Mexico plane crash: All 103 people on board survive

A passenger plane has crashed in the capital of Mexico's Durango state, just moments after take-off.

 

All 103 passengers and crew on board the Aeroméxico flight survived the crash but 97 of them are injured.

 

State Governor José Rosas Aispuro said the plane was hit by a gust of wind, which caused a sudden descent. Its left wing then touched the ground and two engines came off.

 

Most of the passengers were able to walk away before it caught fire.

 

But the airline's chief executive, Andres Conesa, said the captain had sustained injuries.

 

"The flight captain is being operated on. What we know so far is that these aren't life-threatening injuries," he said.

 

The names and nationalities of those on board are currently unknown.

 

Aeroméxico flight AM2431 was flying from Guadalupe Victoria International Airport to Mexico City.

 

The airport operator, Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte, said early data suggests bad weather was the cause, and that the plane had taken off during a heavy hailstorm before being forced to attempt an emergency landing.

 

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15 dead as gunmen storm Afghan govt building, 11 killed in bus bombing

 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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Neymar blames 'brattish' behaviour on his inner child

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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Government preparing to announce tiger population

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