Ankara and Moscow agreed to a cease-fire (Hurriyet) in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, effective today, after a six-hour meeting between Russian President Valdimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Moscow yesterday.
 
The truce follows previous attempts (CNN) to establish de-escalation zones around the rebel bastion of Idlib in 2017 and 2018. The new agreement does not mandate that Russia-backed Syrian government forces withdraw from newly recaptured areas, but does provide for a jointly patrolled security corridor (BBC) along a highway that connects the cities of Aleppo and Latakia. Military activity in the region has displaced nearly one million people since December, according to the United Nations.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a personal letter (Yonhap) to South Korean President Moon Jae-in to wish South Korea a swift recovery from the coronavirus outbreak. Relations between the two countries have chilled in recent months due to South Korean military drills and a deadlock in nuclear diplomacy.

Gunmen attacked a Kabul ceremony (TOLO) marking the anniversary of a politician’s death, killing at least twenty-seven people. Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai were present but unharmed.
 
Bangladesh: Washington will give an additional $59 million (State Department) in humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees and their hosts in Bangladesh, as well as to internally displaced Rohingya in Myanmar.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at the Rohingya crisis.

A UK court ruled that Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, organized the abduction (Guardian) of two of his children and orchestrated an intimidation campaign against his youngest wife. The wife, Princess Haya bint Hussein, fled to London last April.
 
Tunisia: A suicide bombing (NYT) near the U.S. embassy in Tunis wounded several police officers. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Two-term Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said he will not run (FT) in the October presidential election. Ouattara previously said he would seek an additional term in office, though his opponents say a third term would be unconstitutional. 
 
South Africa: The provincial government took over administration (Reuters) of the Tshwane municipality, which houses South Africa’s capital, due to poor management and irregular spending.

The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said the first round of post-Brexit trade talks with the United Kingdom showed “very serious divergence” (FT) on issues including the degree of UK alignment with EU rules, the enforcement of a future deal, the role of the European Court of Justice, and fishing rights.
 
This CFR In Brief looks at the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

Brazil recalled (AFP) all of its diplomats and foreign service officials from Venezuela in a loosening of official ties with Nicolas Maduro’s government.
 
Guyana: Both of the oil-rich country’s major political parties have claimed victory (NYT) in the recent general election despite the absence of official results.

New coronavirus cases were reported for the first time (Reuters) in Colorado, Maryland, Tennessee, and Texas, while cases in New York doubled to twenty-two. President Donald J. Trump is expected to sign a law approving $8.3 billion in emergency funding to address the outbreak today.
 
CFR’s Yanzhong Huang looks at how the coronavirus outbreak could lead to drug shortages in the United States.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) called for a production cut (AP) of 1.5 million barrels per day to stem falling oil prices caused by the global spread of the coronavirus. Russia, which has not yet agreed to the cuts, is set to take up the proposal today.