Video shows US missile defenses thwarting Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia

A still image taken from a video distributed by Yemen's pro-Houthi Al Masirah television station shows what it says was the launch by Houthi forces of a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh's King Khaled Airport. Thomson Reuters

Houthi rebels inside Yemen have claimed responsibility for a short range ballistic missile attack against the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on Nov. 4. An announcement made on social media from Houthi rebels inside Yemen claimed that King Khalid International Airport was the intended target for the missile strike on Saturday night.

The Houthi ballistic missile, a Burkan H-2 according to media sources across the Middle East, is a mobile short-range ballistic missile armed with a conventional 500-kilogram warhead. In some variants, the missile can carry a nuclear warhead. The missile is roughly similar to the Scud missiles used by Iraq during the Gulf wars.

The Burkan H-2 was intercepted by a Saudi anti-missile defense system, likely a U.S. supplied Raytheon MIM-104 Patriot anti-missile system. The Saudis also employ the Raytheon Improved Hawk air defense system, primarily for defense against aircraft. The Saudis have new THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Air Defense) anti-missile systems on order from the US but have not yet received the more advanced system.

The following video allegedly shows the anti-missile defense system at work during the attack.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=qxE2i1XOXVA

According to information published on Al Arabiya, an official spokesman for the coalition forces in support of legitimacy inside Yemen, the anti-Houthi government of Yemen, Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that, “At 8:07 pm local time a rocket was fired from within the territory of Yemen towards the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

In the official Yemeni government media statement made Saturday Colonel al-Maliki went on to say, “The rocket was aimed at the capital of Riyadh and was launched indiscriminately and absurdly to target the civilian and populated areas, where it was intercepted and the fragments fell in an uninhabited area east of King Khalid International Airport.”

Houthi Missile Riyadh Saudi anti-missile defenses launch [Arab News]/YouTube

The official Yemeni government has been at war with the Houthi rebellion inside Yemen since June 2004. The Houthi ballistic missile attack against Saudi Arabia from inside a rebel controlled area of Yemen is in retaliation for Saudi support of the Yemeni government. The Saudi support of the Yemeni government began in 2015.

On October 27, 2017, the Houthi’s claimed to have shot down a Royal Saudi Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon multirole aircraft over the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a. It was the second time the Saudis lost a Typhoon over Yemen during Operation Decisive Storm, the Saudi-led air campaign against the Houthis inside Yemen.

Arab news outlets report a similar missile strike was launched from Houthi controlled territory toward Saudi Arabia on October 30. The missile fell far short of its intended target in Saudi Arabia, landing inside Yemen after a possible malfunction.

Al Masirah, a TV network run by the Houthi rebels, also claimed responsibility for the attack on their social media account.

Abortion is not a human right - Cardinal ( Sri Lankan )

Abortion cannot be considered as a human right as claimed by some, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said over the weekend.

“Some claim that abortion is a human right. Right to kill is not a human right. Human rights are there to save lives not to end them,” cardinal said at a service in Thewatte Basilica on Sunday.

“ Even the previous government tied to ease the abortion laws and now we here that this government is also out to do the same. Catholic Bishops Conference which issued a statement on the matter has been criticized by some,” he added.

Cardinal Ranjith said all children are born according to God’s will and no one is born outside his will. He said even those who are differently-abled keep their parents together and play a role in ensuring well-being of their families. (DM)

How Indian Cricketers Enjoying in Srilankan Soil ....

World Festival of Youth and Students 2017 in Sochi, Russia

World Festival of Youth and Students will pass in 14-22 October 2017 in Sochi, Russia. It will be the largest event in the field of international youth cooperation and will bring together more than 20,000 of young people from 150 countries around the world. XIX Festival should be a new milestone in international cooperation, to unite the future generations around the ideas of peace and friendship, keeping the history of the festival movement!

This is a platform for dialogue, global form of communication: through discussions, cultural programs, sports, through free communication to find ways to confront the challenges that younger generation is facing today.

Become a participant or volunteer now! 
* More information on website http://www.russia2017.com/en/

Chandimal - New captain of Sri Lanka national cricket team

Dinesh Chandimal will replace Angelo Mathews as captain. In the wake of the recent defeat against Zimbabwe, Mathews stepped down as skipper yesterday.

Although Chandimal is yet to secure a permanent place in the national team, the selectors have decided to hand over the responsibility to the former T20 skipper considering the future of the Sri Lankan game.

Mathews is scheduled to publicly announce his resignation at a press conference today morning at which the selectors will also reveal the new appointment.
 DM

Asia's largest tower in Colombo

Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment (BOI) has signed a $2 billion investment  agreement with the World Capital Centre (WCC) to construct the tallest building in the Asian region.

The 117 floor building will become the largest tower in the world in terms of  square meterage and the 9th tallest building in the world. The WCC is expected to the building in the center of Colombo’s commercial district.

The agreement was signed by the Chairman of the BOI Upul Jayasooirya during a ceremony alongside the Chairman of the WCC Ahmed Moulana.

 

The World Capital Centre (WCC) signed a US$ 2 billion investment agreement with the Board Of Investment (BOI) yesterday, for the much hyped and long awaited tallest building in the Asian region and the 9th tallest to be in the world.

The World Capital Centre also known as WCC is a globally renowned chain with its operations spread across the world and will be the centre of multiple trading and service providing establishments, having an astonishing twin tower with modern amenities of 117 floors, gracing a height of 625 metres to be built in  the heart of Colombo’s commercial area.  It will include 1,200 residential units, 2,000 hotel rooms, 3,000 retail outlets, 5,000 car-parking spaces, the WCC 7-star hotel, 20 luxurious swimming pools, gold presidential suites with gold-plated interiors, world’s fastest double-decker elevators, first Michelin starred restaurant in Sri Lanka, stunning observation deck and a helipad on the topmost floor. 

The signing ceremony was represented by the Chairman of BOI - Upul Jayasooriya and the other senior officials of the BOI while WCC was represented by its key figure heads, the Chairman of WCC - Ahmed Moulana, Deputy Chairman of WCC - Vivekanandarajah A. Moorthy, Director of WCC - Dr. Senaka Silva, Director of WCC - Dr. Arosha Fernando, Director of WCC - R. Sadesh Kumar, Director of WCC - Wijendran Balakrishnan, MD of WCC - Imran Saleem, CEO of WCC Media - Shafraz Jalaldeen, and the Secretary of WCC - Waruni  V. Ranasinghe.

This proposed building would be the tallest in Asia and the 9th in the world as accepted by the Skyscraper Centre of U.S.A., and will be the largest tower in the world having a total built up area of 800,000 square metres first of its kind in Sri Lanka, which would be an ultimate tribute to Sri Lanka as well as in the Asian economy, expected to be completed by end of year 2022.  Sri Lanka being centrally located in South Asia is perfectly poised to be the launch pad for the Capital Centre owing to all the bilateral trade agreements, close ties with the developing nations and the long trade history with the rest of the world.

While many international banks have been operating in Sri Lanka for decades, the ending of the war has seen the expat community blooming together with large multinational companies looking to invest in new businesses or to open up branches.  Within the region, Sri Lanka is very easy to do business with and eventually has the potential to become what Dubai is to the Middle East, what London is to Europe, what Singapore is to South-East Asia or what New York is to the Americas.

WCC intends to be the first financial centre to offer an innovative vehicle for investment companies to have their South Asian base here in Sri Lanka giving an extraordinary boost to the economic development of  the country  

   

ᴥ Location In Negombo { St. Stephen's Church }

St.Stephen's Church, Negombo, is an Anglican church in Negombo in Sri Lanka. It was consecrated on 31 July 1880 in the presence of dedicated devotees which included several Wesleyans.  

In the 18th century most of the settlements in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) became a British territory annexed from the Dutch. But it was only in 1815, following the collapse of the Kandyan Kingdom, that the entire island came under British suzerainty. The Diocese of Colombo came into existence in 1845 and James Chapman was the first Bishop of Colombo. The Anglican community wanted to establish a church in Negombo in the nineteenth century and action was initiated by choosing a suitable site for the purpose in 1876. The area in which the site was chosen had previously been known as "The Dutch Fort".[5] The Bishop of Colombo, Reverend Reginald Stephen Copleston, provided a Crown grant under order dated 23 September 1876 to build the church. The trustees of the church from Negombo were Henry Bell, Charles Karlenberg and Harry Maule F. Finch. The site measured two roods and 17 perches (One rood is equal to 10,890 square feet (1,012 m2) and 40 perches are equal to a rood). The church was constructed by the end of 1877, although church services were held before its formal consecration. The formal consecration ceremony was held on 31 July 1879.

 

YouTube star Austin Jones arrested on child porn charges.

A suburban Chicago singer who has hundreds of thousands of teenage followers online has been charged with two counts of production of child pornography.

Twenty-four-year-old Austin Jones of Bloomingdale appeared Tuesday in a Chicago federal court wearing orange jail clothes and ankle chains. He said he understood the charges. He’ll enter a plea later.

Prosecutors say each count carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.

A complaint containing more details of the allegations wasn’t immediately available.

Jones’ videos garner millions of YouTube views. He’s released original music and covered the work of other musicians, including Justin Bieber.

He was arrested Monday and is being held at a Chicago federal jail. A bond hearing has been set for Wednesday. Prosecutors told the presiding magistrate judge they’ll oppose Jones’ release.

Mathews to Lead SL vs Zim

In what could be their last assignment, the Sanath Jayasuriya - led selection committee has short listed 30 players for Zimbabwe tour of SL which begins with five ODI's , the first of which begins on June 30.

SL Cricket President Thilanga Sumathipala said that the team will be led by Angelo Mathews for at least the first three games.

" We hope to field the best possible team in the first three ODIs, led by Angelo, and if we win that we hope to try some future players for the remaining two ODIs " Sumathipala sais.


DM