Brazil Weighs IP Curbs, Patent Suspensions After New U.S. Tariffs 
North Korea Calls South Korea ‘Puppet’ After U.S.-Led RIMPAC Naval Exercise 
NY Times Challenges Trump Administration Subpoenas Over Air Force One Report 
Trump Declassifies China Election Intelligence, Revives 2020 Election Security Claims 
Trump Administration Launches AI Cybersecurity Partnership to Protect Critical Infrastructure 
US Restricts Commercial Flights From Congo Amid Ebola Outbreak 
Trump to Deliver National Address on 2020 Election Intelligence, Voting Machine Security 
U.S. Imposes 25% Tariff on Select Brazilian Imports After Section 301 Trade Investigation 
Trump Criticizes ABC, NBC and CNN for Limiting Coverage of Election Speech 
US Military Launches New Strikes on Iran, Targets Threats to Strait of Hormuz Shipping 
US-Iran Conflict Escalates as Hormuz Tensions Disrupt Global Oil Shipping 
Xi Jinping Calls for People-Centered AI Development at WAIC, Expands Global Cooperation 
Trump Slams New York Data Center Ban, Warns AI Investment Could Shift to Other States 
Iran Launches Fresh Attacks on U.S. Bases as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Escalate 
DOJ Refuses to Release Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein Files to New Mexico Investigation 
Russian and Ukrainian Strikes Kill at Least 13 as Attacks Intensify Across Frontline Regions 
Trump Expands U.S. Strikes on Iran, Warns Attacks Will Continue Until Nuclear Deal 
Another attack occurred in Afghanistan over the weekend as a bomb detonated in the capital Kabul. Authorities said eight were killed and 22 were wounded from the blast.
Hospital officials and witnesses in Afghanistan Saturday said a bomb blast in a shopping street in Kabul led to eight fatalities and 22 wounded. The bomb exploded in the western district of the city where members of the Shi’ite Muslim minority community meet.
The attack was claimed by the Sunni Muslim militant group, Islamic State, in a post on Telegram.
The spokesperson for Afghanistan’s interior ministry said a team of investigators is at the site of the blast to help those who were wounded and assess casualties.
The bombing also came at a time when Shi’ite Muslims are celebrating Ashura, commemorating the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
While the Islamic State militant group does not hold any territory in Afghanistan, the group operates in sleeper cells to attack religious minorities in the country, including the patrols by the Taliban, who are also Sunni Muslims. The insurgent group that retook control of Afghanistan in August last year, pledged to provide more protection for Shi’ite Muslim mosques and other facilities.
Kabul-based Shi’ite religious scholar Sayed Kazum Hojat said the Taliban had increased security ahead of Ashura but that the insurgent group must be more vigilant.
Previously, the Taliban said it was not aware that wanted al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was in Kabul or was living in the capital when the United States launched a drone strike to eliminate al-Zawahiri early this month.
The strike on Zawahiri added another blow to the militant group following the raid of the US Navy SEALs that killed Osama bin Laden.
The Taliban representative to the United Nations, Suhail Shaheen, issued a statement saying the Taliban leaders were not aware of al-Zawahiri residing in Kabul and that an investigation was launched to confirm the claim, and that the results of the probe would be shared with the public.
However, the insurgent group also warned the US not to repeat the drone strike again and that any attempt to violate the territory of Afghanistan, Washington will bear the consequences.
