A Sri Lankan author assaulted by unidentified men in what appears to be a politically motivated attack says he is determined to vote in the country's presidential poll, as election observers report sporadic cases of limited violence and electoral violations on polling day. At least 139 electoral violations - including two cases of assault and 41 of intimidation - were reported as of midday on Saturday, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) said in a statement. Earlier in the day, a convoy of more than 100 buses carrying mainly Muslim voters to the northwestern region of Mannar was attacked at Thathrimale, about 190km (118 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, by unidentified armed men, a CMEV official told Al Jazeera.

Sri Lankans head to the polls on Saturday, months after the deadly Easter bombings. Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa's is in the fray but his political comeback has divided the nation. He has said he will create a secure environment for all Sri Lankans, but religious minorities view him with suspicion for his links to Buddhist-nationalist monks. Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports from Negombo.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted that life is taking its "toll on my health", as speculation swirls over the 74-year-old's prolonged absences from the public eye. Duterte cut short a trip to Japan last month because he was suffering from "unbearable pain" in his spine after a recent motorcycle accident, and has not spoken publicly for two weeks. More: Philippine: Duterte's new ailment puts new focus on his health 'Free to kill': Duterte to newly appointed senior police officer Duterte's New War The accident came just 10 days after he revealed in early October that he has myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness and can result in drooping eyelids and

Israel has said it carried out fresh air raids on the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the besieged enclave, two days after a precarious ceasefire went into force following a round of fighting that killed dozens of Palestinians. The Israeli army said its attacks early on Saturday did not target positions of the Islamic Jihad group but sites belonging to Hamas, which administers the Gaza Strip. There was no immediate comment by Hamas. The air raids marked the first time Hamas was targeted since this week's escalation began early on Tuesday with Israel's targeted assassination of Bahaa Abu al-Ata, a top commander of Islamic Jihad, the enclave's second-most powerful group after Hamas.

German authorities have arrested a German citizen accused of being a member of ISIS upon her return to Germany, federal prosecutors said on Saturday. The woman, identified only as Nasim A., was arrested on Friday evening. A court will determine on Saturday whether she will remain in custody, prosecutors said, accusing her of “being a member of a terrorist organization in a foreign country.” They said the suspect had left Germany for Syria in 2014, married a fighter and moved with him to Iraq. There she was paid to maintain an ISIS-controlled house and carried a weapon. She and her husband later moved to Syria, where she also maintained a house, prosecutors said. She was arrested in early 2019

Qatar had advanced knowledge that Iran would attack four vessels in the Gulf of Oman back in May and failed to warn the United States, Britain, and France of the impending operation, Fox News reported citing a western intelligence report it had obtained. Fox News said it had exclusively obtained the report which said that Qatar knew of an imminent attack against two Saudi tankers, a Norwegian tanker and a UAE ship near the Emirati port of Fujairah which eventually took place on May 12. “Credible intelligence reports indicate that the IRGC-Quds Forces Naval unit is responsible for the Fujairah Port attacks, and the elements of civilian government of Iran, as well as the State of Qatar, were aware