World News Roundup: Arson attack on Japanese studio; Hong Kong's protestors dig for discontent

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Revolutionary Guards impound foreign oil tanker in the Gulf: state TV

Iran has seized a foreign tanker smuggling fuel in the Gulf, state television quoted Iran's Revolutionary Guards as saying on Thursday. "A foreign vessel smuggling one million litres of fuel in the Larak Island of the Persian Gulf has been seized," the station said, adding that the ship was seized on Sunday.

Spain's Sanchez says Podemos deal possible if leader not in cabinet

Spain's acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez insisted on Thursday that he would not accept far-left Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias as a member of his cabinet, saying that was the main obstacle to clinching a deal to form a government. Spain's parliament will vote next week on whether to confirm or reject Sanchez as premier, a role he has held on an acting basis since an inconclusive election in late April. If he is not confirmed in the role, a repeat election is likely.

Bruised but driven, Netanyahu becomes Israel's longest-serving PM

Benjamin Netanyahu makes history this weekend by becoming the longest-serving Israeli prime minister, surpassing a record held by the country's founding father David Ben-Gurion. Yet the conservative leader, who will match Ben-Gurion's 8,475 days in office on Friday, is limping across that line, facing an election in September after an inconclusive April ballot, and a possible corruption trial.

South Korean political leaders vow to work together to resolve Japan dispute

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in and leaders of the country's major political parties vowed on Thursday to work together to resolve a worsening political and economic dispute with Japan. Moon met leaders of five parties to discuss Japan's recent export restrictions on some high-tech materials used by major South Korean companies, as well as a dispute over Japan's wartime use of forced labourers.

'Appalling' arson attack on Japanese animation studio kills at least 33

A man shouted "die" as he doused an animation studio with fuel and set it ablaze in Japan on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said, killing at least 33 people in the nation's worst mass murder in nearly two decades. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the attack in the city of Kyoto - the latest grisly killing in a nation widely known for its low crime rates - "too appalling for words" on Twitter and offered condolences.

Two killed in suicide bombing, four beheaded in Egypt's North Sinai, sources say

A suicide bombing killed at least two people in Egypt's North Sinai region on Thursday, a day after four headless bodies were found there, security and medical sources said. The victims of the bombing were a civilian and a member of the security forces, the sources said.

UK lawmakers prepare to vote on bid to hamper no-deal Brexit

British lawmakers will vote on Thursday on a beefed-up proposal aimed at making it harder for the next prime minister to try to force through a no-deal Brexit by suspending parliament. Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May next week, has said Britain must leave the European Union on Oct. 31 with or without a deal and has refused to rule out suspending parliament to prevent lawmakers from trying to block his exit plan.

Climate fears lift Greens' chances of running Germany

A former trampolinist and a children's author have led the Greens to a spectacular comeback in Germany, raising the once-unthinkable prospect of a Green chancellor succeeding Angela Merkel. Tapping mounting concern in Europe about climate change, especially among young people, 'Die Gruenen' won 20.5% of the German vote in May's European Parliament elections, their best-ever result.

Israeli demolition order on Jerusalem outskirts stokes Palestinian fears

Israeli plans to demolish Palestinian homes near a military barrier on the outskirts of Jerusalem have drawn international criticism, amid Palestinian fears that a precedent would be set for other buildings along the barrier route. The deadline for residents of Sur Baher to remove the buildings expired on Friday after Israel's Supreme Court ruled in June that the structures in question violated a construction ban.

Hong Kong's protesters dig in for long summer of discontent

Hong Kong's extradition bill demonstrations have mutated into a much bigger and more complex animal, ripping open old wounds and expanding a political fight as the city battens down for a summer of protests. The demonstrations pop up almost daily, often with little notice, as activists spread the word of their cause with handwritten notes on so-called Lennon Walls across the territory and through Telegram and other messaging apps.