Syrian state media said on Sunday that Turkish forces downed two of its warplanes over Idlib, after Syria destroyed a Turkish drone and announced it was closing its airspace over the northwest region, AP reports.
Why it matters: Tensions are continuing to escalate between NATO ally Turkey and the Syrian regime, which is backed by Russia and has been conducting a deadly offensive in the last rebel-held areas of Idlib.
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said on Sunday that he will not release 5,000 Taliban prisoners ahead of peace talks next week, as laid out in a peace agreement that the U.S. signed with the Taliban on Saturday, according to AP.
Why it matters: Ghani’s public disagreement with the contents of the agreement presents the first major hurdle in its implementation, which is crucial to ending America’s longest war.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon tore into Sen. Bernie Sanders during his speech at the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC Sunday morning, calling the 2020 front-runner an "ignorant fool” and “a liar” and telling the audience, “We don’t want Sanders in Israel."
Why it matters: AIPAC, which has faced increasing difficulty in recent years maintaining American bipartisan relations with Israel, was hoping to avoid partisan politics at this year's conference. Danon’s remarks are not going to make this any easier.
France’s Louvre Museum in Paris closed its doors on Sunday amid concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, AP reports.
Why it matters: The museum's 2,300 workers are fearful of contracting the virus from the museum’s visitors, who come from all around the world to visit.
Hundreds of ethnic Uighurs have been sent to work at Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co., a large Nike supplier and one of the American brand's biggest factories, The Washington Post reports.
Why it matters per Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian:Nike is one of the many American companies whose supply chains are closely intertwined with forced labor in Xinjiang, and it's actually against the law for U.S. companies to import goods made through forced labor.
Russia is opening its first theme park, Dream Island, on Saturday after two failed attempts, The New York Times reports.
Why now: Moscow now has a large enough group of middle-class consumers who can afford a trip to a theme park. The city has, as a result, already seen other new businesses spring up, such as shopping malls.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced he opened Turkey's border with Europe on Saturday — turning a longstanding threat into a reality, AP reports.
The state of play: The move appears to be an attempt to pressure European countries to support Erdoğan's military efforts in Idlib as operations from Turkish, Russian and Syrian forces escalate. Erdoğan has called on European nations to support the 3.6 million displaced Syrian refugees in Turkey, The New York Times reports.
The U.S. has signed a deal with the Taliban aimed at ending its war in Afghanistan after 18 years, starting with the withdrawal of around 4,000 troops "within months."
Why it matters: America has wanted out of Afghanistan for at least a decade. The deal signed in Doha should finally accomplish that — but peace for Afghanistan remains far from secure.
