Axios

When Jack Ma co-founded e-commerce behemoth Alibaba in 1999, China's internet culture barely existed. Now, his company is worth $500 billion — and, next to China's president, Ma himself may be the most recognized Chinese celebrity on the planet.

What's happening now: Today is Ma's 54th birthday as well as the 19th anniversary of Alibaba's founding, and he marked it by setting in motion his retirement. In a letter to shareholders and employees, Ma said he will step down in a year and be succeeded by company CEO Daniel Zhang.

The Trump administration is weighing whether to slap sanctions on the Chinese government for detaining hundreds of thousands of ethnic Uighurs and other minority Muslims in internment camps, current and former American officials told the New York Times.

Why it matters: As the Trump administration battles China on trade, Beijing’s human rights violations in Xinjiang have largely been sidelined amid resistance from President Trump. A move to sanction officials over the issue would be one of the first times the administration has engaged China on human rights. Officials are also reportedly considering imposing limits on American sales of surveillance technology that Chinese security agencies and companies are using to surveil Uighurs in northwest China.

Turkey’s last-minute effort to head off a looming offensive from the Syrian, Russian and Iranian governments in Idlib Province has fallen short, leaving open only the question of when and how the offensive will occur. Given Syrian President Assad’s pledge to recapture every inch of Syrian territory, neither Western pleas for restraint nor for a potential campaign targeting only extremist fighters is likely to avert the assault.

Why it matters: Idlib is the last remaining de-escalation zone from 2017’s Russian-led Astana peace process, and is home to more 3 million civilians. It is also home to thousands of the most extreme, battle-hardened al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters, who now have nowhere in Syria left to go. Difficult terrain and the regime’s history of using chemical weapons in the region only compound the challenges. The U.N. warns that a major military clash could force nearly a million Syrians to flee north toward the Turkish border; as many as 30,000 have already been reported displaced from Idlib in recent days.   

The State Department has formally announced that the Palestine Liberation Organization's office in Washington, D.C. will be closed due to Palestinian leadership's refusal to engage with the White House on its Middle East peace plan. 

Why it matters: This move further escalates the wave of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against the Palestinians over the last few months — after the Palestinians chose to cut ties after President Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. This move is extremely severe because it wipes out any symbols of Palestinian sovereignty in Washington.

The United Nations says at least 30,542 people have been displaced by attacks in Syria's Idlib province, reports Reuters.

The big picture: Home to 3 million civilians, Idlib is the last rebel stronghold in Syria. Regime forces backed by Russia and Iran began bombing the region last week, threatening a massive humanitarian crisis that could force yet another wave of refugees to attempt to flee the country.

The Trump administration will announce Monday that it plans to close the Palestine Liberation Organization's office in Washington, D.C., reports the WSJ.

The big picture: The move is part of an ongoing pressure campaign by the Trump administration — which has included steps like moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and cutting off funding to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency — that has brought diplomatic relations with Palestinian officials to a historic low. National security adviser John Bolton plans to sanction judges on the International Criminal Court if it moves forward with a Palestinian request to investigate the U.S. and Israel.

Jack Ma, co-founder and executive chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, said he will retire on Alibaba's 20th anniversary, which is Sept. 10, 2019. He'll be succeeded by company CEO, Daniel Zhang.

Alibaba was never about Jack Ma, but Jack Ma will forever belong to Alibaba.

A leaked document obtained by The Sunday Times shows that U.K. police are preparing for widespread riots and crime in the months surrounding March 29, 2019, the planned day of Brexit, if a deal is not reached with the EU.

The big picture: The U.K. has begun outlining contingency plans to prepare for the very real possibility that the country crashes out of the EU without an exit deal. The document from the National Police Co-ordination Centre slammed the government for its lack of communication and preparation and warned that other consequences — such as the potential loss of police officers who are EU nationals and the forfeiture of mutual police treaties like the European arrest warrant — must be considered.

North Korea staged a huge military parade Sunday in commemoration of its 70th anniversary, but did not display the country's most advanced missiles as it had in the past, AP reports.

The big picture: Amid stalled nuclear talks with the U.S., dictator Kim Jong-un appeared to use the annual parade to celebrate North Korea's economic development, rather than its nuclear capabilities. Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are expected to meet later this month in Pyongyang to discuss "complete denuclearization."