World News Roundup: Johnson declines to back UK envoy to Washington; Mexico Finance Minister Urzua quits

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

French prosecutors seek suspended prison sentence for Saudi princess

French prosecutors said on Tuesday they were pushing for a six-month suspended prison sentence for the king of Saudi Arabia's daughter, as she went on trial in absentia in a case involving the beating of a workman in her luxury flat in Paris. Princess Hassa bint Salman is being tried on charges of complicity to violence with a weapon and complicity to kidnap an Egyptian-born artisan who was carrying out repairs at her father's residence on the exclusive Avenue Foch in September 2016.

U.S. urges Turkey to halt drilling operations off Cyprus coast

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday urged Turkish authorities to halt energy drilling operations off the Cypriot coast in the Mediterranean, a day after Cyprus protested a Turkish ship dropping anchor there. "This provocative step raises tensions in the region. We urge Turkish authorities to halt these operations and encourage all parties to act with restraint and refrain from actions that increase tensions in the region," a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said in a statement.

Europeans call for urgent meeting of Iran nuclear deal parties

European powers accused Iran on Tuesday of "pursuing activities inconsistent with its commitments" under a 2015 nuclear deal and called for an urgent meeting of the parties to the agreement to discuss Tehran's compliance. Britain, Germany, France, Russia, China and Iran are the remaining parties to the deal - known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) - which was abandoned by the United States last year.

Iran Guards commander says U.S. bases are in range of its missiles: Tasnim

A commander in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that U.S. regional bases and its aircraft carriers in the Gulf are within the range of Iranian missiles, the Tasnim news agency reported, amid heightened tension between Tehran and Washington. "American bases are within the range of our missiles ... Our missiles will destroy their aircraft carriers if they make a mistake," said Hossein Nejat. "Americans are very well aware of the consequences of a military confrontation with Iran."

Hong Kong leader says extradition bill is dead, but critics unconvinced

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the extradition bill that sparked the Chinese-ruled city's biggest crisis in decades is dead and that government work on the legislation had been a "total failure", but critics accused her of playing with words. The bill, which would allow people in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China to face trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, sparked huge and at times violent street protests and plunged the former British colony into turmoil.

Britain's PM hopefuls battle over Brexit in bad-tempered debate

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, rivals to become Britain's next prime minister, clashed over who could be most trusted on Brexit on Tuesday in a sometimes bad-natured television debate just two weeks before one will be crowned. With Johnson way out in front of the race to replace Prime Minister Theresa May, both were asked repeatedly to prove that they would take Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 and would protect business from a so-called no-deal Brexit.

Mexico Finance Minister Urzua quits, posts scathing resignation letter

Mexican Finance Minister Carlos Urzua resigned on Tuesday, posting a scathing letter on Twitter that said some public policy decisions were made without "sufficient foundation." Urzua said he felt forced to quit by such policy disagreements. The Mexican peso fell over 1.3% on the news.

U.S. wants military coalition to safeguard waters off Iran, Yemen

The United States hopes to enlist allies over the next two weeks or so in a military coalition to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen, where Washington blames Iran and Iran-aligned fighters for attacks, the top U.S. general said on Tuesday. Under the plan, which has only been finalized in recent days, the United States would provide command ships and lead surveillance efforts for the military coalition. Allies would patrol waters near those U.S. command ships and escort commercial vessels with their nation's flags.

U.S. wants North Korea freeze as beginning, not end, of denuclearization

The United States would hope to see a freeze in the North Korean nuclear program as the start of a process of denuclearization, the State Department said on Tuesday, ahead of fresh talks with Pyongyang supposed to take place this month. U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had a surprise meeting at the end of June in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas and agreed to resume a working-level dialogue, stalled since a failed summit in Vietnam in February.

Johnson declines to back UK envoy to Washington over Trump row

Boris Johnson, the leading contender to become Britain's prime minister, declined to say whether he would keep the country's ambassador to Washington in his job after the envoy was criticized publicly by U.S. President Donald Trump. Outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May has given her full support to Washington envoy Kim Darroch after he described Trump's administration as "dysfunctional" and "inept" in memos that were leaked to a British newspaper on Sunday.