Subject: Morning Brief: Trump may slow plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria
From: "Foreign Policy" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2018 07:55:58 -0600 (CST)

Trump May Slow Plans To Withdraw U.S. Troops From Syria

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MORNING BRIEF

Today's Global News from Foreign Policy

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12/31/2018

12/31/2018

TOP NEWS

Trump May Slow Plans To Withdraw U.S. Troops From Syria

Top News: After meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested that the United States is committed to defeating the Islamic State in Syria, and that plans to withdraw U.S. troops may be slowed. Graham said, “I think we’re in a pause situation where we are re-evaluating what’s the best way to achieve the president’s objective of having people pay more and do more.”

Bangladesh: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won a third consecutive term in office, while her Awami League party claimed 288 of the country’s 300 parliamentary seats in an election marred by political violence and allegations of vote rigging.

AFRICA

•  In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, voters cast their ballots on Sunday in an heavily flawed and long delayed election that many hope will mark the first peaceful transition of power in the country since independence.

•  In Nigeria, hundreds of people driven from the contested town of Baga sought shelter in Maiduguri over the weekend, in an attempt to avoid further attacks by Islamist militants.

•  Former South African President Jacob Zuma, who was forced out of office after a corruption scandal, plans to record and release music in 2019.

AMERICAS

•  In the United States, a partial government shutdown, triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands for a border wall, is entering its second week.

•  White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said that any plans for a concrete wall at the U.S. border had already been abandoned by the administration.

•  The Galapagos islands have banned fireworks in an effort to protect local biodiversity.

ASIA

•  Australia stripped Neil Prakash—a dual national and former recruiter for the Islamic State—of his citizenship.

•  Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, sparked outrage after he claimed he sexually assaulted a domestic worker when he was a teenager.

•  Despite tensions between Beijing and Ottawa, the opening of the first Canada Goose outerwear store in mainland China drew large crowds on Monday.

EUROPE

•  Russian authorities have detained an American, Paul Wheelan, whom security agencies claim to have arrested “while carrying out an act of espionage.”

•  German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for unity in her New Year’s speech. “We will only master the challenges of our times if we stick together and collaborate with others across borders,” she told viewers.

•  Amid concerns over Brexit, the number of British citizens seeking Irish passports has increased by 22 percent in 2018.

MIDDLE EAST

•  A delegation of Taliban representatives met with officials in Iran on Sunday, in what the Iranian foreign ministry called “comprehensive negotiations.”

•  In Egypt, activist Amal Fathy, who posted a 12-minute Facebook video railing against sexual harassment in the country, is set to serve a two-year sentence for spreading “fake news.”

•  In Israel, those gearing up for the Russian end-of-year celebration Novy God see reactions to the holiday as a barometer for attitudes toward immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

- By Jefcoate O'Donnell

(AFP/Getty Images)

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