1. The lifting of the blockade on Qatar 

 Earlier this year, the lifting of the blockade on Qatar by the Saudi-led coalition caused a stir around the world, including in the Middle East. The long two-and-a-half-year blockade of Qatar, a small country in the Arabian Peninsula, by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt was lifted on January 5, 2021. The countries announced the lifting of the blockade on Qatar, 

mediated by Kuwait. At the 41st session of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), a regional body of Arab countries bordering the Persian Gulf, the Arab countries lifted the blockade through an agreement with Qatar. Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Sani himself attended the conference in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. Since the summit, diplomatic relations between Qatar, 

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have resumed. Diplomatic ambassadors of these four countries are exchanged with Qatar. At the end of the year, on December 9, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia visited Qatar. Earlier, on June 5, 2016, four countries, led by Saudi Arabia, imposed economic, diplomatic and travel sanctions on Qatar, citing its support for terrorism and close ties with Iran. Qatar has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating "Similar, baseless allegations concerning Qatar's intelligence have been made more than once. 

2. Trump's departure and attack on the Capitol

The second shocking event of 2021 was the departure of Donald Trump from the presidency of the United States. The president, who has been widely criticized for trying to stay in power by changing the outcome of the presidential election, has said goodbye.

The previous presidential election was held on November 3, 2020 in the United States. Democrat candidate and former vice president Joe Biden lost the election to incumbent President and Republican candidate Donald Trump.But Donald Trump has tried to recount the results, accusing them of rigging the election. He used different parts of the administration under him to try to change the outcome. Unsuccessful in the end, he called on his supporters to stop "the biggest fraud in the history of the United States."

On January 7, 2021, after Donald Trump's call, his supporters attacked Capitol Hill, the building of the US Legislative Congress in Washington DC. At the time, a two-chamber session of Congress was under way to formally approve Joe Biden's victory as the next president of the United States. Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill. A congressional hearing about that were exactly where the Trump administration came from. Five people were killed in the violence on Capitol Hill.Donald Trump is facing a second impeachment after stepping down in the violence, although he has not been indicted. Trump's account was also blocked on social media.

The Congressional session resumed after Trump supporters withdrew from Capitol Hill. The session approved Joe Biden's victory by 308-232 votes in the Electoral College.

Joe Biden was sworn in as the new president of the United States on January 20, following congressional approval. Donald Trump refrained from attending Biden's inauguration, setting a rare example. He left the White House that day.

3. Military coup and arrest of Suu Kyi in Myanmar

Military coup in Myanmar is one of the major upheavals of the year. The coup took place on February 1, 2021, after the country's military clashed with the civilian government, known as Tatmadao, over the results of the November 8, 2020 general elections.
Myanmar's ruling state councilor Aung San Suu Kyi has won the general election with the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD). But Tatmada also denies this fruit.

Myanmar's military led by military chief Min Aung Lang staged a coup on February 1, 2021, over a dispute with the government. At the same time, President Win Mint and State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi were arrested and charged.The coup was followed by a year-long state of emergency in the country. On August 1, the junta announced that the state of emergency would be extended until August 2023.

Protests against the military coup began on February 8 in various cities in Myanmar. Protesters have been demanding the release of imprisoned political leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as the withdrawal of military rule. When the junta government tried to suppress the peaceful non-violent protests by military means, the protesters also took up arms in different places.

On September 6, Myanmar's anti-junta National Unity Government (NUG) declared war on civilians to protect them from military junta attacks.Meanwhile, a military junta court sentenced Win Mint and Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in prison on December 8 for inciting unrest. Later it was reduced to two years.The military government has filed a total of 11 cases against Suu Kyi, including violations of state secrecy, corruption and a telecommunications law.

4. Formation of an interim government in Libya

The formation of an interim government after the end of the second civil war in Libya in 2014 after the Arab Spring is another sensational event. The formation of an interim government with all sides in post-Gaddafi divided Libya has been seen as a preliminary step towards peace in the country.

The country's Tripoli-centric western and Tabaruk-centric eastern governments agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire in October 2020 and initiated political dialogue between the warring parties to resolve the crisis.

After a lengthy dialogue on 5 February 2021, the parties to the conflict in Geneva, Switzerland, agreed to form an interim government in the country. The parties to the conflict elected former diplomat Mohammad Yunus Manfi, representing the east, as interim president, and Abdul Hamid al-Dabibah, an influential businessman and Western representative, as prime minister.

An interim government was approved on March 11 for an interim period until the country's general and presidential elections on December 24. However, the election was postponed at the last minute.

5. Evergreen ships blocked the Suez Canal

The sinking of the giant merchant ship Evergreen in Egypt's Suez Canal is one of the most talked about events of the year. The 400-meter-long Panamanian-flagged ship was stranded in the Suez Canal, disrupting international trade by sea.

On March 23, 2021, the Ever Given Company ship sank in the Suez Canal. The 193 km (120 mi) long narrow southern entrance to the canal was blocked by the ship six kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the port of Suez, closing the conventional sea route.
After about a week's effort, on March 29, the Suez Canal authorities freed the 20,000-ton ship from its wreckage and enabled it to float again. They later detained the ship to demand compensation. Canal authorities claim that Egypt lost কোটি 14 million a day (more than the Bangladeshi Taka 1816 crore) in revenue due to the shipwreck.

Later, on July 8, the Suez Canal Authority released the ship in exchange for সাথে 550 million (Tk. 4,665 crore) with the shipping company.

6.Talks on reviving nuclear deal with Iran

Talks on reviving the world's nuclear deal with Iran are one of the highlights of the year. The talks began shortly after Donald Trump stepped down as US president.

In 2015, the United States, Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany signed a nuclear deal with Iran in Vienna, mediated by the European Union. The United States lifted all sanctions on Iran under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA for short. In return, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program.
However, former US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2016 and imposed new sanctions on Iran. Iran has stepped up its nuclear program in the wake of tough US sanctions.

The agreement is likely to be renewed after Joe Biden takes over as US president. But Biden first called on Iran to withdraw from its nuclear program. Iran, on the other hand, has previously demanded the lifting of sanctions.

The world power began talks with Iran in Vienna, the Austrian capital, on April 6 to renegotiate the agreement. The United States could not attend the meeting because of Iran's objections. Negotiations for Iran's elections in mid-June have been postponed. Discussions have resumed on November 29. Iran is demanding the lifting of sanctions to revive the agreement.

7. Violence in Jerusalem and Israeli attack on Gaza

In 2021, the holy city of Jerusalem, the holy land of the three religions, witnessed a new wave of violence. Occupying Israeli authorities try to build a Jewish settlement by completely removing Palestinian signs from the city. They sent eviction notices to Palestinians from various quarters, including Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan. The Palestinian Arabs in Jerusalem were outraged. The outrage spread throughout the historic Palestinian territory.

Protests erupted across Jerusalem on April 25, 2021, following an Israeli court order to evict six Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied Jerusalem and establish a Jewish settlement.
Israeli forces stormed the Aqsa Mosque several times during the Palestinian protests. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said more than 1,000 Palestinians had been injured in the attacks between May 6 and May 10.

Hamas, the Palestinian liberation movement that controls Gaza, has given an ultimatum to Israel to withdraw troops from the mosque by 6pm local time on May 10 in the wake of Israeli security forces' attack on worshipers at the Aqsa Mosque.After the ultimatum, Hamas launched rocket attacks on various Israeli targets from Gaza.

According to the Israeli military, a total of 4,360 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israeli territory.The Israeli air defense system destroyed most of the rockets at the Iron Dome, but several rockets hit various parts of Israel.Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza on the night of May 10 in the wake of Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli territory.

8. Afghanistan under Taliban control

After two decades of continuous war, the return of control of Afghanistan to the Taliban is the most shocking event of 2021. The return to power of this armed group, which was ousted 20 years ago, caused a stir all over the world.
The United States has been in talks with the Taliban to bring peace to Afghanistan after a long 20-year war since 2001. Following negotiations in February 2020, the United States agreed in a bilateral agreement in Doha, Qatar, to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. In contrast, the Taliban agreed to take part in establishing peace in Afghanistan.

According to US President Joe Biden, the deadline for the withdrawal of multinational forces from Afghanistan was 31 August, but the withdrawal was completed on 30 August.
Despite the Taliban's efforts to reach an agreement with the US-backed Afghan government, which has been in power under an agreement with the United States, no agreement has been reached between the two sides. The Taliban has accused the Ashraf Ghani-led Afghan government of failing to respond to calls for peace in the country.

In the wake of the withdrawal of multinational forces in May, the Taliban began a campaign to gain control of the entire country.
On 7 August, they captured Jaranaz, the capital of the southern province of Nimroz, as the first provincial capital. The Taliban fighters reached the central capital Kabul 10 days after the capture of Jaranz. Taliban fighters entered Kabul on August 15 after the Afghan administration collapsed due to Ashraf Ghani's escape from Kabul.

But the remote province of Panjshir, north of Kabul, remained out of their control. Anti-Taliban insurgents, led by Ahmed Masood, the son of Ahmad Shah Masood, a legendary fighter in the war against Russian aggression in Afghanistan, have taken up positions in the valley.On September 6, the Taliban took control of the whole of Afghanistan through Panjshir. On September 7, the party announced the formation of a new Afghan government with Mollah Hibatullah Akhundzada as its head of state and Mollah Hassan Akhund as its prime minister.