countries have called for the release of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose court appearance today was canceled due to an internet outage, her lawyer said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will arrive in Tokyo today. After meeting with Japanese officials, they will travel to South Korea (Al Jazeera). Issues related to China and North Korea are expected to dominate the trip’s agenda.
 
Australia: Tens of thousands of people gathered across the country (SMH) to protest violence and discrimination against women. Organizers rejected Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s offer to meet.

Afghanistan’s National Statistics and Information Authority added fifty-four ethnicity options for national identity cards, bringing the total to sixty-eight. Advocates for minority groups praised the move (TOLOnews), but critics said it could catalyze intra-Afghan division.

As Syria marks a decade of civil war, missiles fired from a Syrian government–controlled base injured civilians (Al Jazeera) in Turkey-controlled northern Syria, the Turkish defense ministry said. Meanwhile, advocacy groups launched a landmark case (AFP) in Moscow against Russian mercenaries operating in Syria.
 
CFR’s Steven A. Cook looks at what’s next for Syria.
 
Israel/Kosovo: Kosovo opened an embassy (Al Jazeera) in Jerusalem weeks after establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. The United States and Guatemala are the only other countries with embassies in Jerusalem, the status of which is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
 
This CFR Backgrounder explains U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Central African Republic held a second round of legislative elections (Reuters) yesterday after violence by rebels troubled the December elections. Only a few polling stations were unable to open because of security concerns, a National Elections Authority spokesperson said.
 
Ethiopia: The aid group Doctors Without Borders warned today that clinics in Ethiopia’s conflict-ravaged Tigray region have been deliberately damaged and destroyed (AFP). Only 13 percent of sites that the group visited in recent months were working normally, it said.
 
CFR’s Michelle Gavin explains the conflict in Tigray.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), took a hit in elections in the states of Baden-Wurttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. Projections suggest that the party, which has recently been dogged by scandals, received its worst-ever results (DW) in the states.
 
United Kingdom: Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed concern (BBC) over footage of police detaining women at a vigil for Sarah Everard, whom a London police officer allegedly abducted and killed this month. The policing of the vigil is under review, and a task force will discuss how to prevent violence against women.

Authorities arrested former Bolivian interim President Jeanine Anez Chavez. In a court hearing, Anez and two former ministers were accused (Al Jazeera) of conspiracy, sedition, and terrorism. A prosecutor alleged that the former officials helped oust President Evo Morales in 2019 and “rigged” events to put Anez in power.
 
Guatemala/Mexico: The remains of sixteen Guatemalan migrants killed in northern Mexico earlier this year were returned to Guatemala (LAHT), where their families held wakes.

More than one-third of global arms sales between 2016 and 2020 originated in the United States, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. U.S. exports increased 15 percent (SIPRI) compared to the previous five years, though total global arms deliveries remained constant.