From floods in Rwanda to US missiles in the Middle East: non-coronavirus news you may have missed

US to remove Patriot missile batteries from Saudi Arabia

The US is removing four patriot missile batteries from Saudi Arabia as part of a rotation of its military assets in the region, officials said on Thursday.

The Pentagon said it would maintain "robust" capabilities in the region to counter any threat from Iran.

"As part of the Department's global force management processes, DoD routinely circulates troops and assets to address emerging threats and maintain readiness," US Department of Defence spokesman Cmdr Sean Robertson told The National.

Floods kill 65 in Rwanda as heavy rains pound East Africa

Residents use a boat to carry their belongings through the waters after their homes were flooded as the River Nzoia burst its banks and due to heavy rainfall and the backflow from Lake Victoria in Kenya. Reuters

Floods have left 65 dead in Rwanda and heavy rains swept away scores of houses, several bridges and farms, the government said on Thursday.

The rains have caused havoc throughout East Africa.

In Kenya, floods and landslides have killed almost 200 people in the past month, while Uganda's Lake Victoria has overflowed, submerging houses, a hospital and bridges, and leaving thousands homeless.

Panic in Tehran as Iran quake kills at least one

The epicentre of the earthquake in Iran on May 8, 2020 was near Mount Damavand, north-east of Tehran. Reuters

An earthquake near Iran's tallest mountain killed at least one person and injured seven as it jolted the capital Tehran early on Friday, forcing panicked residents to flee buildings.

The shallow 4.6-magnitude quake hit at 12.48am local time near the city of Damavand, about 55 kilometres east of Tehran, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake prompted scores of residents of the capital to leave buildings for the safety of streets and parks.

British-Australian academic ‘tried to kill herself in Iran's Evin prison’

Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert speaks during an interview from 2017. Reuters

The husband of a prisoner in Iran's Evin jail has said that her fellow inmate, British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, tried to commit suicide while being held on trumped-up spying charges.

Reza Khandan, husband of jailed Iranian rights campaigner Nasrin Sotoudeh, wrote on Facebook that Ms Moore-Gilbert's situation became unbearable after she was kept in solitary confinement.

Mr Khandan, also a rights activist who has spent time in jail, later told a charity supporting families of the detained that the academic was “extremely troubled, angry and unhappy”.

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Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

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Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic

The specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: nine-speed

Power: 542bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh848,000

On sale: now

The story of Edge

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.

It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.

Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.

Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab

On Women's Day

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Tamkeen's offering

Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
Option 2: 50% across three years
Option 3: 30% across five years

ATP RANKINGS (NOVEMBER 4)

1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts ( 1)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190
4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 ( 1)
10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 ( 3)
11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 ( 3)
12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290
13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)
14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 ( 1)
15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 ( 13)
16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000
17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)
18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775
19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)
20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 ( 7)

How Beautiful this world is!

Best Foreign Language Film nominees

Capernaum (Lebanon)

Cold War (Poland)

Never Look Away (Germany)

Roma (Mexico)

Shoplifters (Japan)

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

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More on Afghanistan

Sulaiman Hakemy: 'Afghan' is now a globalised identity, whether the Taliban likes it or not

Editorial: The US-Taliban deal is only the first step to peace

Ken Hedricks: The Afghan scorpion farmer harvesting valuable venom for international buyers

Sulaiman Hakemy: Afghanistan's election results are finally released, but leadership remains overdue

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour