U.S. condemns Syria, Iran, and Russia in Ghouta attacks

SYRIA: The State Department hosted an unusual panel this week featuring White Helmets and producers of the film Last Men in Aleppo . That, plus U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley’s speech to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, could suggest the Trump administration may take a stronger stance against Russia and Iran’s alliance with the Assad regime in Syria. So far it has not responded to repeated attacks involving chemical weapons in eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb.

RUSSIA: More than 150 Russian diplomats have been expelled from 27 countries and NATO since Britain confirmed Russian involvement in the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. But Austria’s new government—whose coalition includes the far-right Freedom Party, which has signed a cooperation agreement with the ruling United Russia party in Moscow—said it won’t be joining that list.

IRAN’s currency has hit its lowest rate against the dollar after the government devalued it earlier this year, adding to economic woes and long lines. Tehran anticipates the United States reinstating sanctions and pulling out of its nuclear deal, forcing renewed restrictions on Iran. Fixing the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is something these experts argue would help curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, too.

INDONESIA: The Supreme Court has rejected former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama's petition to review his blasphemy conviction, sentencing him to two years in prison. The decision comes despite a police investigation and arrests involving the Muslim Cyber Army, a group alleged to have targeted Ahok by inciting accusations against him on social media.

NIGERIA: Christians across the country continue to call for the release of one girl still held by Boko Haram militants for refusing to renounce her Christian faith, and parents are calling for the government to take action on her behalf.

CONGO: After ethnic violence reignited in Bunia last week, displacing 60,000 people, one U.S.-based aid group was able to resettle the kids it supports there through partnering with a church in Uganda.

MEXICO: Outwardly testy, the relationship between Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and President Donald Trump may actually be thriving, with the United States, Canada, and Mexico just completing their seventh round of NAFTA negotiations.

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