U.S. troops involved in Syria clash

DAMASCUS — A Syrian was killed and another was wounded when government supporters attacked American troops and tried to block their way as their convoy drove through an army checkpoint in northeastern Syria, prompting a rare clash, state media and activists reported.

The U.S. military said its force came under fire, and that troops responded in selfdefense.

Syrian state-run media said the man killed was a civilian and that he was among residents of a village east of the town of Qamishli who had gathered at the checkpoint and pelted the U.S. convoy with stones.

A video posted by state news agency SANA showed angry men firing small arms at a convoy of several armored U.S. vehicles flying the U.S. flag. Some residents pelted the convoy with stones, while another dumped a bucket full of dirt on the back of one vehicle.

Nissan sues Ghosn for $91M in damages

TOKYO — Nissan is stepping up its pursuit of claims against former Chairman Carlos Ghosn, suing for 10 billion yen ($91 million) in damages from the former leader of the Japanese automaker and its alliance with Renault.

The lawsuit seeks to “recover a significant part of the monetary damages inflicted on the company by its former Chairman as a result of years of his misconduct and fraudulent activity,” Nissan said in a statement Wednesday.

Mr. Ghosn was arrested in November 2018 on charges of financial wrongdoing, and faced trial in Japan until making a dramatic escape to Lebanon at the end of December. Nissan and Japanese prosecutors claim the former auto executive under-reported his income and used company money for personal gain, charges that Mr. Ghosn has denied.

Senate seeks to curb Trump on Iran policy

WASHINGTON — The Senate is expected to pass a measure Thursday limiting President Donald Trump’s ability to act militarily against Iran.

Eight Republicans voted Wednesday to advance legislation invoking Congress’ war powers, a move intended to prevent the president from engaging in hostilities against Tehran without explicit authorization from the legislative branch — except in cases of clear self-defense.

The vote reflects the frustration with Mr. Trump’s decision to kill a top Iranian commander, Qasem Soleimani, without first consulting lawmakers.

Social media giants face fines in U.K.

LONDON — The U.K. government is planning to crack down on damaging internet content on social media platforms, which could face fines for failing to prevent activities such as child exploitation and incitement to violence.

The government is “minded” to give broadcasting regulator Ofcom a role as the new Internet watchdog, Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan and Home Secretary Priti Patel said in a statement Wednesday.

The proposals will be fleshed out in coming months, and a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the regulator is likely to be given the power to fine companies such as Facebook and Twitter if they fail to protect U.K. users from harmful content.