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 A suicide bomb and gun attack by militants on an Afghan government building in Jalalabad on Tuesday killed at least 15 people, some burned "beyond recognition", officials said, the latest in a series of assaults on the eastern city. 

On the other side of the country a roadside bomb apparently intended for security forces hit a passenger bus and killed 11 people, marking yet another bloody day for civilians who have borne the brunt of violence in Afghanistan. 

The attack in Jalalabad targeted the compound of the refugees and repatriations department. It ended after more than five hours of intense fighting between militants and security forces, said Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province. 

At least 15 people were killed and the same number were wounded, Khogyani said. Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal said some of the dead were "burned beyond recognition". The raid began with a suicide attacker blowing up a bomb-laden car at the entrance as local representatives of foreign donors and agencies were meeting department employees inside the building. 

"About 10 minutes before the end of the meeting we heard an explosion and then gunfire," a government official told AFP. 

"We looked down and saw two attackers entering the building. I and a number of other people at the meeting escaped to a corner on the top floor. I don't know what happened to the others." 
The driver for one of the people at the meeting said he was on the third floor when the attack began. 

"People started screaming and running around," he told AFP. 
"I jumped from the third floor onto a wall and then into the lane." 
Several people were taken hostage by the attackers, said Zabiullah Zmarary, a provincial council member. 

"I saw a black Corolla car drop three armed men at the gate of the refugees and repatriations department," a witness told AFP. 

Khogyani said the two attackers who stormed the compound were killed. 
Security forces swarmed into the area, and a plume of thick black smoke rose into the sky above the compound. 

The Taliban denied involvement in the incident in a WhatsApp message sent to journalists. 
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which comes three days after militants raided a midwife training centre in Jalalabad. 

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, which left at least three people dead and several wounded. 

Jalalabad has been the scene of multiple attacks in recent months that have killed dozens, as US and Afghan forces continue offensives against militants. 

 Civilians under attack 
In the western province of Farah on Tuesday the bomb which hit the bus killed at least 11 people and wounded 31. 

"It was a bomb planted by the Taliban to hit security forces but... it got a passenger bus," Farah provincial police spokesman Muhibullah Muhib told AFP. 

There was no immediate confirmation from the Taliban that they were responsible. 
In a separate incident, 22 passengers travelling on a Kabul-bound bus in the eastern province of

Paktia were kidnapped by gunmen on Monday night. Officials blamed the Taliban for both incidents. Most of the attacks in Jalalabad have been claimed by IS, which has a relatively small but potent presence in Afghanistan, mainly in the east and north. 

It is not clear why the militants targeted the refugees and repatriations department, but government buildings are frequently hit. On July 11 gunmen raided an education department compound in Jalalabad, sparking an hours-long battle with security forces. 

At least 11 people were killed in that attack. All were employees of the education department branch and included the director. 

A suicide bombing claimed by IS on a crowd of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus in Jalalabad on July 1 killed 19 people and wounded 21. 

IS emerged in Afghanistan in 2014 and quickly established a stronghold in Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan. AFP

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KATHMANDU: The Tribhuvan Inter­national Airport’s only runway has been barely functional over the past four years. The Civil Engineer­ing Department under the airport authority has been spending around Rs 20 million a year patching it up. “With such a shoddy runway, there can be an accident anytime,” says Murari Bhandari, department direc­tor. “We are taking a big risk.” There is a risk of aircraft skidding during both takeoffs and landings. “Patch­ing it up on the surface is no solution since there is structural damage,” Bhandari says, adding that if there is a crash because of the runway, it would send out a troubling message to the rest of the world. UTTAM KAPRI

“Being born and liv­ing happily isn’t an achievement, but making others happy is,” is a mantra that keeps Juju Kaji Maharjan going. Maharjan, 35, is a social worker who founded ‘Heartbeat’ in 2006 and registered it as an NGO in 2009. The NGO was set up to advocate and campaign for the rights of street children and help them to become capable citizens. Born into a low-income fam­ily, Maharjan learned to live the hard way. He spent his childhood in a small cottage. His parents were uneducated and they earned their living by farming. Growing up, he had many hobbies but he could not continue any of them.

While in high school he started learning web design­ing. Studies never interested Maharjan. He soon dropped out of high school and started working as a web designer in a cyber café in New Road.

“There used to be many political events at Ratna­park those days. I often went there during my break to see the political leaders deliver speeches,” recalls Maharjan. “I was going nowhere with my life at the time. I had no skills and had quit studies. So I decided to join politics.” Maharjan then enrolled in the Lalitkala Campus, “not to study arts but to become a political leader,” he laughs.

But things did not go as planned. In 2006, he was at a social event held on the occa­sion of the International Youth Day, an event to help those in need. That visit proved to be life-changing and gave him a goal. “I then felt the urge to do something for the society,” he says. “As students of arts, we decided to raise money for social causes by exhibiting paintings and sculptures.”

With that intent, ‘Heartbeat’ was formed. Heartbeat’s ‘Art for Social Change’ continued raising money by exhibiting arts in various parts of Nepal. But after three years, many of his friends had to leave. “I was shattered but I kept going and with a few volunteers, I decided to register Heart­beat as an NGO and continue working,” says Maharjan.

Inspired by his father who managed to contribute his share to the society despite coming from a poor back­ground, Maharjan has dedi­cated more than a decade of his life to social work. “When I began, I spent three years on the streets to understand the situation of street children,” he says. “Now that I have aged, I feel I am still child­ish because of so much time spent with these children.”

Heartbeat started the “Tea for Change” campaign in which its volunteers would take to the streets and offer tea, biscuits and other edibles to street children to get up close with them and convince them that they were not total outcasts.

“Talking and treating them as friends made them feel accepted. When we drank tea with them they felt comfort­able and they slowly started sharing their experience with us,” Maharjan says. “Gradu­ally, we studied their phycol­ogy, and also their will and determination to change. With this knowledge, we started providing counselling in order to re-establish them in the society.” Heartbeat also rescued many street children during that period.

Working with streets chil­dren was not easy. There were many risks. Maharjan was once chased by a khuku­ri-wielding street kid who had been told that Maharjan was making money by exploiting street children. He was also taken into police custody once under suspicion of being a gang leader of street children involved in criminal activities. Police had noticed him inter­act with the street children.

Along with these lows, Maharjan has also had his moments of inspirations. “One time, in Hetaunda, a young boy ran up to me and said, ‘Hello motey (fat) sir, you fed me when I was on the streets,’” Maharjan recalls. “The boy was now working and earning well. Moments like these are my true rewards.”

Maharjan says Heartbeat is funded by his own money and aided by volunteers and stu­dents making small contribu­tions from their own pockets. Presently, Maharjan’s Heart­beat works to prevent chil­dren becoming a permanent part of the street.

A ‘Dream Center’ under Heartbeat is now helping more than 100 children who migrated to Kathmandu to fulfill their dreams but somehow ended up in the streets. The center provides for street children’s education and involves them in other activities like counselling, sports and skills training.

“Children are defined by their habits. We work to change their habits to make them capable and productive citizens,” says Maharjan.

Neymar has tackled critics who derided his play-acting at the World Cup, admitting he "overreacts" and blaming his "brat" like behaviour on his inner child. 

The Brazilian superstar was widely lambasted in Russia for his theatrical reactions to challenges which often left the world's most expensive footballer wincing and rolling on the ground. 

"Boot studs on the shins, kick in the spine, stomp on the foot, you may think I overreact, and sometimes I do, but for real? I suffer on the pitch, but you have no idea what I go through outside of it," he said in comments on a television commercial for a razor blade. 

The Paris Saint-Germain forward, speaking in Portuguese with English subtitles, continued "You may all think I've fallen too much, but the reality is I did not fall, I crumbled." 

"And that hurts more than anyone stepping on your post op ankle," he added, alluding to the surgery on the injury he suffered back in February. 

"When I act like a brat, it isn't because I'm a spoiled child, but because I still haven't learned to deal with my frustrations. 

"There's still a boy inside of me, sometimes it dazzles the world. Other times it pisses every one off. 
"And my fight is to keep this boy alive, but inside of me, not inside the field." He adds: "You can keep throwing rocks at me, or you can throw your rocks away and help me get up. Because when I do get up the whole of Brazil gets up with me." 

This is not the first time Neymar has addressed his taxing World Cup. On his return from Russia he took a tongue in cheek swipe at his detractors with an online video teaching children how to dive. 
And last week, in an interview with AFP, Neymar disclosed he "didn't want to see a ball, or to see any more football played" after Brazil's premature exit. AFP

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The Storytellers brings together stories from all corners of Nepal, the real-life stories about our home-made heroes. The Storytellers believe that stories have the power to inspire and change. With this intent, on July 25 The Storytellers hosted its 12th edition, The Storytell­ers Guitarist Series, inside the premises Raashtriya Naachghar in Jamal. On the occasion, four of the most talented guitarists in the Nepali music scene—Hari Maharjan, Sunny Tuladhar, Binayak Shah and Deepak Moktan—shared their inspir­ing stories. Theirs were stories of persistence, passion, hard work and long experience.

In the previous editions of the event, under different themes, over 40 story-makers from diverse fields like edu­cation, music, entertainment and social work have already shared their stories.

KATHMANDU: The second edition of the joint military exercises between Nepal Army and China’s PLA, named ‘Sagarmatha Friendship’, is to be held in the city of Chengdu in Sichuan province of China between Sept 17 and 28. A 16-man team of Nepal Army is going to China under the leadership of a Lieutenant Colonel. The two countries had agreed to resume the exercises, first held in 2017, during PM KP Oli’s recent China visit.

The second edition of Sagarmatha Friend­ship will focus on ‘anti-terrorism wargames’ and ‘disaster management’. Nepal Army has been conducting similar exercises with the armies of India and the US as a part of its defense diplomacy. SHAMBHU KATTEL

Bhishma Raj Ojha 

Kathmandu, The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation is preparing to announce a total number of tigers in the country through census. 

The government is undertaking the census of tiger since 2067 BS. Last year, the Department counted the tiger population by installing high-tech cameras from Parsa to Kanchanpur districts in Tarai belt. 

The Department shared that the total number of the tiger would be announced soon by completing the computer entry of the camera trap data, data management, GPS, distance, bearing, habitat survey and other entities. 

At a programme organized on the occasion of the World Tiger Day here Sunday, Minister for Forest Shakti Bahadur Basnet said that research and planning were needed for the conservation of tiger and status of the country's capacity. 

Saying that ecosystem and geographic capacity have their own limitations, Minister Basnet opined to set a point of view and prepare plans for tiger conservation. 

Minister Basnet further highlighted the need of support and proactive role from all sides to double the number of tigers and reduce the human-animal conflicts. 

On the occasion, Member of National Planning Commission Dr Krishna Prasad Oli said that habitat protection, public awareness and effective intervention on warding off human-animal conflicts should be effectively implemented to meet the commitment made to double the tiger population by 2022. 

Also speaking on the occasion, secretary at the Ministry Dr Bishownath Oli said that the number of tiger would be announced after analyzing the data appropriately. RSS

Jose Mourinho has voiced his frustration at Manchester United’s lack of transfer activity this summer.

Mourinho has signed Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant during the transfer window, which closes on August 9, and confirmed his desire to recruit two more acquisitions but only expects one at best.

"I would like to have two more players," Mourinho said, after his side were beaten 4-1 by Liverpool in the International Champions Cup.

"I think I am not going to have two. I think it's possible I am going to have one. It's possible.

Sky Sports

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