IN BRIEF (Page 14)

Republic of Korea

Done deal to pay more for US military

The Republic of Korea and the United States on Friday formally signed a deal on Seoul's increased payment for the US troop deployment, amid worries about the future of the countries' decadeslong military alliance. US President Donald Trump earlier pressured Seoul to increase its share, triggering concerns in the ROK that he might withdraw some of the 28,500 US troops if Seoul refused to accept his demand.

United States

Manafort sentenced to 47 months in prison

US President Donald Trump's former campaign chief Paul Manafort has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for tax and bank fraud related to his work advising Ukrainian politicians, much less than what was called for under sentencing guidelines. Manafort, sitting in a wheelchair, had no visible reaction as he heard the 47-month sentence. While that was the longest sentence to date to come from special counsel Robert Mueller's probe, it could have been much worse for Manafort. Sentencing guidelines called for a 20-year-term, effectively a lifetime sentence for the 69-year-old.

Syria

Camp bracing for new civilian influx

More than 62,000 people uprooted by fighting around the so-called Islamic State group's last pocket in Syria have flooded al-Hol displacement camp in Syria, with 5,200 arriving between Tuesday and Thursday and thousands more expected, the United Nations said on Friday. "Al-Hol camp has significantly surpassed its capacity, with the current population exceeding 62,000 individuals. More than 90 percent of the new arrivals are women and children. Children represent the vast majority, 23 percent are under the age of 12 and 12 percent are under the age of 5," a UN report said.

Afghanistan

Attack on Shiite gathering kills 11

The number of people killed in a militant attack on a Shiite Muslim gathering in the Afghan capital, Kabul, has risen to 11, up from an earlier estimate of three, the interior ministry said on Friday. Militants fired mortar bombs at the gathering on Thursday, a commemoration on the anniversary of the death of a leader of the Hazara ethnic minority. Hundreds of people including top officials such as Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah and at least three candidates for a July presidential election were at the event.

AFP - Reuters - AP

(China Daily 03/09/2019 page14)