30 dead in Kenya and Somalia as heavy rains and flash floods displace thousands

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Heavy rains and flash flooding have killed at least 30 people and displaced tens of thousands in Kenya and Somalia, aid agencies reported Monday. In Somalia, the federal government declared a national emergency after the extreme weather killed at least 14 people and destroyed homes, roads and bridges. Emergency and rescue workers were trying to reach an estimated 2,400 residents trapped by flood waters in the Luuq district of southern Somalia’s Jubaland state. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned of a high risk of flooding along the Juba and Shabelle rivers and called for the evacuation of people living along the entire stretch of the Juba.

South Korea plans to launch its first military spy satellite on Nov. 30

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Monday it plans to launch its first domestically built spy satellite at the end of this month to better monitor rival North Korea, which is expanding its arsenal of nuclear weapons. The plan was unveiled days after North Korea failed to follow through on a vow to make a third attempt to launch its own reconnaissance satellite in October, likely because of technical issues. Jeon Ha Gyu, a spokesperson for the South Korean Defense Ministry, told reporters Monday that the country’s first military spy satellite will be launched from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on Nov. 30.

Aid trickles in as survivors salvage belongings from rubble in Nepal villages

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Aid trickled in to villages Monday in Nepal’s northwest mountains flattened by a strong earthquake over the weekend as villagers searched through the rubble of their collapsed homes to salvage what was left of their belongings. The magnitude 5.6 temblor struck just minutes before midnight Friday, killing 157 people, injuring scores and leaving thousands homeless. The U.S. Geological Survey said that the quake occurred at a depth of 11 miles. Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center confirmed that the epicenter was in Jajarkot, about 250 miles northeast of the capital, Kathmandu.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi goes on a hunger strike

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi began a hunger strike Monday over being blocked along with other inmates from getting medical care and to protest the country’s mandatory headscarves for women, a campaign advocating for the activist said. The decision by Mohammadi, 51, increases pressure on Iran’s theocracy over her incarceration, a month after being awarded the Nobel for her years of activism despite a decadeslong campaign by the government targeting her.