MOGADISHU, Oct 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A suicide bomber blew himself up at a shop selling tea in Somalia’s capital, killing at least seven people, police and witnesses have said.

The explosion occurred inside a tea shop in Bar Bulsho Mogadishu near the presidential palace in central Somalia, said police spokesman Sadik Dudishe.

“All the casualties were people spending time to drink tea,” Dudishe said.

The cafe is frequented by members of the Somali security forces, as well as civilians.

MOSCOW, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday it believed a decision by U.S. Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill that omitted aid for Ukraine was a temporary setback for Kyiv, but forecast war fatigue in the West would grow and increasingly split opinion.

Congress passed legislation on Saturday which extended funding for more than a month to avoid a government shutdown but did not include any aid for Kyiv, despite Washington's status as Ukraine's biggest financial and military backer.

ISLAMABAD, Oct 01 (APP): Pakistan on Sunday strongly condemned the terrorist attack targeting the Ministry of Internal Affairs of brotherly Turkiye and reaffirmed that it resolutely stood with Turkiye in its fight against the scourge of terrorism.

“We pray for the swift and complete recovery of those injured in this heinous attack,” Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press release.

“We are confident that with their characteristic grit and determination, the Turkish nation will defeat this menace and emerge ever stronger,” it was further added.

MANILA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Monday said it has approved a loan of 66.1 million euros (72.3 million U.S. dollars) as additional financing to support Armenia in building earthquake-resilient schools and strengthening its capacity for seismic disaster risk management.

"Armenia is located in a seismically active region and is prone to earthquakes that can cause significant human suffering and economic losses," said ADB Senior Project Officer in Armenia Gohar Mousaelyan.

29 September 2023; MEMO: Suicide bombings ripped through two mosques in Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 57 people and injuring dozens more as believers marked the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad, police and health officials said, Reuters reports.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts, one of which was reported to have trapped dozens under rubble.

02 October 2023; MEMO: Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour refused on Saturday to speak in French when a journalist asked him to do so, amid tension between the two countries over France’s decision to tighten visa requirements on three north African countries including Morocco.

02 October 2023; MEMO: Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour refused on Saturday to speak in French when a journalist asked him to do so, amid tension between the two countries over France’s decision to tighten visa requirements on three north African countries including Morocco.

29 September 2023; MEMO: SpaceX’s satellite internet venture, Starlink, needs to fully comply with Turkish regulations to operate in Turkiye, a senior official told Anadolu days after Elon Musk’s company applied for a license in the country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is on the brink of a federal government shutdown after hard-right Republicans in Congress rejected a longshot effort to keep offices open as they fight for steep spending cuts and strict border security measures that Democrats and the White House say are too extreme.

Come midnight Saturday with no deal in place, federal workers will face furloughs, more than 2 million active duty and reserve military troops will work without pay and programs and services that Americans rely on from coast to coast will begin to face shutdown disruptions.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Before being assigned to investigate President Joe Biden’s son, Leo Wise built a reputation in Baltimore as a tough and hard-charging federal prosecutor, taking on powerful, and seemingly untouchable, figures — whether a gang of corrupt cops, a police commissioner, a top local prosecutor and even a mayor.

NEW YORK (AP) — One of New York’s wettest days in decades left the metropolitan area stunned and swamped Friday after heavy rainfall knocked out several subway and commuter rail lines, stranded drivers on highways, flooded basements and shuttered a terminal at LaGuardia Airport for hours.

Some 8.65 inches (21.97 centimeters) of rain had fallen at John F. Kennedy Airport by nightfall Friday, surpassing the record for any September day set during Hurricane Donna in 1960, the National Weather Service said.

WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The United States is monitoring a troubling Serbian military deployment along the border of Kosovo that is destabilizing the area, the White House said on Friday and called for the forces to be withdrawn.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Kosovo's peacekeeping force is going to be increasing its presence of NATO forces in northern Kosovo as a result of the tensions.