Gobi the dog 'adopted' a runner

Dion Leonard and Gobi the dog became inseparable during a gruelling desert race in China.

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Kabul bomb: Afghan leader condemns 'cowardly' attack

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Media captionCivilians were said to be the main casualties

President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan has condemned a massive bomb attack in the capital Kabul, which killed at least 90 people, as "cowardly".

A suicide attacker detonated a bomb hidden inside a tanker truck close to the heavily protected diplomatic area during the morning rush hour.

Some 400 people were injured by the blast, which left a deep crater.

No group has said it carried out the attack but Taliban militants denied being involved.

Recent bomb attacks in Kabul have been claimed either by the Taliban or so-called Islamic State (IS).

The bomb exploded close to the German embassy, where a number of staff were injured.

The German authorities postponed a deportation flight due to return failed Afghan asylum seekers, with a government source telling AFP news agency that diplomatic and consular staff had "more important things to do than to deal with organisational matters" so soon after the attack.

When and where did the attack take place?

Image copyright AFP Image caption A deep crater remained after the blast

The bomb went off at about 08:20 local time (03:50 GMT) near Zanbaq Square, outside the Green Zone, Capt William Salvin, spokesman for Nato's Resolute Support Mission, told the BBC.

Reports vary as to the kind of vehicle used to deliver the bomb - either a water or sewage tanker.

One Western diplomatic source told AFP news agency the blast had been caused by more than 1,500kg (3,307lb) of explosives.

The area is home to key buildings including embassies and the presidential palace.

More than 50 other vehicles were destroyed.

Who were the casualties?

Initial reports suggest civilians bore the brunt of the casualties.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Makeshift ambulances carried people away from the scene

The interior ministry has called on residents to donate blood, saying there was a "dire need".

One local shop owner, Sayed Rahman, told Reuters his store was badly damaged, adding: "I have never seen such a terrible explosion in my life."

Another resident, Abdul Wahid, told the BBC the blast "was like a heavy earthquake".

Image copyright EPA Image caption The blast was close to the German embassy, which suffered severe damage

Several international and local sources have been reporting on casualties:

• Mohammed Nazir, who had worked as a driver for BBC Afghan for more than four years, died in the blast, the BBC confirmed, adding that four of his colleagues were injured
• German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said employees at the German embassy had been injured and one Afghan security guard had died
• French officials said the country's embassy had been damaged but no French casualties reported
• The British embassy said all its staff were accounted for
• Two Japanese embassy staff members were slightly wounded
• Turkey said its embassy was damaged but no-one was hurt
• Afghanistan's Tolo news agency tweeted that one of its staff members, Aziz Navin, had died
• A Tolo journalist also said some of the victims were from the Roshan mobile phone company, but this has not been confirmed

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Mohammed Nazir

Francesca Unsworth, BBC World Service director: It is with great sadness that the BBC can confirm the death of BBC Afghan driver Mohammed Nazir following the vehicle bomb in Kabul earlier today, as he was driving journalist colleagues to the office. Mohammed Nazir worked as a driver for the BBC Afghan service for more than four years and was a popular colleague. He was in his late 30s and he leaves a young family. This is a devastating loss to the BBC and to Mohammed Nazir's friends and family.

Tony Hall, BBC director-general: Many of our staff face dangerous situations every day as they report from volatile areas around the world. It's testament to their bravery that we are able to provide trusted, impartial coverage - but consequences like this are devastating for us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mohammed's family and many friends at such a very sad time.

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What has the reaction been?

Germany's Sigmar Gabriel called the attack "contemptible".

Indian PM Narendra Modi also tweeted his condemnation, saying: "Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased & prayers with the injured."

A Pakistani Foreign Office statement denounced the attack, saying: "Pakistan, being a victim of terrorism, understands the pain and agony that such incidents inflict upon people and society."

Who could have been behind the attack?

IS said it was behind a suicide bomb attack this month on a Nato convoy that was passing the US embassy in Kabul. At least eight civilians were killed.

It has made no comment so far on the latest attack.

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Media captionThe BBC's Justin Rowlatt visited the site of April's Mazar-e Sharif Taliban attack

When announcing the start of their major spring offensive last month, the Taliban said their main focus would be foreign forces, targeting them with a mix of conventional, guerrilla, insider and suicide attacks.

The US has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, with another 5,000 from Nato allies.

The Pentagon has reportedly pressed President Donald Trump to send thousands more troops back to the country to try to counter gains by the Taliban. More than a third of the country is now said to be outside Afghan government control.

A Taliban attack on an Afghan army training compound in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif last month killed at least 135 soldiers, and led to the resignation of the defence minister and army chief of staff.

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Major recent Kabul attacks

Image copyright EPA Image caption Aftermath of the Baqir ul Olum mosque attack in November 2016

• 8 March 2017 - About 50 people killed after attackers dressed as doctors stormed Sardar Daud Khan military hospital
• 21 Nov 2016 - At least 27 dead in a suicide bomb attack on Baqir ul Olum mosque during a Shia ceremony
• 23 July 2016 - At least 80 people killed in twin bomb blasts targeting a rally by the Shia Hazara minority in Deh Mazang square
• 19 Apr 2016 - At least 28 dead in a huge explosion close to the Afghan defence ministry building
• 1 Feb 2016 - 20 killed in a suicide bomb attack at police headquarters
• 7 Aug 2015 - At least 35 people dead in separate bomb attacks across the capital

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Champs Elysees attack: Posthumous marriage for slain policeman

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Etienne Cardiles (centre) paid tribute to Xavier Jugelé (pictured, right) at a remembrance ceremony on 25 April

The French policeman who was killed by a jihadist on Paris' Champs Elysees in April has been married in a posthumous ceremony with his gay partner.

The wedding of late Xavier Jugelé and Etienne Cardiles was conducted in the presence of former President Francois Hollande and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

France is one of the few countries where posthumous marriages are permitted by law.

Mr Jugelé was shot dead on 20 April while on duty on the famous avenue.

Two other officers were wounded in the attack - just days before the first round of the French presidential elections.

The attacker, who was later named as convicted criminal Karim Cheurfi, was shot dead by security forces.

A note defending so-called Islamic State was found near his body.

Who was the slain policeman?

Xavier Jugelé, 37, was an active campaigner for gay rights. He was in a civil partnership and did not have children.

His murder caused huge emotion across France, especially after the moving address by his partner at the subsequent ceremony of remembrance.

"I have no hatred, Xavier, because it is not like you and does not fit with what made your heart beat nor what made you a guardian of the peace," Mr Cardiles said.

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Media captionNick Garnett's interview with officer Xavier Jugelé in 2016

Originally from the Loire Valley region in central France, Mr Jugelé had been serving in the capital since 2014.

He was deployed on the night of the November 2015 attacks in Paris to the Bataclan concert hall, returning the following year on the night the venue reopened.

Interviewed by the BBC's Nick Garnett at the same venue a year later, Mr Jugelé said: "I want to celebrate life and say 'no' to terrorism."

Wednesday's ceremony is believed to be the first posthumous gay wedding to take place in France, and presumably therefore in the world, the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris reports.

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Plane turns back over cockpit incident

Malaysian Airlines plane forced to turn back to Melbourne after passenger tries to enter cockpit, officials say

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Bahrain court dissolves main secular opposition group

Image copyright AFP

A court has ordered the dissolution of Bahrain's main secular opposition group, as the Gulf state continues a crackdown on dissent.

The National Democratic Action Society (Waad) was accused of "advocating violence, supporting terrorism and incitement to encourage crimes".

Amnesty International said the allegations were "baseless and absurd".

It comes less than a year after the main group representing the Sunni-ruled kingdom's Shia majority was banned.

Bahrain has been wracked by deadly unrest since security forces crushed pro-democracy demonstrations mainly led by Shia during the Arab Spring in 2011.

On Wednesday, the official Bahrain News Agency cited the justice ministry as saying that the High Civil Court had ordered the dissolution of Waad.

It found Waad's use of the term "martyrs" when describing three men who were executed in January for killing police officers had violated the Law on Political Associations.

The court also ruled that Waad had broken the law by expressing solidarity with the Wefaq National Islamic Society when the Shia group was dissolved last July, and also by announcing that it "rejected the 2002 constitution as illegitimate".

Image copyright AFP Image caption Activists say dozens have been killed in clashes between protesters and police since 2011

The justice ministry filed a suit against Waad in March after the group issued a statement on the anniversary of the 2011 uprising warning that Bahrain was suffering from a "constitutional political crisis".

Waad and its leaders denied breaking the Law on Political Associations, and have repeatedly stated their opposition to violence and commitment to peaceful protests.

"By banning major political opposition groups, Bahrain is now heading towards total suppression of human rights," said Lynn Maalouf of Amnesty International.

"The suspension of Waad is a flagrant attack on freedom of expression and association, and further proof that the authorities have no intention of delivering on promises of human rights progress."

Waad's former secretary-general, Ibrahim Sharif, has been repeatedly arrested, imprisoned, released and re-arrested in connection with his opposition activities.

Amnesty said the suspension of Waad came amid a "general clampdown on human rights" that had intensified since the start of 2017.

This included the trial of prominent human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, the approval of a constitutional amendment allowing civilians to be tried before military courts, the restoration of arrest and interrogation powers to the National Security Agency, and excessive use of force against protesters, the rights group added.

Image copyright AFP Image caption In March, Waad's former leader was charged with "inciting hatred" against the government

Last week, five people were killed and almost 300 arrested when police raided the home of Bahrain's most prominent Shia cleric, Ayatollah Isa Qassim, and broke up a sit-in by his supporters.

The interior ministry said officers came "under attack by members of a terrorist cell" during the operation, but activists said they shot peaceful protesters.

The raid came two days after Sheikh Qassim was found guilty by a court of corruption and handed a one-year suspended prison sentence.

The cleric's supporters have camped out around his home since June, when the authorities revoked his citizenship after accusing him of promoting sectarianism.

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German court rejects parents' access to dead teenager's Facebook account

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Facebook said that sharing the girl's details would compromise the privacy of her contacts

A court in Germany has ruled that the parents of a dead teenage girl have no right to access their daughter's Facebook account.

The 15-year-old was killed by a train in 2012 and her parents were trying to establish if she had committed suicide.

They had sought access to her chat messages and posts in order to find out whether she had been bullied.

But Facebook argued that opening up the account would compromise the privacy of the teenager's contacts.

A first court in Berlin had ruled in favour of the family, saying that the contents of the girl's account could be seen as similar to letters and diaries, which "can be inherited regardless of their content".

But an appeals court has now ruled in favour of Facebook, saying that a contract existed between the girl and the social media company and that it ended with her death.

The parents may yet launch a further appeal against the verdict.

Facebook has recently faced increased scrutiny in Germany, especially over its handling of hate speech and fake news on the platform.

The company earlier this year announced the introduction of new tools in Germany to combat fabricated stories.

Meanwhile, German officials last month approved plans to levy heavy fines on social media firms if they fail to remove inappropriate comments and content quickly.

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Hacked plastic surgery photos published online

Image copyright Getty Images

More than 25,000 private photographs have been posted online following a data breach at a plastic surgery clinic in Lithuania in March.

Passport and credit card details were also stolen from the Grozio Chirurgija clinic, Lithuanian police said.

After the release of hundreds of photos from the clinic in March, the rest of the database was published on Tuesday.

Patients in Denmark, Germany, Norway and the UK have received demands for ransoms of up to 2,000 euros (£1,737).

Lithuanian police say it is unclear how many of the clinic's clients have been affected but dozens have reported receiving such demands.

Officers said a hacking group called Tsar Team was behind the theft and publication of the data.

'Penalty fee'

In April, a group claiming to have carried out the theft sent the clinic a demand for 344,000 euros, calling it a "small penalty fee" for having vulnerable computer systems.

The perpetrators decided to publish the data when the clinic refused to pay, according to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).

When the database was published on Tuesday, Lithuanian news site 15min reported that the group was demanding 113,500 euros for the full database, as "a lot of people have paid us to delete their data".

"It's extortion. We're talking about a serious crime," Andzejus Raginskis, Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau's deputy chief, told reporters.

He warned that anyone who downloaded and stored the stolen data could be prosecuted and face a prison sentence of up to three years.

The clinic's website is advising people who receive ransom demands not to open them or click on any links contained in them, and to submit any messages they receive to the authorities for investigation.

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