A prominent Afghan religious scholar was killed and another 16 people wounded in a blast during Friday prayers at a Kabul mosque, officials said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which took place at the Al-Taqwa mosque in eastern Kabul, where Mawlawi Raihan had been the imam, or prayer leader.
Friday prayers, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, are usually well attended.
"Unfortunately in the blast, Mawlawi Raihan has been martyred and 16 other worshippers were wounded," said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the interior ministry.
The explosion took place around 1:20 pm (0850 GMT).
Police spokesman Firdaws Faramarz confirmed to AFP that Raihan was killed and said investigators were probing the nature of the explosion.
Local television channel Tolo said the explosion was caused by a bomb.
Raihan was relatively well known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.
While Kabul has seen frequent attacks on Shiite shrines and ..

Imam killed, 16 wounded in Kabul mosque blast: officials

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French climber Elisabeth Revol, who was dramatically rescued last year from Pakistan's Mount Nanga Parbat, summited Lhotse Friday morning, a day after reaching the top of Everest, her expedition organiser said.
"She summited Everest yesterday and reached the top of Lhotse this morning. Her health is well and she is heading down from Camp 3 now," Rishi Ram Bhandari of Satori Adventures told AFP.
Everest and Lhotse share the same path until diverting at South Col at 7,900 metres (25,918 feet).
Revol was attempting to summit the mountains without supplemental oxygen -- becoming the first French woman to do so -- but Bhandari could not immediately confirm if she was able to do so.
Her Everest ascent clashed with dozens of other teams taking advantage of clear weather, and climbers lined up for hours to reach the top -- risking frostbite and altitude sickness.
Last year, Revol and Polish climber Tomek Mackiewicz were attempting to scale the 8,125-metre (26,660-foot) Nanga Parbat in winter, 

French survivor of Nanga Parbat summits Lhotse, Everest

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday took note of the decision by British Prime Minister Theresa May to resign "with respect", saying that they shared a "good and trusting" working relationship.
Pledging to keep working with May in the same spirit as long as she is in office, Merkel noted that Berlin "wishes to maintain close cooperation and a close relationship with the British government," the German leader's spokeswoman Martina Fietz said.
Fietz declined to comment on how May's decision could affect Brexit, as "the development depends essentially on domestic political developments in Britain".

Merkel 'respects' May's decision to resign: spokeswoman

The European Union said on Friday that Prime Minister Theresa May's resignation does nothing to change its position on the Brexit withdrawal deal that its members agreed with Britain.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker noted May's decision "without personal joy," a spokeswoman said, adding that the council of EU leaders has "set out its position" on the Brexit deal.

EU says May resignation changes nothing in Brexit talks

Iraq's top diplomat Friday called on Iran to respect the landmark deal covering its nuclear programme, which has been weakened by the US decision to withdraw from it and Tehran's backing away from certain commitments.
"We think the JCPOA is a good agreement," said Iraq's Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by Iran in 2015 with Russia, China, Germany, Britain and the United States.
Under the terms of the deal, the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is charged with regular inspections of declared facilities in Iran such as uranium mines and centrifuge workshops for up to 25 years.
The aim is to ensure that Iran is not holding undeclared stocks of nuclear material and is not enriching uranium past a certain level.
"We encourage the Iranian government to stick to the JCPOA and stick to the spirit of the agreement and continue with it," he told reporters in Oslo during a press briefing at a ...

Iraq urges Iran to respect nuclear accord

Washington has warned that Chinese-made drones could be giving spy agencies in Beijing "unfettered access" to stolen data, according to a report in American media.
The Department of Homeland Security sent out an alert on Monday flagging drones built in China as a "potential risk to an organization's information", CNN reported.
The US government has "strong concerns about any technology product that takes American data into the territory of an authoritarian state that permits its intelligence services to have unfettered access to that data or otherwise abuses that access," wrote CNN, quoting the DHS alert.
The warning comes as China's tech sector attracts unprecedented scrutiny amid the bruising China-US trade war.
Washington has cranked up the heat on China's Huawei by effectively banning American companies from selling or transferring US technology to the telecoms giant, though the US Commerce Department has granted the firm a 90-day reprieve.
US intelligence believes Huawei is ...

US warns Chinese drones may steal data: report

The Netherlands said it was issuing its first "green bond" on Tuesday, becoming the first top-rated country to tap into a growing market for investments in environmental projects.
It is aiming to raise between four and six billion euros (USD 4.5 billion to USD 6.7 billion) up to July 2040, according to HSBC, one of the banks handling the operation, although the Dutch government did not immediately give a figure.
The Netherlands is the fifth country to issue environmentally friendly sovereign debt after fellow EU nations Poland, France, Belgium and Ireland.
"The Netherlands is today the first triple A country to issue a green bond," Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Twitter, referring to its international bond rating.
The Dutch finance ministry added: "With green bonds we finance green expenditures and we stimulate the green capital market. A new step towards a greener economy and a greener Netherlands." Climate change and the environment are pressing issues for the ...

Dutch issue first 'green bond'

Nepal's central bank has banned popular Chinese digital wallets Alipay and WeChat, an official said Tuesday, fearing loss of foreign currency earnings from thousands of Chinese tourists that visit the country.
Nepal Rastra Bank issued a notice on Monday, banning the use of the Chinese digital payment platforms popularly used in hotels, restaurants and shops in tourist areas, especially in Chinese-run businesses.
Laxmi Prapanna Niroula, spokesman for Nepal's central bank said that using the platforms in the country was illegal without the bank's authorisation.
"We have enforced a ban on Alipay and WeChat Pay because the country is losing foreign currency earnings through its usage. Action will be taken if anyone is found using the platforms," Niroula told AFP.
Niroula said currently there is no record of how many transactions have taken place through the platforms as they are not recorded in Nepal.
Alipay, started by e-commerce giant Alibaba and owned by its affiliate Ant Financial, ...

Nepal bans Alipay, WeChat Pay

The OECD on Tuesday cut its forecast for the world economy, urging governments to resolve their trade disputes as the latest flare-up in the China-US trade war threatens to crimp global growth.
"Governments must act urgently to reinvigorate growth that benefits all," the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said as it pared back its forecast for global growth to 3.2 percent this year from 3.3 percent earlier.
"Resolve trade disputes through increased international cooperation while fixing the international rules-based system," the OECD said.
"Invest in infrastructure, digital transformation and skills to meet tomorrow's challenges. In the euro area, combine structural with fiscal policies to stimulate activity."
The OECD's updated forecasts did not take directly into account the latest flare-up in the long-running trade war between Washington and Beijing, "insofar that there is still a great deal of uncertainty about the length of time (tariffs) will remain in place .

OECD cuts global growth forecast as US-China tensions rise

Two people were killed in a floatplane crash in Alaska Monday, officials said, the second fatal incident involving the same local airline in a week.
"A pilot and a single passenger are deceased after a Taquan Air Beaver Floatplane crashed in Metlatkatla Harbor" on Monday afternoon, Ketchikan Gateway Borough said in a statement.
"There were no other individuals on board the aircraft."
The victims' bodies have been recovered and taken to a nearby medical facility, while the plane was being towed to shore by volunteers, it added.
Last Tuesday, a Taquan Air floatplane crashed into another aircraft in mid-air killing six people, also near Ketchikan, in southeastern Alaska.
The Taquan Air plane last week was flying a shore excursion sold through a cruise line.
Ketchikan is a popular tourist spot on southern Alaskan cruise routes surrounded by fjords and dense forests.
Multiple tour companies offer rides through the area's fjords, many of which include a water landing in a ...

Two killed in latest Alaska floatplane crash

The exhumed body of Angolan rebel chief Jonas Savimbi, who was killed in 2002, will be reburied in his hometown next month, authorities said after DNA tests confirmed the identity of the remains.
The charismatic warlord, who fought Angola's socialist government in a 27-year civil war, was killed in a battle against the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) forces on February 22, 2002.
His death paved the way for a peace deal that brought an end to one of Africa's longest and bloodiest conflicts, which erupted after independence from Portugal in 1975.
He was buried the day after he died in Angola's eastern Moxico province.
Six weeks after his death, his Unita movement signed a peace treaty with the MPLA government.
DNA tests, conducted by laboratories in South Africa, Argentina, Portugal and Angola, confirmed that the body was Savimbi's.
"All tests agree," Minister of State Pedro Sebastiao told reporters on Monday.
The rebel leader will be re-buried in his hometown ...

Angola to re-bury body of rebel chief Savimbi

Andy Murray is confident he can return to competitive tennis and has hinted at a doubles spot at Wimbledon, inspired by American doubles great Bob Bryan's return from hip surgery.
The two-time Wimbledon champion, 32, in January announced plans to retire after this year's Wimbledon due to injury, expressing doubt as to whether he would even make it to the All England Club.
The Scot has all but ruled out an appearance in the singles draw, nearly four months after surgery on a career-threatening hip problem, but he could return by playing in the men's doubles.
The former world number one told Tuesday Times there was "very little chance" he would play singles during the grass-court season.
"Potentially doubles, but I'm not trying to get ready for singles just now," he said.
"The thing I said before was that, if I wasn't feeling good, there was more chance that I would play and then stop after Wimbledon.
"Whereas if it's feeling good, it makes a bit more sense to give it time to make sure .

Pain-free Murray optimistic about return to tennis

Formula One legend Niki Lauda is "irreplaceable", Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said in reaction to the death of the Austrian three-time world champion at the age of 70.
Lauda -- whose death comes eight months after he underwent a lung transplant -- had been non-executive chairman of Mercedes since 2012 and was instrumental in persuading Lewis Hamilton to move to them for the 2013 campaign from McLaren.
The English pilot has since gone on to win four drivers championships and the team has won five successive constructors titles.
"Our Mercedes team has also lost a guiding light," said Wolff in a team statement.
"As a team-mate over the past six and a half years, Niki was always brutally honest -- and utterly loyal.
"It was a privilege to count him among our team and moving to witness just how much it meant to him to be part of the team's success.
"Whenever he delivered one of his famous motivational speeches, he brought an energy that nobody else could replicate.
"Niki, you are ...

Lauda 'irreplaceable', says Mercedes chief Wolff

Jofra Archer's late bid for an World Cup place was rewarded when the Sussex fast bowler was named in hosts England's 15-man squad for the tournament announced Tuesday.
Barbados-born Archer only became qualified for England in March and has played just three one-day internationals.
He edged out left-arm quick David Willey, a veteran of 46 ODIs, after both pacemen featured during England's 4-0 series win at home to Pakistan which concluded Sunday.
There was no place also in a squad, again captained by Eoin Morgan, for back-up spinner and batsman Joe Denly, with Hampshire slow left-armer Liam Dawson -- who did not feature against Pakistan -- recalled as cover for Adil Rashid, who is nursing a shoulder problem.
Both Denly and Willey were named in England's provisional squad, as was opener Alex Hales.
James Vince came in after England decided against selecting Hales following the Nottinghamshire batsman's ban for recreational drug use.
England reduced their qualification period from seven .

Archer in England's World Cup squad as Willey and Denly miss out

Egyptian authorities have ordered the release of a former diplomat who was detained after proposing a referendum on the regime of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, his lawyer said on Monday.
Masom Marzok, a former assistant foreign minister, was arrested in August 2018 after publicly criticising Sisi and calling for a poll on the former military chief remaining in power.
Marzok, a veteran of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, was one of several activists detained on charges including partnering with a terrorist organisation and colluding to commit terrorist acts.
"The order to release ambassador Masom Marzok has been confirmed," defence lawyer Khaled Ali said on his Facebook page.
Several other activists who were detained around the same time, including economist Raied Salama and geology professor Yehia al-Qazzaz, are also set to be freed, Ali said.
"They may be released within hours," he added.
Former army chief Sisi took office in 2014 after leading the ouster of his predecessor Mohamed Morsi 

Egypt to free ex-diplomat critical of Sisi's rule: lawyer

At least four refugees in Australia's offshore Pacific camps have attempted suicide since the conservative government's shock re-election Saturday, according to refugees, advocates and police.
Around 800 would-be refugees who tried reach Australia have been sent to live in severe conditions on the remote islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus under a hardline policy from Canberra.
Many had prayed for a more lenient policy from Labor, who had been strongly tipped to win.
But an unexpected victory by Scott Morrison's centre-right coalition at dashed hopes and set off a wave of self-harm including several hospitalisations.
Prominent Kurdish author and asylum-seeker Behrouz Boochani tweeted from Manus: "The situation in Manus is out of control, today two more people attempted suicide." Manus Provincial Police Commander David Yapu told AFP that he was aware of at least ten suicide attempts including four over the weekend.
"It's an issue we are faced with right now," he said.
"Over ..

Australia election triggers refugee suicide attempts

On fire in a burning cockpit: Formula One legend Niki Lauda, who died late on Monday at the age of 70, will forever be known for his 1976 accident.
But even the horrific crash could not shake the 1975 world champion's icy determination -- he staged a near-miraculous comeback to win two more titles and went on to become a successful entrepreneur, founding his own airlines.
Lauda had taken his maiden Formula One world championship for Ferrari the previous year and was leading the standings when on August 1, 1976, his car plunged off the track for never-explained reasons and burst into flames on the notorious 22.8-kilometre (14-mile) long Nuerburgring in Germany.
He was trapped in the burning vehicle for almost a minute before being pulled out by other drivers who stopped to rescue him, risking their lives as their own fireproof racing suits were scorched by the intense heat.
Images of the accident went around the world. Just days earlier, Lauda had said in an interview: "On the ...

A story of fire and ice: Niki Lauda, Formula One legend

A Tokyo police smartphone app to scare off molesters has become a smash hit in Japan, where women have long run the gauntlet of groping on packed rush-hour trains.
Victims of groping can activate the Digi Police app, which either blasts out a voice shouting "stop it" at top volume, or produces a full-screen SOS message -- which victims can show other passengers -- reading: "There is a molester.
Please help." The app has been downloaded more than 237,000 times, an "unusually high figure" for a public service app, said police official Keiko Toyamine.
"Thanks to its popularity, the number is increasing by some 10,000 every month," Toyamine told AFP.
Victims are often too scared to call out for help, she said. But by using the SOS message mode, "they can notify other passengers about groping while remaining silent".
There were nearly 900 groping and other harassment cases on Tokyo trains and subways reported in 2017, according to the latest available data from the Tokyo Metropolitan ...

Stop it! Japan anti-groper app becomes smash hit

The life and times of Niki Lauda, who has died at the age of 70.
1949: Andreas Nikolaus Lauda born on February 22 in Vienna, Austria
1968: Without telling his parents, who disapprove of motor racing, Lauda wins his first race in a Mini
1971: Takes out a loan to buy a seat in the new March team in Formula Two
1971: Promoted to March Formula One team. Makes grand prix debut in Austria on August 15
1973: Takes another loan to buy his way into BRM team 1974: Gets a huge break when former BRM teammate Clay Regazzoni recommends him to Ferrari. Lauda finishes second in Argentina on Ferrari debut
1974: Enjoys his first grand prix victory in Spain on April 28 in his fourth race for Ferrari
1975: Emerges as Formula One's star driver as he becomes world champion for the first time, winning five of 14 grands prix and taking nine pole positions
1976: Suffers horrific burns and lung damage in a fiery crash at the Nuerburgring and is read the last rites in hospital. Miraculously misses only two ...

Driver, legend, businessman: Niki Lauda's career

Former Australian opener Michael Slater was kicked off a plane after a heated argument with two friends, delaying the flight for 30 minutes, a report said Tuesday.
Macquarie Sports Radio, citing eyewitnesses, said the row erupted between Slater and two women as they boarded a flight from Sydney to his hometown Wagga Wagga on Sunday.
It escalated with yelling and swearing as they took their seats, the broadcaster reported, claiming Slater locked himself in a toilet and refused to come out, with security called to remove him.
Slater, now a well-known television pundit who is due to commentate at the upcoming World Cup in England, confirmed the incident in a statement, according to Macquarie.
"I did have an argument with two friends whilst boarding a flight to Wagga and I apologise for the inconvenience this caused other passengers on the flight," he said.  Australian airline Qantas also confirmed an incident, without naming Slater.
"Prior to departure on a Sydney to Wagga Wagga flight ..

Former Aussie opener Slater kicked off plane: report

The man accused of shooting dead 51 Muslim worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks was formally charged with terrorism for the first time on Tuesday, New Zealand police said.
In addition to the terror charge, Brenton Tarrant also faces 51 charges of murder and 40 of attempted murder over the March 15 attacks.
"The charge will allege that a terrorist act was carried out in Christchurch," police said in a statement.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has characterised the mosque killings a well-planned "terrorist attack" since the day Tarrant, a self-described white supremacist, allegedly carried them out.
But until now the charges against him were less expansive, as New Zealand's Terrorism Suppression Act was only introduced in 2002 and is untested in the courts.
Police said the decision to lay the terror charge was made after consultations with prosecutors and government legal experts.
Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian, is currently in a high security prison undergoing ..

AFP

AFP

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