WSJ.com What's News - Worldwide News Briefs for Jul 17

VENEZUELA'S OPPOSITION SETS GENERAL STRIKE

Venezuela's opposition announced a general strike and plans to name new Supreme Court judges, threatening to launch a parallel state if President Nicolás Maduro doesn't abandon his plans to rewrite the constitution.

WITH 'EL CHAPO' GONE, VIOLENCE SOARS IN FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF CARTEL

The extradition of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, Mexico's long-dominant drug lord, has led to an explosion of violence in his home state of Sinaloa, the birthplace of the country's narcotics industry.

UNABLE TO BUY U.S. MILITARY DRONES, ALLIES PLACE ORDERS WITH CHINA

Several countries in the Mideast and Africa have deployed weapons in conflicts after buying from Beijing-at lower cost.

THE PROBLEM WITH CHINA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH

Domestic demand fueled 6.9% expansion in the second quarter, beating forecasts, but real estate fueled much of the growth and Beijing hasn't yet made a significant dent in the country's debt.

U.K. RESUMES BREXIT TALKS WITH EU

U.K. Brexit Secretary David Davis and the EU's top negotiator Michel Barnier returned to the negotiating table, with the focus on U.K. and EU citizens' rights after Brexit and how much London must pay to cover the U.K.'s outstanding financial commitments to the bloc.

SOUTH KOREA FORMALLY PROPOSES TALKS WITH THE NORTH

The administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in made its first formal offer to start talks with North Korea, following through on a policy plank of Seoul's first left-leaning president in nearly a decade.

AFGHANISTAN'S CAPITAL MORE DANGEROUS THAN HELMAND PROVINCE, U.N. SAYS

Afghanistan's capital is the country's most dangerous place, according to a United Nations midyear report on civilian casualties, that showed deaths and injuries in the war-ravaged country remained near record levels documented last year.

VENEZUELANS VOICE OPPOSITION IN SYMBOLIC VOTE

Millions of Venezuelans at home and abroad voted in an unauthorized referendum staged by government opponents to defy President Nicolás Maduro and his plans to rewrite the country's constitution.

CANADA HOUSING SALES DECLINE STEEPLY IN JUNE

A cool-down in Canadian housing now appears well under way, with last week's rate rise from the Bank of Canada expected to prolong the slowing trend.

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

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 17, 2017 17:30 ET (21:30 GMT)