WSJ.com What's News - Worldwide News Briefs for Jul 19

AFGHANISTAN TURNS AWAY PLANE CARRYING ITS VICE PRESIDENT

An Afghan official under investigation for kidnapping and raping a political rival was prevented from landing in northern Afghanistan, authorities said Tuesday.

WOMAN IN SHORT SKIRT SPARKS DEBATE, AND ARREST, IN SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia's police detained a woman for appearing in public wearing a short skirt and a cropped top, a violation of the country's strict dress code, state media said on Tuesday.

U.S. WALKS FINE LINE ON TRADE TALKS WITH CHINA

Chinese officials emphasized their ability to quell trade tensions with President Trump while some U.S. business groups expressed concern their government might end up going too easy on Beijing.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SLAPS IRAN WITH ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS

The sanctions targeted its elite military unit and ballistic missile program, in a move that heightened tensions between the two countries and raised new questions about the fate of the 2015 international nuclear deal.

TRUMP, PUTIN HELD SECOND, PRIVATE TALK AT DINNER FOR G-20

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a second, previously undisclosed talk on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg earlier this month, a White House official said.

SUDAN GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS IN THE FACE OF SANCTIONS AND STRIFE

Sudan's financial isolation has fostered a special kind of business acumen in the country's executive suites and sand-caked streets: forcing businesses in this former colonial outpost to snare alternative sources of finance, sidestep trade barriers and find creative ways to import consumer goods.

U.S. WEIGHS SANCTIONS ON VENEZUELA

The Trump administration said it was prepared to impose "strong and swift" economic sanctions on Venezuela, including banning its crude-oil exports to the U.S., if its president proceeds with a plan to rewrite the constitution.

QATAR'S CRITICS SCALE BACK DEMANDS IN DIPLOMATIC BID

Four Arab nations locked in a dispute with Qatar said they have revised and curtailed their list of demands for Doha, in an overture aimed at moving toward a solution to the standoff.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 19, 2017 17:40 ET (21:40 GMT)