WSJ.com What's News - Worldwide News Briefs for Jul 28

NORTH KOREA MISSILE TEST SHOWS ADVANCES IN REACHING U.S.

North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile more advanced than the one fired earlier this month, underscoring Pyongyang's rapid gains in technology and intensifying a standoff with Washington.

RUSSIA TO KICK OUT SOME U.S. DIPLOMATS OVER SANCTIONS

Russia struck out at the United States, forcing Washington to cut its diplomatic presence in the country and closing a U.S. diplomatic retreat outside Moscow after Congress passed a new round of sanctions against Russia.

PAKISTAN PRIME MINISTER REMOVED FROM OFFICE OVER PANAMA PAPERS CASE

Pakistan's Supreme Court ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from office after a probe into allegations of corruption, plunging Pakistan into a new phase of political turmoil.

WAR-TORN SYRIA'S BATTERED ECONOMY MARKED BY INFLATION AND POVERTY

Syria's economy is in tatters after more than six years of war. The consumer-price index soared more than 500% between 2010 and 2016, and a sharp fall in economic activity has cost at least two million people their jobs. Millions of Syrians receive food aid.

VENEZUELA TO HOLD A VOTE MANY DON'T WANT, OTHERS DON'T UNDERSTAND

President Nicolás Maduro is holding an election for a new assembly, despite sanctions over the move by the U.S., censure by his Latin America neighbors, an opposition boycott and weeks of antigovernment protests that have resulted in more than 100 deaths.

GERMANY CONFRONTS THE FORGOTTEN STORY OF ITS OTHER GENOCIDE

A war in Namibia, considered the first mass ethnic killing of the 20th Century, is today at the center of negotiations over an apology and compensation. If the countries can successfully conclude talks, the outcome may be a model for other post-colonial powers grappling with past atrocities.

MUSLIM PRAYERS IN JERUSALEM END PEACEFULLY

Muslims peacefully conducted Friday prayers at one of Jerusalem's holiest sites, despite fears that Palestinians and Israeli security personnel would clash after weeks of violence over access to the compound.

JAPAN SLAPS 50% TARIFF ON SOME U.S. BEEF

Japan said it would impose a temporary 50% tariff on frozen beef from the U.S. and several other countries, a move Washington said could inflame trade tensions.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 28, 2017 17:18 ET (21:18 GMT)