WSJ.com What's News - Worldwide News Briefs for May 23

BRITAIN RAISES TERROR ALERT LEVEL AFTER ISIS CLAIMS DEADLY SUICIDE BOMBING

The British government raised its international-terrorism threat level to critical, suggesting fears of another attack as police identified the suicide bomber who killed 22 people and injured dozens of others in Monday's attack on concertgoers in Manchester.

TRUMP SAYS U.S. COMMITTED TO ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN PEACE

President Donald Trump said the U.S. is committed to peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, but steered clear of saying how the two sides will overcome longstanding obstacles to a deal.

FORMER CIA CHIEF BRENNAN SAYS RUSSIANS WERE IN CONTACT WITH TRUMP CAMPAIGN ASSOCIATES

Former CIA director John Brennan testified Tuesday that U.S. intelligence agencies grew concerned after they learned that Trump campaign associates had been in contact with Russian officials, adding that Russia "brazenly" interfered in the election.

U.S. FORCES ATTACK AL QAEDA IN YEMEN

U.S. Special Operations forces soldiers, backed by an American gunship, killed at least seven al Qaeda fighters in a central Yemeni province, as the Trump administration escalated military pressure on the militant group.

PAKISTAN CRACKS DOWN ON SOCIAL-MEDIA CRITICS OF MILITARY

Pakistan's government is cracking down on social media critics of the nation's powerful military, a move many activists and opposition lawmakers say is aimed at suppressing free speech and political dissent.

POPE FRANCIS, DONALD TRUMP TO SEEK COMMON GROUND AT VATICAN

When President Donald Trump visits Pope Francis on a trip the White House has cast as a pilgrimage of peace, the two leaders could struggle to find significant areas of agreement after a public show of acrimony.

BIG BROTHER COMES FOR FOREIGN FIRMS IN CHINA

A new threat to foreign businesses in China is looming in the form of a 'social-credit' system that harnesses big data to monitor and rate companies, what one think tank calls 'IT-backed authoritarianism.'

PHILIPPINES DECLARES MARTIAL LAW ON SOUTHERN ISLAND

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao, following fighting between the army and an Islamic State-linked militant group.

(For continuously updated news from the Wall Street Journal, see WSJ.com at http://wsj.com.)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 23, 2017 17:42 ET (21:42 GMT)