October 13, 2016 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
- The U.S. military launches Tomahawk cruise missiles from the USS Nitze against Houthi-controlled radar sites in Yemen following two incidents in which, according to U.S. military, missiles were fired on United States Navy vessels in the Red Sea. (Reuters), (NBC News)
- Boko Haram
- Negotiations between the Nigerian president's administration and Islamist militants free 21 of the 270 schoolgirls kidnapped in 2014 by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria (leaving 218 victims still unaccounted for). (BBC)
Arts and culture
- American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize in Literature. (NPR)
- UNESCO declares the Western Wall an "Islamic site" and refrains from mentioning its connection to Jewish culture. Over half the voting countries chose to abstain. (The International Business Times)
Business and economics
- The Obama administration's Treasury Department, in a move against corporate tax inversions, enacts regulations to combat a key tax-reduction technique known as earnings stripping. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2016 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Nicole impacts Bermuda at Category 3 strength, making it the strongest hurricane to effect the British Overseas Territory since Hurricane Fabian in 2003. (The Weather Channel), (The Alabama Media Group)
- Hurricane Matthew
- The death toll in North Carolina rises to 22 as flood waters continue to rise. Governor Pat McCrory says places that had a foot of water in the morning, were under 12 feet of water. (Reuters)
- A plane crash near Kelowna, BC, kills Canadian politician and former Premier of Alberta Jim Prentice along with three others. (CBC)
International relations
- The Maldives leaves the Commonwealth of Nations after 34 years, claiming that it has been "unfairly and unjustly" treated by the intergovernmental organization. (The Telegraph)
- The United Nations General Assembly officially appoints former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres its next Secretary-General. (BBC), (The Wall Street Journal)
- Proposed second Scottish independence referendum, Brexit
- Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon will introduce a bill launching a new referendum to determine the final status of the country. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Cyberthieves inject 5,925 online web retailers with website software malicious code that is stealing the credit card details of customers. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- The King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej dies at the age of 88. He was the world's longest currently serving monarch. (The Canberra Times)
- Colombian peace process
- Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos extends his ceasefire with the FARC rebels through the end of the year. (Reuters)