World News Roundup: Russian nuclear agency says five killed in an accident at test site; Hollywood star Gere speaks out to support migrants on Spanish rescue ship

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Dengue death toll rises in Malaysia, number of cases close to double

Malaysia saw a rise in deaths caused by dengue to 113 by August 3, compared to 70 cases in the same period last year, the health ministry said on Saturday. It also said the total of dengue cases from the start of the year to early August hit 80,000, twice the number of cases in the corresponding period last year.

Pakistan cuts last remaining transport link to India over Kashmir dispute

Pakistan said on Saturday it had canceled a bus linking Lahore with India's capital New Delhi, the last remaining public transport link between the neighbors divided by a dispute over the Kashmir region. Islamabad reacted with a fury this week after India revoked the special status for the portion of Kashmir that it controls, calling the action illegal, a claim New Delhi denies.

Watchdog demands answers as power cut causes chaos across Britain

Energy regulators on Saturday demanded an urgent report from the operator of Britain's electricity grid into what caused a power cut that led to chaos across the country, with trains brought to a standstill and traffic lights knocked out. The hour-long outage on Friday evening left almost 1 million homes without power while two of London's busiest train stations closed at rush-hour because of overcrowding as services were canceled or delayed.

Hong Kong police fire tear gas during another weekend of protests

Hong Kong police fired volleys of tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters on Saturday, and demonstrators swiftly gathered elsewhere during another tense and restive weekend. Weeks of increasingly violent protests have plunged Hong Kong into its most serious political crisis for decades, posing a serious challenge to the central government in Beijing.

Iran unveils 'improved' radar air defense system

Iran unveiled on Saturday what authorities said was a locally upgraded radar system with a range of 400 km (250 miles) that could help defend against cruise and ballistic missiles and drones. The announcement comes at a time of rising tension between Iran and the United States. Iran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone in the Gulf with a surface-to-air missile in June. Tehran says the drone was over its territory, but Washington says it was in international airspace.

Southern Yemen separatists seize government camps in Aden

Yemen's southern separatists took control of all government military camps in Aden on Saturday, an official said, as fighting raged between nominal allies who have turned on each other, complicating U.N. efforts to end a devastating war. Battles had resumed at dawn, marking a fourth straight day of clashes between the separatists and government forces in the port city that is temporarily hosting Yemen's internationally-recognized authorities.

North Korea fires two short-range missiles in show of force, more can come: South Korea

North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Saturday, South Korea said, in a "show of force" against U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises. More missile launches are highly probable, as the North Korean military is conducting its own summer drills, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

Russian nuclear agency says five killed in an accident at test site

Russia's state nuclear agency Rosatom said on Saturday that five of its staff members were killed in an accident during tests on a military site in northern Russia. The accident occurred during the engineering and technical support of "isotope power sources" on a liquid propulsion system, Rosatom said in a statement.

Hollywood star Gere speaks out to support migrants on Spanish rescue ship

Hollywood star Richard Gere on Saturday called on the Italian government to stop "demonizing people" and instead help migrants who have been stranded on a Spanish charity boat in the Mediterranean for more than a week. Gere, who visited the Open Arms ship in a show of support on Friday, joined a news conference in the Italian island of Lampedusa to call for the 160 migrants stuck on the boat to be allowed to disembark.

Texas shooting suspect told police he targeted 'Mexicans'

The suspected gunman accused of killing 22 people in a shooting rampage at Walmart in El Paso, Texas last weekend confessed while surrendering and told police he was targeting "Mexicans," according to an El Paso police affidavit released on Friday. The suspect, Patrick Crusius, 21, came out of his vehicle, stopped at an intersection, "and stated out loud 'I'm the shooter'", Detective Adrian Garcia said in the affidavit on Sunday, a day after the shooting.