Hello! Here’s what’s happening on Wednesday.
1. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified to Congress amid the company’s mounting scandals. The company has been criticized over Cambridge Analytica, the data firm that improperly obtained as many as 87 million users’ personal data. Employees are also in communication with the special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.
2. Russia vetoed a UN resolution on Syria after the suspected chemical attack in Douma. Russia and the US sparred at a United Nations meeting discussing the April 7 attack, that killed and injured scores of people.
3. Israel reportedly predicted that the US may strike Syria in retaliation for the Douma attack. US President Donald Trump has previously called for a strong response, and several moves indicate the region may already be bracing itself for an air-based confrontation.
4. China reportedly discussed setting up a military presence in the tiny South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. While the Vanuatu government has denied the reports, the move could have serious security implications on the region.
5. Kim Jong Un may not have an airplane capable of taking him to meet with US President Trump in May. Although details of the specific time and location of the summit between the leaders are unclear, some experts believe North Korea's aircraft may not be able to handle a transcontinental trip without refueling.
6. Saudi Arabia is floating a crazy plan to turn Qatar into an island. Saudi Arabia may consider a proposal to dig a maritime canal along the kingdom's border with Qatar.
7. The popular online forum Reddit banned nearly a thousand accounts linked to Russian trolls. Last week, Facebook announced it had removed 70 Facebook accounts, 138 Facebook pages, and 65 Instagram profiles linked to the same Russian organization accused of election meddling.
8. Uber lost a court case against French criminal charges. The court ruled that France is entitled to bring criminal proceedings against local managers of the ride-hailing app on a matter concerning Uber's alleged use of unlicensed drivers as part of its UberPOP service in France.
9. NASA's $1 billion Jupiter probe sent back dazzling new photos of the giant planet and its Great Red Spot. Once every 53.5 days, NASA's Juno probe screams over Jupiter's cloud tops roughly 75 times as fast as a bullet.
10. Israel is investigating Apple for allegedly not telling consumers that its software slowed iPhone performance. The investigation follows Apple's December acknowledgement that its software sometimes deliberately slowed iPhones that have older batteries.
And finally ...