Over 650,000 people hit by drought in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Over 650,000 people in 20 districts are affected by prevailing drought condition in Sri Lanka, the country's Disaster Management Center said on Thursday. Polonnaruwa, the central mountainous area, is the hardest-hit, with 130928 people from 27472 families suffering. According to the DMC, other affected districts include Anuradhapura, Batticaloa and Puttallam, where the crops were damaged severely. DMC also mentioned that about 150,000 families are finding it hard to get sufficient water for their daily life. The rainy weather is expected to come in coming days, Sri Lanka department of Meteorology forecasted.

Majority of Somali refugees in Kenya do not want to return home: report

NAIROBI, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Majority of Somali refugees at the Dadaab camp in northeast Kenya are not willing to return home, a new report by international medical charity, Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) revealed on Thursday.

The charity said the current humanitarian situation in many parts of Somalia, with high levels of insecurity and a widespread lack of medical care, means that the necessary conditions for a safe and dignified return are simply not met today.

According to the report, 86 percent of surveyed refugees in Dadaab do not want to go back to Somalia. Fears around insecurity were acute with nearly all -- males and females -- stating that the risk of sexual violence is high. MSF is therefore questioning the "voluntary" nature of the returns that the UNHCR is helping facilitate.

"The fears that the refugees tell us about are real. It is crucial that any return is voluntary, and refugees must have all necessary information about the services and conditions which will meet them in Somalia," said Liesbeth Aelbrecht, Head of Mission for MSF in Kenya.

MSF reiterated that setting up Dadaab style camps across the border is shifting responsibility and abandoning the protection of refugees. It called on international community to share responsibility with Kenya.

It said other more durable solutions, such as smaller camps in Kenya, increased resettlement to third countries, or integration of refugees into Kenyan communities, should be urgently considered.

As the announced closure of the world's largest refugee camp draws closer, and thousands begin the return to war-ravaged Somalia, MSF called for other alternatives to be urgently considered by Kenya and the UNHCR, supported by donor countries.

Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Greatest living poet" Bob Dylan wins Nobel literature prize

7:42am EDT - 00:30

Bob Dylan, regarded as the voice of a generation for his influential songs from the 1960s onwards, has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. 

 Bob Dylan, regarded as the voice of a generation for his influential songs from the 1960s onwards, has Bob Dylan, in a surprise decision that gave a singer-songwriter one of the world's most prestigious cultural awards. His songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall," "The Times They Are a-Changin," "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and "Like a Rolling Stone" captured a spirit of rebellion, dissent and independence. "Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound," the Swedish Academy said on Thursday, when it awarded the 8 million Swedish crown ($930,000) prize. More than 50 years on, Dylan is still writing songs and is often on tour. "He is probably the greatest living poet," Swedish Academy member Per Wastberg said. Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of the Nobel Academy, told a news conference there was "great unity" in the panel's decision to give Dylan the prize. Literature was the last of this year's Nobel prizes to be awarded. The prize is named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and has been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace in accordance with his will.

U.S. military strikes Yemen after missile attacks on U.S. Navy ship

The U.S. military launched cruise missile strikes on Thursday to knock out three coastal radar sites in areas of Yemen controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi forces, retaliating after failed missile attacks this week on a U.S. Navy destroyer, U.S. officials said.

The strikes, authorized by President Barack Obama, represent Washington's first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict.

Still, the Pentagon appeared to stress the limited nature of the strikes, aimed at radar that enabled the launch of at least three missiles against the U.S. Navy ship USS Mason on Sunday and Wednesday.

"These limited self-defense strikes were conducted to protect our personnel, our ships and our freedom of navigation," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.

U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said U.S. Navy destroyer USS Nitze launched the Tomahawk cruise missiles around 4 a.m. (0100 GMT).

"These radars were active during previous attacks and attempted attacks on ships in the Red Sea," including the USS Mason, one of the officials said, adding the targeted radar sites were in remote areas where the risk of civilian casualties was low.

The official identified the areas in Yemen where the radar were located as near Ras Isa, north of Mukha and near Khoka.

Shipping sources told Reuters sites were hit in the Dhubab district of Taiz province, a remote area overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Straight known for fishing and smuggling.

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A still image from video released October 13, 2016 shows U.S. military launching cruise missile strikes from U.S. Navy destroyer USS Nitze to knock out three coastal radar sites in areas of Yemen controlled by Houthi forces.REUTERS/DIVIDS via Reuters TV

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SAFE PASSAGE

The failed missile attacks on the USS Mason appeared to be part of the reaction to a suspected Saudi-led strike on mourners gathered in Yemen's Houthi-held capital Sanaa.

The Houthis, who are battling the internationally-recognized government of Yemen President Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi, denied any involvement in Sunday's attempt to strike the USS Mason.

On Thursday, the Houthis reiterated a denial that they carried out the strikes and said they did not come from areas under their control, a news agency controlled by the group reported a military source as saying.

The allegations were false pretexts to "escalate aggression and cover up crimes committed against the Yemeni people", the source said.

U.S. officials have told Reuters there were growing indications that Houthi fighters, or forces aligned with them, were responsible for Sunday's attempted strikes, in which two coastal cruise missiles designed to target ships failed to reach the destroyer.

The missile incidents, along with an Oct. 1 strike on a vessel from the United Arab Emirates, add to questions about safety of passage for military ships around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

The Houthis, who are allied to Hadi's predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh, have the support of many army units and control most of the north, including the capital Sanaa.

The Pentagon warned against any future attacks.

RELATED COVERAGE

• Iran deploys warships off Yemen coast in the Gulf of Aden: Tasnim

"The United States will respond to any further threat to our ships and commercial traffic, as appropriate," Cook said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a leading member of a Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting to end Houthi control, denounced the attacks on the Mason as an attempt to target the freedom of navigation and to inflame the regional situation.

Michael Knights, an expert on Yemen's conflict at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, suggested the Houthis, fighters from a Shi'ite sect, could be becoming more militarily aligned with groups such as Lebanon's Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah.

"Targeting U.S. warships is a sign that the Houthis have decided to join the axis of resistance that currently includes Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran," Knight said.

Although Thursday's strikes against the radar aim to undercut the ability to track and target U.S. ships, the Houthis are still believed to possess missiles that could pose a threat.

Reuters has reported that the coastal defense cruise missiles used against the USS Mason had considerable range, fuelling concern about the kind of weaponry the Houthis appear willing to employ and some of which, U.S. officials believe, is supplied by Iran.

One of the missiles fired on Sunday traveled more than two dozen nautical miles before splashing into the Red Sea off Yemen's southern coast, one U.S. official said.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Mohammed Ghobari, Katie Paul; Editing by William Maclean and Janet Lawrence)

Thai King Bhumibol, world's longest-reigning monarch, dies - palace

By Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Amy Sawitta Lefevre | BANGKOK

Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was the world's longest-reigning monarch, died in hospital on Thursday, the palace said in an announcement. He was 88.

King Bhumibol reigned for seven decades after ascending the throne in 1946. His loss will be deeply mourned in Thailand, where he was regarded as a pillar of stability during decades of political upheaval and rapid development.

The palace did not give a reason for his death but he has been sick in hospital with various ailments for much of the past year.

"His Majesty has passed away at Siriraj Hospital peacefully," the palace said, adding he died at 15:52 (0852 GMT).

His son, the 63-year old Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is expected to become Thailand's new king.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha addressed the nation shortly after the announcement of the king's death to say an heir to the throne had been designated since 1972 and that the government would inform parliament of the choice.Prayuth did not identify the heir but King Bhumibol designated prince Vajiralongkorn the heir apparent when he invested him as the crown prince in 1972.

"The government will inform the National Legislative Assembly that His Majesty the King has already designated his heir," said Prayuth, who wore a black suit and tie.

The assembly is due to hold a special session later on Thursday.

Prayuth urged Thais to love one another and protect "the father's land."

Anxiety about the king's health and the succession has formed the backdrop to over a decade of political upheaval in Thailand that has included two coups.

More than 1,000 people gathered at the hospital where the king had been staying. Many of them started to cry as the news of his death broke.

The king was seen as head of an institution central to Thai identity and as a father-figure to the nation.

Most Thais have known no other monarch.

"LIKE OUR DAD"

Parichart Kaewsin, 35, who works in a bank, stood at the edge of the hospital garden, gazing up at the top floor of the building where the king was treated.

"I knew he was sick but I still can't believe this day has come," she said, choking back tears.

"That's why I came here - to hear for myself." She said it was like a member of her family has died, she said. "He was like our dad."

King Bhumibol was seen as a force for unity, and there have long been concerns that without him the country's divisions could worsen.

RELATED COVERAGE

• Thai PM says heir to throne has been chosen
• Death of beloved Thai king unlikely to cause major economic disruption

That seems unlikely under the military government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who has kept a tight grip on power since toppling an elected government in 2014.

Prince Vajiralongkorn has yet to command the respect and adoration that his father drew after a lifetime on the throne.

He has kept a lower profile than King Bhumibol for most of his life but in the past two years he took on more of the public duties the king was no longer able to perform. The prince divorced his third wife in 2014.

Thailand's strict lese-majeste laws have left little room for public discussion about the succession. It has been so long since Thailand has had a succession, there is no modern precedent.

Prayuth said civil servants would observe mourning for a year. He also urged Thais to refrain from "festivities" for 30 days. Flags would fly at half-mast at all government buildings and schools for 30 days, he said.

A royal cremation is expected to take months to prepare. When the king's sister died in 2008, a 100-day mourning period was declared. She was cremated 10 months after her death.

The heir's coronation will not take place until the mourning period is over.

(Additional reporting by Andrew R.C. Marshall, Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Pracha Hariraksapitak, Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Pairat Temphairojana; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Robert Birsel and Bill Tarrant.)

PACE calls on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine – draft resolution

12.10.2016 17:31142

Draft PACE resolution "Political consequences of the conflict in Ukraine" demands that Russia withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine and condemns the human rights violations in Crimea.

This document will be discussed and voted at today’s PACE session, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The Assembly again calls on the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine and to stop military supplies to the separatists," the draft document reads.

As for organization of local elections in Donbas, the Assembly notes that such elections should be held in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation and international standards of freedom and justice, for what it is necessary to ensure reliable security environment after troops and weapons are withdrawn.

The resolution also reiterates its condemnation of the illegal annexation of the peninsula in violation of the international law and the Charter of the Council of Europe.

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Judge extends Florida voter registration deadline

Supporters of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton hold up signs at a rally with former Vice President Al Gore in Miami on Tuesday. A federal judge extended Florida's voter registration deadline by one week after the disruption caused by Hurricane Matthew. Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI 

| License Photo

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A federal judge extended Florida's voter registration deadline for one week after Democrats sued Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who refused to move the deadline despite the disruption caused by Hurricane Matthew.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker announced his decision after a one-hour hearing in a Tallahassee courtroom, during which attorneys for Scott and Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner did not contest Democrats' arguments.

In addition to the Florida Democratic Party, the American Civil Liberties Union and League of Women Voters joined the suit to get the deadline pushed back.

Walker ruled that Floridians endured a substantial disruption after more than 1 million people were ordered to evacuate their homes as Matthew approached in the days leading up to the Tuesday registration deadline.

"Hopefully it's not lost on anyone that it's the right to have a voice that is why this country exists," Walker said after issuing his ruling.

Though Florida law allows a governor to extend election deadlines in the event of an emergency, Scott refused to do so, saying, "I think everyone's had enough time to register."

Democrats said Scott's decision made plans for a large voter registration drive ahead of the deadline impossible across much of the state because most public events where the effort was to take place were canceled and volunteers were among those displaced by the storm.

Walker's decision came after he issued a temporary one-day extension in voter registration to Wednesday in order to allow for the hearing to take place. Voters will now have until Tuesday to register in time to vote in the Nov. 8 election

Saudi-backed Yemeni troops open new front in northern Yemen: officials

Forces loyal to Yemen's exiled government clashed with Houthi fighters over a strategic town close to the border with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in a sign a new front may be opening in the 19-month-old civil war.

Officials from the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabu Mansour Hadi's government said that Yemeni troops captured the al-Buqa border crossing on Tuesday night.

If confirmed, it would be the first time that forces from the Saudi-backed government have established a foothold in Saada province, home of the Iran-aligned Houthi group that controls much of northern Yemen.

"The town is secured but clashes are ongoing," Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi told Reuters by telephone.

But the Houthi-appointed Saada governor denied what he said were Saudi media reports suggesting the crossing point had been captured.

"We say this is an illusion. They will be unable to advance one inch inside Yemeni territory," Governor Mohammed Jaber Awad told Reuters.

Fighting has intensified since U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait ended in August without an agreement. The fighting has been concentrated around the country's Houthi-controlled ancient capital, Sanaa, where little territory has changed hands.

The Saudi-led coalition has been providing air support for Hadi's forces in a civil war that has unleashed famine and killed more than 10,000 people since March 2015 in the Arab world's poorest country.

The outcry over civilian casualties has led some lawmakers in the United States and Britain as well as rights activists to push for curbs on arms sales to Riyadh, so far without success.

EVACUATION

Violence has escalated in Yemen since an attack on mourners in Sanaa last Saturday killed more than 140 people and wounded at least 500 more. The Houthi group has accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out the attack, but Riyadh has denied responsibility.

Saudi Arabia's king on Wednesday offered to help evacuate Yemenis severely wounded in the attack.

RELATED COVERAGE

• Lawmaker urges Saudi arms sales halt, cites possible Yemen 'war crimes'

King Salman instructed the Saudi-run King Salman Centre for Relief and Humanitarian Aid to evacuate "those whose cases require treatment outside Yemen," said the Saudi press agency, SPA.

It was not immediately clear if the announcement meant that the Saudi-led coalition would lift a ban imposed on flights from Sanaa airport since the peace talks collapsed.

In a sign of escalating regional tensions Iran, an ally of the Houthis, criticized Saturday's air strike, which ripped through a wake attended by tribal leaders.

"Saudi Arabia only has two choices - either admit defeat, stop attacks , exit and accept the results or sink deeper in to the swamp of war crimes and the international court," Hamid Aboutalebi, a political deputy in President Hassan Rouhani’s office, was quoted as saying by Iran state news agency IRNA.

(Reporting by Tom Finn in Doha, Mohammed Ghobari in Sanaa and Babak Dehghanpisheh in Beirut, editing by Sami Aboudi and Angus MacSwan)

Turkish army says Islamic State putting up 'stiff resistance' in Syria

Islamic State militants in northern Syria are putting up "stiff resistance" to attacks by Turkish-backed rebel fighters, Turkey's military said on Wednesday, almost two months after it launched an incursion to drive them away from its border.

Supported by Turkish tanks and air strikes, the rebels have been pushing toward the Islamic State stronghold of Dabiq. Clashes and air strikes over the past 24 hours have killed 47 jihadists, the military said in a statement.

"Due to stiff resistance of the Daesh (Islamic State) terror group, progress could not be achieved in an attack launched to take four settlements," it said, naming the areas east of the town of Azaz as Kafrah, Suran, Ihtimalat and Duvaybik.

However, the operation to drive the jihadists away from the Turkish border, dubbed "Euphrates Shield", has allowed Turkish-backed rebels to take control of about 1,100 square km (425 square miles) of territory, the military said.

A Syrian rebel commander told Reuters the rebels were about 4 km (2.5 miles) from Dabiq. He said capturing Dabiq and the nearby town of Suran would spell the end of Islamic State's presence in the northern Aleppo countryside.

A planned major offensive on the Islamic State-held city of al-Bab, southeast of Dabiq and an important strategic target, depended on how quickly rebels could take control of the roughly 35 km (22 miles) in between the two cities, he said.

Al-Bab is also a strategic target for the Kurdish YPG militia, which, like the rebels, is battling Islamic State in northern Syria but is viewed as a hostile force by Turkey.

In a daily round-up on Euphrates Shield's 50th day, the Turkish army said 19 Islamic State fighters had been "neutralized" in clashes and eight rebels were killed. Twenty-two rebels were wounded and Turkish forces suffered no losses.

RELATED COVERAGE

• Turkey-backed Syrian rebels advance closer to IS-held Dabiq

Turkish warplanes destroyed five buildings used by Islamic State fighters, while U.S.-led coalition jets "neutralized" 28 of the jihadists and destroyed three buildings, it said.

(Additional reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Louise Ireland)