WSJ.com What's News - Worldwide News Briefs for Aug 04

VENEZUELA SEATS POWERFUL ASSEMBLY MANY SAY IS A FRAUD

President Nicolás Maduro brushed aside international condemnation and installed a powerful new assembly on Friday that critics worry will crush the last traces of Venezuelan democracy.

EU SANCTIONS RUSSIANS CONNECTED TO TRANSFER OF GAS TURBINES TO CRIMEA

The European Union slapped sanctions on Russian officials and firms connected to the illegal transfer of gas turbines purchased to the annexed peninsula of Crimea.

ISLAMIC STATE BEHIND FAILED BOMB PLOT AT SYDNEY AIRPORT, POLICE SAY

Australian police said two men facing terrorism charges were involved in an aborted attempt to place an improvised explosive device on an Etihad flight, in a plot directed by Islamic State.

U.S. HEROIN TRADE ROOTED IN MEXICO'S 'CORRIDOR OF DEATH'

A deadly combination of corruption and criminal gangs fighting for control of a booming heroin trade has turned Mexico's Pacific Coast state of Guerrero into one of the most violent corners of the country.

CYBER COMMUNITY SHOCKED BY HACKING EXPERT'S ARREST

The arrest in the U.S. on hacking-related charges of a British computer whiz hailed for slowing a massive global cyberattack in May has stunned and divided the cybersecurity community.

SPECIAL COUNSEL MUELLER IMPANELS GRAND JURY IN RUSSIA PROBE

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington to investigate Russia's interference in the 2016 elections, a sign that his inquiry is growing in intensity and entering a new phase, according to people familiar with the matter.

DUBAI HIGH-RISE FIRE FEEDS GLOBAL CLADDING CONCERNS

Firefighters in Dubai extinguished a blaze engulfing one of the world's tallest residential buildings, as concern grows globally about the dangers of flammable structural cladding.

TENSIONS RISE AHEAD OF KENYA'S ELECTION

The gruesome murder of an election official, an explosion of fake news and the activities of secretive political technology companies have shaken voters' faith in a country seen as Africa's flag-bearer of democracy and free markets.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 04, 2017 17:14 ET (21:14 GMT)