From an Afghan maternity ward shooting to a new Mekong dam: the non-coronavirus news you may have missed

Gunmen stormed a maternity hospital in the western part of Kabul on Tuesday, killing four people

Afghan security forces stand guard outside a hospital which came under attack in Kabul, Afghanistan May 12, 2020. Reuters

Afghan gunmen storm maternity clinic in Shiite area of Kabul

Gunmen stormed a maternity hospital in the western part of Kabul on Tuesday, setting off a shootout with the police and killing four people as Afghan forces carried out newborn babies and their mothers to evacuate the facility under fire, officials said.

The day's spasm of violence extended beyond the Afghan capital. A suicide bomber in eastern Nangarhar province - a hotbed of ISIS - targeted a funeral ceremony, killing 15 people and wounding at least 40. Also Tuesday, a bomb planted in a cart in a market in eastern Khost province killed a child and wounded 10 people.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Kabul, where both the Taliban and ISIS frequently target Afghan military and security forces, as well as civilians. The Taliban later denied they were involved.

The violence could further undermine a peace process in the wake of a deal signed between the United States and the Taliban in February, which envisages the start of talks among key Afghan figures, including government representatives, and the Taliban. Relentless attacks have also left Afghan authorities ill-prepared to face the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 4,900 people in the country and killed at least 127.

Israel soldier killed in West Bank ahead of annexation talks

The Israeli army suffered its first fatality this year on Tuesday when a Palestinian stonethrower killed a soldier in the occupied West Bank, a day before US-Israeli talks on annexation.

The army said the 21-year-old soldier was hit in the head "during operational activity" in the village of Yaabad near the northern city of Jenin.

Palestinian security sources said that clashes erupted overnight when Israeli forces raided the village.

The unrest came a day before US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due in Jerusalem for discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and incoming defence minister Benny Gantz.

The US-Israel meeting, a day before a new Israeli government is due to be sworn in, will focus partly on President Donald Trump's controversial Middle East peace plan.

Laos to press ahead with 'destructive' new dam on Mekong

Environmentalists have criticised Laos for pressing ahead with plans for another "destructive dam" on the Mekong River, a waterway already strangled by hydropower schemes.

The flow of the Mekong, Southeast Asia's longest river, is interrupted by a cascade of dams in China - where it is called the Lancang.

Two downstream dams - the Xayaburi and Don Sahong - have been built in Laos, which wants to construct seven more as it strives to live up to its billing as the "Battery of Asia".

Water levels have dropped to record lows over the last year, exposing rocks and killing fish, a phenomenon blamed by villagers in Thailand and Laos on the operations of dams.

On Monday, Laos' communist government submitted proposals for the Sanakham dam - close to the northeastern border with Thailand - to the Mekong River Commission (MRC).

The MRC is a dam consultation body for Mekong nations, but has been accused of being toothless in stopping river projects sponsored by governments and big business.

Macau bans Tiananmen exhibition for first time in 30 years, activists say

Macau has refused permission for an annual photo exhibition of the Tiananmen crackdown for the first time in three decades, activists said on Tuesday, accusing the government of stifling free speech.

The semi-autonomous city's dwindling community of democracy supporters have marked the June 4 anniversary of Beijing's bloody crackdown against protesting students since 1989 with a small vigil and an outdoor photo exhibition.

Organisers said permission was initially granted for the exhibition this year by the city's Municipal Affairs Bureau but was later rescinded.

The Democratic Development Union described the decision as a "sudden U-turn" with authorities citing new administrative rules governing how public spaces can be used.

"For 30 years, we've been the organiser of the exhibition and we have always been happy to cooperate with the bureau and follow instructions," the union wrote in an objection letter posted on Facebook.

"Nothing unpleasant has happened before and we have not brought any annoyance to the government or residents."

Iran holds funeral for 19 sailors killed in navy accident

Iran held a funeral on Tuesday for 19 sailors killed when a missile fired during an Iranian military training exercise this week mistakenly struck a naval vessel, the state TV reported.

The ceremony took place at a naval base in the southwestern port city of Chahbahar, about 1,400 kilometers (875 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran. Mourning families and relatives of the killed soldiers, along with military and government officials, attended the ceremony, the report said.

The bungled training exercises took place on Sunday in the waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The missile hit the navy vessel Konarak off the port of Jask in the Gulf of Oman. The Konarak, a Hendijan-class support ship taking part in the exercise, came too close to a target and the missile struck it, state TV had said. The Konarak had been putting targets out for other ships to attack.

Fifteen Iranian sailors were also wounded in the incident, which raised new questions about the readiness of the Islamic Republic's armed forces amid heightened tensions with US, just months after they accidentally shot down a Ukrainian jetliner near Tehran, killing all 176 people onboard.

Iran regularly holds exercises in the Gulf of Oman, which is close to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which 20 per cent of the world's oil trade passes.