News In Brief
AP, Manila
The United States’ top diplomat is expected to raise concerns about human rights in the Philippines during a possible meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte when he visits Manila this week for Asia’s biggest security forum.
Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton told reporters in Washington on Wednesday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will raise all relevant issues in the U.S. alliance with the Philippines, including concerns about human rights.
7,000 Syrian refugees return home from Lebanon
Reuters, Amman
The United States warned a takeover of rebel-held northwestern Idlib province by Syrian jihadists linked to a former al Qaeda affiliate would have grave consequences and make it difficult to dissuade Russia from renewing bombing that recently stopped.
In an online letter posted late on Wednesday, the top State Department official in charge of Syria policy, Michael Ratney, said the recent offensive by Hayat Tahrir al Sham.
2 US soldiers Killed in Afghan suicide attack
AP, Kabul
A suicide bombing attack on a NATO convoy in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday left two American service members dead, a Pentagon spokesman said, despite repeated refusals by the U.S. military in Afghanistan to say whether there were any deaths in the assault claimed by the Taliban. Navy Capt. Jeff Davis confirmed the casualties in the attack near Kandahar city.
Qatar to buy 7 navy vessels from Italy
Al Jazeera
Italy has signed a 5bn-euro ($5.9bn) agreement with Qatar’s naval forces that includes the sale of seven naval units, according to a joint announcement by the foreign ministers of Qatar and Italy. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign minister, also announced the signing of two other bilateral agreements that will increase political consultations and joint economic investments between the two countries.
