World News Roundup: Sanchez seeks to avoid election; PM Johnson eyes key appointment

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Protesters calling for 'free Hong Kong' converge on airport

More than 1,000 protesters calling for democracy and some chanting "free Hong Kong" converged on the Chinese-ruled city's airport on Friday as Singapore advised its travelers to avoid protest areas in the territory. Hong Kong airport authorities said operations wouldn't be affected, but advised passengers to arrive early given the risk of disruption.

Spain's Sanchez seeks to avoid election, Podemos coalition offer off

Spain's Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez will keep working with all parties to avoid a repeat election but is no longer prepared to offer a coalition government to far-left Podemos after it blocked his attempt to be confirmed as prime minister. Deputy prime minister Carmen Calvo said on Friday other options, such as parliamentary support similar to that given by the far-left to the Socialists in neighboring Portugal over the past four years, can be explored in talks with Podemos over the next two months.

Flags of inconvenience: noose tightens around Iranian shipping

Somewhere on its journey from the waters off Iran, around Africa's southern tip and into the Mediterranean, the Grace 1 oil tanker lost the flag under which it sailed and ceased to be registered to Panama. Iran later claimed it as its own. The ship carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian crude was seized by British Royal Marines off Gibraltar, raising tensions in the Gulf where Iran detained a UK-flagged ship in retaliation.

Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega dead at 82: personal secretary

Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega, leader of the Roman Catholic Church and who first suffered persecution and then went on to improve Church relations with the Communist-run government, died early Friday morning. Nelson Crespo, the personal secretary of Cardinal Ortega, told Reuters that Ortega, 82, had passed away at 6.16 a.m. after a long battle with cancer.

Ireland says UK's Johnson 'very unhelpful' on Brexit, risks no deal

Ireland's foreign minister, Simon Coveney, said new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's approach to Brexit was "very unhelpful" and would block an agreement after Johnson rejected a key Irish demand his predecessor had agreed to. Johnson told the British parliament on Thursday he wanted to abolish the backstop, an insurance policy designed to prevent the return of a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland in the event of longer-term trade talks collapsing.

Mourning leader, Tunisians look forward to smooth transition

Tunisians mourning President Beji Caid Essebsi voiced pride on Friday at measures underway to choose his successor, saying his work guiding the country to democracy after a 2011 revolution helped make a peaceful handover of power possible. Essebsi died aged 92 on Thursday, setting in motion a constitutional process toward selecting a new head of state.

British PM Johnson eyes key appointment: A Downing Street dog

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested getting a dog for his Downing Street office to join current resident Larry the Cat. Johnson took office earlier this week, walking through the black front door of Number 10 Downing Street for the first time after setting out a desire to defy his critics over Brexit and bring a decisive new leadership style to Britain's top job.

Fire and fury: With missile launch, North Korea shows ire at neighbor

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's blistering criticism of South Korea as he oversaw his latest missile launch this week sparked new questions over the South's role in mediating a nuclear deal between the North and the United States, analysts said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been one of the most vocal proponents of engagement with the North, using last year's Winter Olympics to host its delegations and then meeting Kim at summits filled with feel-good imagery, smiles, and hand-holding.

Top U.S. general cautiously optimistic about Afghan peace push

The top U.S. general said on Friday he was cautiously optimistic about efforts to reach a negotiated end to the nearly 18-year-old war in Afghanistan, in remarks that followed talks in Kabul with Afghanistan's president and the top U.S. negotiator. "We're all cautiously optimistic, in the sense that Ambassador Khalilzad is now doing something we haven't seen in the entire time that we've been deployed to Afghanistan," Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Chinese official urged Hong Kong villagers to drive off protesters before violence at train station

A week before suspected triad gang members attacked protesters and commuters at a rural Hong Kong train station last Sunday, an official from China's representative office urged local residents to drive away any activists. Li Jiyi, the director of the Central Government Liaison's local district office made the appeal at a community banquet for hundreds of villagers in Hong Kong's rural New Territories.

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