A series of explosions shook Afghanistan on Wednesday, the Taliban said, including a blast inside a mosque in the capital of Kabul that killed at least five worshippers and three bombings of minivans in the country's north that killed nine passengers. The Kabul Emergency Hospital said it received 22 victims of the mosque bombing, including five dead. There were no further details on the blast that struck the Hazrat Zakaria Mosque in the city’s central Police District 4, according to Khalid Zadran, a Taliban police spokesman in Kabul. “The blast took place while people were inside the mosqu

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday took responsibility for drinking parties at Downing Street during the COVID-19 lockdown. Earlier in the day, the prime minister's office released a new report on the results of an internal investigation into lockdown parties, led cabinet official Sue Gray. The document confirmed the findings of the January 31 report, in particular, that some of the gatherings in Downing Street violated the lockdown rules and should not have been held. "I want to begin today by renewing my apology to the House [the parliament], to the whole country, for the short lu

A Russian soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a Ukrainian civilian was sentenced to life in prison. The sentencing Monday comes amid signs the Kremlin may hold trials of its own, particularly against the captured Ukrainian fighters who held out at Mariupol's steel plant. Meanwhile, in a rare public expression of opposition to the war from the ranks of the Russian elite, a veteran diplomat resigned and sent a letter to foreign colleagues in which he said he had never been so ashamed of his country as he was on the day Moscow invaded. “For twenty years of my diplomatic career I have seen d

Denmark is providing Ukraine with a Harpoon launcher and missiles to defend its coasts amid Russia's special military operation, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday. "Grateful to Denmark, which announced today that it will provide a harpoon launcher and missiles to help Ukraine defend its coast," Austin said during a press conference after the second meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Harpoon missiles – one of the most widespread anti-ship cruise missiles in the world.

United States representative to the United Nations office in Geneva on Sunday called for Taiwan's inclusion in World Health Assembly (WHA) this year. On the eve of the opening of the annual conference of WHA, Ambassador Sheba Crocker said that WHA can benefit from Taiwan's world-class expertise and strong research capabilities in the field of health care. The annual meeting of WHA, which is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO) began on Sunday and will be held till May 28. Despite the support of many countries and organizations, Taiwan was not invited to attend the m

A gas cylinder explosion in the capital of the United Arab Emirates killed two people and injured 120 others Monday, police said. Abu Dhabi police initially acknowledged the mid-day blast Monday, but offered no casualty figures. Hours later, they gave them, offering only a few photos of broken glass in the street. Abu Dhabi Police said a gas cylinder had exploded in a restaurant in Khalidiya. The police added that out of the 120 injured, 64 sustained minor injuries and 56 sustained moderate injuries. The wounded were transferred to the hospital. The explosion damaged several shops and the faca

America's space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has accused China of stealing unclassified American technology, ranging from military secrets to medical research. During a United States House Appropriations Committee hearing on May 17, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson accused the Chinese Communist Party of stealing the United States' most vital technological secrets, The Singapore Post reported. This comes as a response to the questions raised by the US representative and committee member, Robert Aderholt who noted that the space vehicles being developed between

Armed men have abducted an Italian family and their Togolese domestic worker in southern Mali, an official said Friday, the latest attack to target Westerners in the volatile West African country. Chaka Coulibaly, mayor of the small town of Sincina, told The Associated Press that the men had broken into the home of the Christian missionary couple on Thursday night. The Italian couple are Jehovah's Witnesses and were working to set up a church in the commune, a member of Mali’s small Christian community said. Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio was following developments, the foreign minis

France reported its first case of monkeypox on Friday, country's Health Ministry confirmed the case after a PCR test was done on the patient a day before. Citing French news channel BFMTV, Xinhua reported that a patient is a 29-year-old man residing in the Ile-de-France region. As his condition is not considered serious and worrying, the man is isolating at his home, the report said. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to convene an emergency meeting of experts to discuss the latest outbreak of monkeypox in wake of rapidly rising cases, according to Russian media. Sinc