World News Roundup: Australia won't host U.S. missiles, prime minister says; Iran says will not tolerate 'maritime offences' in Gulf

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hong Kong police fire tear gas, rubber bullets as strikes paralyze city

Hong Kong police fired tear gas and rubber bullets in fresh clashes with protesters after a general strike caused transport chaos on Monday, and as night fell in the Asian financial hub thousands of activists blocked roads in several districts. The latest protests surpassed all the earlier shows of dissent for scale and intensity, escalating after Hong Kong's Beijing-backed leader warned that the city is on the verge of an "extremely dangerous situation" and represented a challenge to China's sovereignty.

Australia won't host U.S. missiles, prime minister says

U.S. intermediate-range missiles will not be deployed in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, after the United States revealed ambitions to site missiles in the Asia-Pacific region. Officials from both governments held talks in Sydney over the weekend that ended with a joint statement in which the two allies pledged to strengthen opposition to Chinese activities in Asia-Pacific, as both sides have become increasingly concerned about China's spreading influence.

India's Kashmir goes dark as phone lines, internet suspended in widening clampdown

Phone and internet services were suspended in Indian Kashmir on Monday and state leaders placed under house arrest, deepening fears that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government plans to weaken the special rights of residents in the disputed region. The clampdown began in the early hours of Monday when Indian authorities said they were imposing restrictions on public movement and shutting all educational institutions in the main Srinagar city.

Iran says will not tolerate 'maritime offences' in Gulf

Iran runs security in the Strait of Hormuz and will no longer tolerate "maritime offenses" there, its foreign minister said on Monday, a day after it seized a second oil tanker near the strategic waterway that it accused of smuggling fuel. Tanker traffic through the Strait has become a focus for an increasingly tense standoff between Washington and Tehran, into which Britain has also been dragged, and the United States has beefed up its military presence in the Gulf since May.

Turkmenistan's leader appears at Hell's Gate to dispel rumors of own death

After a weeks-long disappearance that sparked rumors of his death, the president of Turkmenistan, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, appeared on state television on Sunday driving a rally car to a flaming gas crater known as Hell's Gate. The 62-year-old autocratic leader disappeared from public view in late July and several foreign media outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported at the time that he had died. The government of the gas-exporting Central Asian country denied that and said he was simply on vacation.

U.S. seeks to renew Pacific islands security pact to foil China

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday negotiations have begun with three Pacific island nations to renew a national security agreement that would help Washington counter growing Chinese influence in the region. Under the terms of the deal, known as the Compact of Free Association, the U.S. military have exclusive access to airspace and territorial waters of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau. In exchange, the small islands receive financial assistance.

Russia says it would respond to U.S. missile deployments in Asia

Russia said on Monday it would take measures to defend itself if the United States stationed missiles in Asia following the collapse of a landmark arms control treaty and that it expected Japan to deploy a new U.S. missile launch system. U.S. Defence Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that he was in favour of placing ground-launched, intermediate-range missiles in Asia relatively soon.

The man in the plastic mask: Disguised Brazil inmate busted in brazen jailbreak

A masked Rio de Janeiro inmate dressed as a woman tried to break out of a Brazilian jail this weekend, in a surreal act of derring-do, only to be thwarted on the cusp of freedom by state prison authorities. Clauvino da Silva, a drug dealer from the city of Angra dos Reis, was caught by prison guards at the Bangu jail complex in Rio state on Saturday, as he tried to exit via the front door after visiting hours. The Rio state prison authority said his plan was to leave his daughter inside the prison in his place.

Scots favor independence from the United Kingdom, Ashcroft poll shows

Scottish voters would back independence and they want another referendum in the next two years, a poll published on Monday showed, indicating that the United Kingdom could be wrenched apart shortly after it leaves the European Union. Asked how they would vote in an independence referendum, 46% of the 1,019 surveyed Scottish voters said they would vote for independence and 43% said they would vote against, according to a poll by Michael Ashcroft.

Explainer: UAE military drawdown raises stakes in south Yemen

Attacks on Yemeni forces that form a core component of the Saudi-led military coalition in the south of the country risk further destabilizing Aden, seat of the government, and complicating United Nations peace efforts. The Iran-aligned Houthi movement, which the alliance has been battling for more than four years, launched a missile attack on United Arab Emirates-backed Security Belt forces in the southern port city, a coalition stronghold, that killed 36 soldiers on Thursday.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)