World News Roundup: Hong Kong protests; Sharp rise in Brazilian deforestation; Moscow opposition crackdown and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russian police detain over 800 in opposition crackdown in Moscow

Russian police forcibly detained over 800 people attending a protest in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections, including prominent activist Lyubov Sobol, after authorities warned the demonstration was illegal. Police removed Sobol, an ally of jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny, from a taxi and bundled her into a van minutes before the start of what anti-Kremlin activists described as a peaceful walk to protest against the exclusion of their candidates from an election next month.

Protesters gather in Hong Kong as rival rally supports police

More than a thousand mostly black-clad activists gathered in Hong Kong's Mong Kok district ahead of a protest march on Saturday, as the Chinese-controlled city braced for another weekend of anti-government demonstrations. Protests for the past two months against a proposed bill that would allow people to be extradited to stand trial in mainland China have grown increasingly violent, with police accused of excessive use of force and failing to protect protesters from suspected gang attacks.

Exiled Thai critic attacked with chemicals in Japan

An exiled Thai critic of the country's military and monarchy said he was attacked in his home in Japan last month and believes Thai authorities were behind the incident, an accusation that was ridiculed by the kingdom's army chief. Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a 48-year-old associate professor at Kyoto University, said he was asleep with his partner when a man broke into their home last month at about 4 a.m. and sprayed the couple with a substance that burned their skin.

U.S. Defense Secretary says he favors placing missiles in Asia

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that he was in favor of placing ground-launched, intermediate-range missiles in Asia relatively soon, a day after the United States withdrew from a landmark arms control treaty. Esper's comments are likely to raise concern about an arms race and could add to an already tense relationship with China.

Libya's Mitiga airport reopens to air traffic after shelling

Libya's Mitiga airport reopened to air traffic on Saturday after being closed for several hours following shelling, the airport authority said on its Facebook page. Mitiga is the only working airport in the Libyan capital Tripoli, which has been under attack by the eastern-based Libyan National Army, commanded by Khalifa Haftar.

Thousands flee disputed Kashmir region after alert; India says it killed militants

Thousands of Indian tourists, pilgrims and workers began leaving the disputed region of Kashmir after a local government alert over possible militant attacks, and India said it killed at least five militants who were trying to attack its forces. Indian security officials said on Friday they had found evidence of attacks planned by what they said were Pakistani military-backed militants on a major Hindu pilgrimage in Muslim-majority Kashmir.

Johnson's top aide says UK lawmakers can't stop no-deal Brexit: Sunday Telegraph

Lawmakers will be unable to stop a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31 by bringing down Britain's government in a vote of no confidence next month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's top aide has advised, according to the Sunday Telegraph. Dominic Cummings, one of architects of the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union, told ministers that Johnson could schedule a general election after the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline if he loses a vote of no confidence in parliament, the newspaper said, citing sources.

Sharp rise in Brazilian deforestation undeniable, says sacked research chief

Ricardo Galvao, the sacked head of Brazil’s space research agency, said on Saturday the trend of sharply rising deforestation was undeniable, a day after he was fired following a public spat with President Jair Bolsonaro over data published by the agency. “There is not the slightest doubt,” he told Reuters when asked whether the data pointed to a trend of significantly increasing deforestation. “Our data is absolutely correct.”

Salvadoran family mourns death of young father across U.S. border

Like many Salvadoran migrants before them, Marvin Gonzalez and his eight-year-old daughter Joselyn set off from their farm surrounded by corn and sugarcane one morning in early July with dreams of better lives in the United States. Gonzalez, 32, planned to reunite the girl with her mother in North Carolina, and later send for his current wife from El Salvador.

Murder of Mexican journalist marks third killing in one week, amid spiraling violence

Mexican officials said on Saturday they would investigate the murder of a journalist in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz who was the third reporter to be killed in a week in Mexico as the country grapples with a record murder rate. Jorge Ruiz Vazquez, a reporter at the Grafico de Xalapa newspaper in Veracruz's capital, died in spite of procedures in place to protect him, the state prosecutor's office said.

(With inputs from agencies.)