WSJ.com What's News - Worldwide News Briefs for Nov 15

ALLIES FORSAKE ZIMBABWE'S LONG ALL-POWERFUL ROBERT MUGABE

Robert Mugabe, the former schoolteacher who led the fight to topple white rule and ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, was trapped on Wednesday in a blue-roofed house in this leafy capital, as his former military allies seized control of his government.

RUSSIA OFFERS VENEZUELA DEBT RELIEF

Russia threw a lifeline to Venezuela on Wednesday, restructuring the more than $3 billion it is owed by its economically and politically troubled South American ally.

A SPECTER IS HAUNTING EUROPE'S RECOVERY: ZOMBIE COMPANIES

Hundreds of staggering firms are kept alive by struggling banks, which in turn undercut healthy rivals by tying up capital that could be used more productively elsewhere. Economists and central bankers worry they are a drag on the continent just as growth is resuming.

CHINA ENVOY'S TASK: MANAGE TIES WITH NUCLEAR NORTH KOREA

A trip to Pyongyang by a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping offers a chance for Beijing to manage relations with its neighbor after months of frayed ties and stepped-up U.S. pressure to rein in North Korea.

U.K. REPORTS RUSSIAN HACKING ACROSS INDUSTRIES

Russia has launched cyberattacks against the U.K. media, telecommunications and energy sectors, the British government's top cybersecurity official said.

TILLERSON CALLS FOR INDEPENDENT PROBE INTO MYANMAR'S ROHINGYA CRISIS

In a news conference with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the U.S. Secretary of State said he was "deeply concerned by credible reports of widespread atrocities."

ITALY'S FAR RIGHT FLEXES CAMPAIGN MUSCLE

Two of Italy's leading political forces have shifted to the right ahead of national elections next year in which far-right parties are poised to play a pivotal role, feeding a debate over the country's fascist past.

EU NATIONS SCHEME TO CLINCH U.K.-BASED AGENCIES POST-BREXIT

Britain's planned exit from the European Union is triggering a contest for the spoils that some observers say has all the decorum of a lurid pop-music extravaganza.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 15, 2017 17:14 ET (22:14 GMT)