World News Roundup: More than 80 migrants feared drowned off Tunisia coast; Hong Kong leader seeks meeting with students

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi drone launched at Jizan airport

Saudi-led military coalition said on Thursday it had intercepted drones launched by Yemen's Houthi group that was targeting Jizan airport, a statement on Saudi state media said. Earlier, the Houthis said they carried out drone attacks on Jizan and Abha Saudi airports.

Iran could consider talks with U.S. only if sanctions lifted, Khamenei permits: minister

Iran's intelligence minister has said Tehran and Washington could hold talks only if the United States ended its sanctions and Iran's top authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave his approval, state news agency IRNA reported on Thursday. "Holding talks with America can be reviewed by Iran only If (U.S. President Donald) Trump lifts the sanctions and our supreme leader gives permission to hold such talks," Mahmoud Alavi said late on Wednesday.

Putin, visiting Italy, says wants Rome to help mend Moscow-EU ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he hoped Italy would battle to restore fully fledged relations between the European Union and Russia and help persuade the bloc's new leadership that sanctions on Moscow were counter-productive. Putin, speaking at a news conference after holding talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome, said Russia had observed Italy's efforts to improve battered ties between the EU and Moscow, but fully understood that its room for maneuver was limited by various factors.

'Under siege': Fear and defiance mark life for Pakistan's minority Hazaras

High walls around the neighborhoods of Pakistan's embattled Hazara community in the southwestern city of Quetta are designed to protect them from extremist militants, but also serve as a constant reminder of the threat they face. Soldiers and security checkpoints greet visitors to Hazara Town, one of two large guarded neighborhoods in the capital of Baluchistan, a province where religious and sectarian groups often target the mostly Shia Hazaras with bombs and guns.

EU's Tusk urges European Parliament to confirm von der Leyen

The outgoing chairman of European Union national leaders on Thursday urged the European Parliament to approve Germany's Ursula von der Leyen as the next head of the bloc's executive after some in the assembly criticized her nomination. Donald Tusk addressed the assembly after three days of messy talks between the 28 member states finally produced a deal on a new leadership for the EU, with von der Leyen to lead the European Commission and France's Christine Lagarde the European Central Bank.

Tehran fumes as Britain seizes Iranian oil tanker over Syria sanctions

British Royal Marines seized a giant Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that drew Tehran's fury and could escalate its confrontation with the West. The Grace 1 tanker was impounded in the British territory on the southern tip of Spain after sailing around Africa, the long route from the Middle East to the mouth of the Mediterranean.

Hong Kong leader seeks meeting with students after mass protests

Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam has asked to meet with the city's university students, her office said on Thursday evening, as the embattled leader tries to fend off pressure from a month-long political crisis. Protesters stormed the local parliament on Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the city's return to Chinese rule. This followed mass demonstrations last month against Lam's extradition bill, which critics fear could see Hong Kong citizens being sent for trial in the mainland.

Philippines faces call for U.N. investigation into war on drugs killings

More than two dozen countries formally called on Thursday for a United Nations investigation into thousands of killings in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, activists said. Iceland submitted the draft resolution backed by mainly European states, they said. The text urges the government to prevent extrajudicial executions and marks the first time that the Human Rights Council is being asked to address the crisis.

Even for a limited nuclear deal, North Korea may settle for nothing less than sanctions relief

A new public broadside by North Korean officials against U.S.-backed sanctions highlights the tough road ahead as negotiators prepare for talks in the wake of Sunday's meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Media reports out of Washington have suggested the Trump administration may be willing to seek a partial deal to dismantle at least part of North Korea's nuclear program.

More than 80 migrants feared drowned off Tunisia coast

Dozens of African migrants are feared to have drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia after setting of for Europe from Libya, a government source and the Tunisian Red Crescent said on Thursday. The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said in a statement more than 80 were feared drowned.