Global Beat is your weekly stop for news from around the world. Join us every Friday morning for important stories you should know about. 

This week, Nawaz Sharif resigns as prime minister of Pakistan after being disqualified by the country’s Supreme Court in a Panama Papers-related corruption probe; President Trump signs the Russia sanctions bill but calls it "unconstitutional"; the U.S. government imposes sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro; and more.

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Americas

The U.S. government has imposed sanctions on and frozen all U.S.-held assets of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after he held a controversial election for a constitutional assembly over the weekend. President Maduro convened the assembly to rewrite Venezuela’s constitution and disband the opposition-held National Assembly. Just two days after the contentious poll, two opposition leaders were re-arrested and taken to the Ramo Verde military jail in a move that was condemned by the international community. By mid-week, a software company involved in setting up the voting system for the poll revealed that the Venezuelan government reported false turnout figures, announcing a tally that had been altered by at least 1 million votes. Anti-government protests in Venezuela have left more than 120 people dead in the past four months. 

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• Mexico sees the end of 2018 as the best case for implementing new NAFTA – Veronica Gomez and James Dalgleish, Reuters

Central & South Asia

Nawaz Sharif resigned from his position as prime minister of Pakistan last week. His resignation came after revelations of his family’s finances that emerged in the Panama Papers leak led the country’s Supreme Court to disqualify him in a corruption probe. Pakistan’s high court ruled that Sharif had been dishonest to parliament and to the judicial system and was no longer deemed fit for office. Although Sharif was not named in the Panama Papers, his three children were linked in the documents to offshore companies. The revelations sparked mass protests and calls from political opposition groups for a panel to investigate Sharif and his children. Lawmakers in Pakistan have elected former oil minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to temporarily hold the role of prime minister until Sharif’s brother, Shehbaz Sharif, can take over.

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• China says India building up troops amid border stand off – Ben Blanchard and Clarence Fernandez, Reuters

China & East Asia

The Trump administration is preparing to open an investigation into China’s trade practices under a section of the 1974 Trade Act aimed at protecting U.S. industries from unfair trade practices of foreign countries. The pending investigation comes amidst increasing worries in the United States over a Chinese government-led effort to make the country a global leader in microchips, electric cars, and other crucial technologies of the future. The investigation will focus on alleged Chinese violations of American intellectual property. Meanwhile, the Chinese government has demanded that American companies cut the licensing fees that they charge for key patents and has insisted that companies set up joint ventures to do business in China. Citing cybersecurity concerns, Chinese officials have said international technology companies like Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft must set up China-based data centers if they want to do business there. They also demanded that Western automakers move much of their research into electric cars to China if they want to qualify for large subsidies.

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• U.S. to begin blocking North Korea travel at end of August – Joshua Fatzick, Voice of America

Europe & Russia

President Donald Trump has signed a bill into law which imposes new sanctions on Russia for their alleged meddling in the 2016 election, but called the bill "unconstitutional." The bill also imposes sanctions on Iran and North Korea and restricts Trump’s authority to lift sanctions on Russia without congressional approval. Trump had the ability to veto the bill, but it would likely have been overridden by majorities in both houses of Congress. Russia has already retaliated against the United States for the new sanctions, announcing that it would order the U.S. embassy to reduce its staff by 755 people and seize U.S. diplomatic properties.

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• Top French court orders government to offer humanitarian aid to Calais migrants – James McAuley, Washington Post

Middle East & North Africa

Turkey put nearly 500 people on trial Tuesday on charges of leading last year’s failed coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The trial is part of a post-coup crackdown that has imprisoned 50,000 people and seen another 110,000 fired from their government jobs. Many of the suspects Tuesday face life in prison for crimes including murder and attempting to overthrow the government. Although Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004, President Erdoğan proposed a referendum on the issue after narrowly winning a vote to expand his powers in April.

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• Qatar files complaint with the World Trade Organization to challenge the ongoing trade boycott by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates – BBC News

Southeast Asia & Oceania

The United States, China, Russia, South Korea, and Japan are sending high-level delegations to the ASEAN Regional Forum in Manilla this week, where discussions are expected to focus on the North Korea nuclear threat. North Korea’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, will also attend the event. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will not meet his North Korean counterpart at the forum, and instead is expected to push to deepen Pyongyang’s diplomatic isolation and seek greater cooperation enforcing UN sanctions over its missile and nuclear weapons programs. Tillerson is also expected to raise the issue of human rights with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s government, whose brutal war on drugs has damaged relations between the long-standing allies. Duterte has remained defiant, accusing critics of "trivializing" his drug campaign with human rights concerns.

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• Germany, Vietnam spar over alleged kidnapping of former oil executive – Scott Neuman, NPR

Sub-Saharan Africa

Christopher Msando, the man in charge of Kenya’s electronic voting system, was found dead just days before citizens will cast their ballots for president. His body was found with signs of torture. The United States and the United Kingdom have offered assistance in the murder investigation. Opposition leaders, who have repeatedly accused the government of trying to rig elections, fear that the killing could plunge next week’s national vote, where incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta is locked in a tight race with Raila Odinga, deeper into turmoil. Mass violence left more than 1,000 people dead following Kenya’s disputed 2007 presidential election.

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• South African released after nearly six years as al Qaeda hostage in Mali – Laura Smith-Spark, CNN

Stay informed. We’ll see you here again next week.