The Syrian conflict flares up intensely; the US once again sets its sights on the TPP.

1. The US-UK-France coalition attacks Syria.

The sky over Damascus as surface-to-air missiles are fired during the US-led attack on various areas of the Syrian capital in the early hours of April 14. Photo: AP

In the latest development related to escalating tensions in Syria, US, British, and French forces launched airstrikes against the country in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people earlier.

On the night of April 13th, local time, US President Donald Trump announced military action from the White House, stating that three allies were “coordinating the power of justice against barbarism and brutality.” As Trump spoke, multiple explosions rocked the Syrian capital, Damascus. Using more than 100 missiles launched from ships and manned aircraft, the allies struck three key Syrian chemical weapons facilities.

The attack risks escalating tensions in an already volatile region, but appears to have been orchestrated to avoid a military response from Russia and Iran. Nevertheless, the Assad regime and Russia reacted angrily. Russia requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the airstrike.

However, many believe the airstrike will have little impact on the balance of power in the seven-year Syrian civil war, in which the Assad regime has gradually gained the upper hand against its armed rivals since Russia's intervention in 2015.

2. Trump wants to rejoin the TPP.

After Trump announced his withdrawal from the TPP, 11 countries reached an agreement and signed the CPTPP Chile in March. Photo: Nationalreview

Having withdrawn the US from the TPP multilateral trade agreement shortly after taking office in early 2017, Trump has now instructed senior government officials to consider rejoining the agreement.

Following the US withdrawal, the remaining 11 members approved and officially signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP) in early March 2018 in Chile.

Trump's decision to consider rejoining the TPP comes as the White House seeks to protect the American agricultural sector after the US and China repeatedly announced they would impose import tariffs on each other's goods. The trade conflict with China would affect many American farmers, particularly those raising pigs, growing soybeans, and corn.

3. Facebook founder testifies before the US Congress.

Mark Zuckerberg answers questions from members of the U.S. House of Representatives regarding Facebook's operations. Photo: The Wrap

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had his second hearing on April 11th, facing a series of challenging questions. However, his performance continued to receive positive feedback from experts and investors.

Members of the House of Representatives pressed the issue with questions about Facebook's handling of user data, focusing particularly on the social network's privacy settings tool – which allows users to configure settings to protect their privacy.

Zuckerberg's strategy is to express regret over the recent scandal, while simultaneously defending and highlighting the changes Facebook has made, committing to further efforts to protect user privacy and prevent foreign interference in elections.

Investors were pleased with the Facebook CEO's performance in defending the company's operations, and Zuckerberg's 10-hour testimony helped boost Facebook's stock by 5%.

4. New developments in the Skripal father and daughter poisoning case.

Former intelligence agent Skripal and his daughter are pictured together during a meal at a restaurant in Salisbury, England. Photo: The Australian

Thanks to intensive treatment following the poisoning in early March, Yulia Skripal, daughter of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, was discharged from the hospital on April 10 and moved to a safe haven.

Several newspapers, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, revealed that British and American intelligence agencies may arrange for the former Russian spy and his daughter to be granted new identification documents and housing. Viktoria Skripal, Yulia's cousin, revealed on Russian television that Yulia is seeking political asylum in the UK.

Meanwhile, her father, Sergei, is recovering more slowly. The British government hopes that the former Russian spy and his daughter will soon make a full recovery and help shed light on what happened.

5. Catastrophic plane crash in Algeria

The scene of the catastrophic crash of an Algerian military aircraft. Photo: NY Daily

An Ilyushin Il-76 military aircraft crashed near the Algerian capital on April 11, shortly after taking off from the Boufarik military base in northern Algeria, en route to Tindouf, a region bordering Western Sahara and a disputed area between Algeria and Morocco. According to the Algerian Ministry of Defense, the accident killed 257 people.

Algerian President Bouteflika has declared three days of national mourning in memory of the victims. On April 11, authorities launched an investigation to determine the cause of the plane crash, search for the black boxes, collect bodies, and identify the victims to return them to their families.

This is the deadliest accident in the world since the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in July 2014, which killed all 298 people on board. It is also the second deadliest accident in Algeria. Four years prior, a military aircraft crash in the country killed 77 people.

Thu Giang