Myanmar's military has confirmed it has taken control of the country after Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders were arrested in the early hours.

The coup comes after tensions rose between the civilian government and the military following a disputed election.

Hours after the arrests, military television confirmed it was declaring a state of emergency for one year.

Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the military until democratic reforms began in 2011.

In November's election, Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won enough seats to form a government. The army says the vote was fraudulent.

The newly-elected lower house of parliament was due to convene for the first time on Monday but the military was calling for a postponement.

The military said it was handing power to commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing.