Segun Akanni, Toronto, Canada 
A suicide bomb attack at an election rally in Afghanistan has killed at least 26 people.
The meeting in Parwan province, north of the capital Kabul, was about to be addressed by President Ashraf Ghani.
Another blast in central Kabul, near the US embassy, has killed at least three people.
The Taliban said they were behind both attacks. The group has continued a concerted bombing campaign while at the same time taking part in peace talks.
But US President Donald Trump described the negotiations with the Taliban as “dead” earlier this month.
The Taliban refuse to talk to the Afghan government and have vowed to disrupt the presidential election in the country on September. 28
About explosion
Forty-two people are reported to have been injured in the election rally blast in Charikar, the capital of Parwan province.
“Children were among the casualties,” medical staff said. The bomber, on a motorbike, triggered the blast at a checkpoint at the venue.
Mr Ghani, who hopes for a second five-year term, was not hurt.
Details about the Kabul blast are still emerging. It was near the busy Massood Square, the site of government ministries and Nato compounds.
