In astonishing scenes demonstrators disrupted the work of congress and rummaged through the Capitol building, including in the chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Kazakhs are outraged by comments by Russian politicians questioning their country's territorial integrity. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev rejected the assertion that any Kazakh territory was  a "gift from Russia", and said that such "provocative" comments were intended to "spoil" relations between the two neighbours.

France will reconsider its military strategy in the Sahel and will likely reduce the number of troops deployed as part of Operation Barkhane after significant military successes in 2020, the country's defence minister said.

The theme of unity and solidarity dominated the summit, and was the basis of the document known as the Al Ula Declaration, signed by the leaders  at the end of the meeting. The EU has welcomed the results of the Al Ula summit describing them as "significant developments as they will considerably strengthen regional stability and restore GCC unity and cooperation in full."

Leaders from the six nation Gulf Co-operation Council meet in Saudi Arabia this week. After months of discussions the rift between Qatar and other GCC members appears to have been healed, opening the prospect for a unified approach to the challenges ahead.

Kuwait has been mediating between the two sides for several months. The re-opening of the border comes just hours before the launch of the 41st GCC Summit in Saudi Arabia.