KABUL - Explosions ripped through the funeral of an Afghan anti-government protester in Kabul on Saturday, killing at least seven people and wounding dozens in fresh carnage that spiked tensions in a city already on edge. The latest killings, which could provoke a new cycle of bloodshed, bring to 101 the number of people killed this week with hundreds injured in one of the worst bouts of violence in the Afghan capital for years. Witnesses reported three back-to-back blasts during the burial of Salim Ezadyar, who was among four people killed on Friday when a protest over spiraling insecurity in Kabul degenerated into street clashes with police. "So far seven dead bodies and 119 wounded people have been brought to Kabul hospitals," health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh said. The funeral of Ezadyar, the son of an influential Afghan senator, was attended by senior government figures including Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, but they escaped unharmed. No group has so far claimed the attack, with the Taliban - the biggest insurgent group in Afghanistan - denying any involvement. The fresh killings are likely to further polarize a city that has been on edge since a truck bombing on Wednesday in Kabul's diplomatic quarter killed 90 people and wounded hundreds, in the deadliest attack on the Afghan capital since 2001. President Ashraf Ghani made a televised appeal for national unity after the funeral bombings. "The country is under attack," he said. "We must stay strong and united." Wednesday's assault highlighted the ability of militants to strike even in the capital's most secure district, home to the presidential palace and foreign embassies that are enveloped in a maze of concrete blast walls. The government has blamed the Taliban-allied Haqqani network for the attack. On Friday, the district center again became a battlefield when hundreds of demonstrators incensed by the bombing clashed with police, prompting officials to beat them back with live rounds in the air, tear gas and water cannon. The tense week of violence during the holy fasting month of Ramadan has left hospitals in the city overwhelmed, with many running beyond capacity to treat the injured. Police on Saturday locked down much of Kabul city, with armed checkpoints and armored vehicles patrolling the streets to prevent a repeat of Friday's clashes. The United Nations and a host of international allies have urged restraint by all sides. "The attack today, conducted by those opportunistically seeking to use these very fragile moments to destabilize Afghanistan, follows so much violence this week," the UN said in a statement. "In the context of so much suffering, now is the time to seek unity and solidarity." Agence France-presse create your own wristbandwristband creation24 hour wristbands couponfidget spinner bracelet
Nearly 100 primary school students in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, have written letters of encouragement to children being treated for leukemia at a hospital in the city.The activity was organized by the Hematology and Oncology Hospital at Harbin Medical University, which has treated nearly 400 children with leukemia since 2011. Most of the child patients are ages 2 to 5, according to reports in Modern Evening Times a newspaper in the city.On Tuesday, the hospital organized a meeting between child patients and student representatives who delivered the letters to the ward.The young patients and their parents read the letters, written by students at primary schools in Harbin, including Jihong Primary School and Huayuan Primary School, during the meeting."A new spring is coming and everything on Earth is regaining vitality, and all illness will disappear," said one letter, while another read, "I believe you will recover, and you must come to my home as a guest when you leave hospital."Some students also included their cellphone numbers in the hope of remaining in contact with the patients, the newspaper reported.The report said a local business had donated a tablet computer to each of the 86 children with leukemia in the hospital to help them continue with their studies and to provide entertainment during their period of treatment.Li Limin, a doctor who specializes in the treatment of leukemia at the hospital, told the newspaper that between 70 percent and 80 percent of children diagnosed with the disease can be cured. Generally, boys can return to school after three years' treatment, while girls can return after two years, he said.Li urged parents to send children to hospital for a checkup if they display repeated symptoms such as unexplained fever and pain in the joints, or if their gums bleed for more than two weeks.Hu Yu, president of Wuhan Union Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, said the number of patients with leukemia in China is estimated to be about 4 million, and the figure is rising by about 60,000 every year. Children account for 40 percent of new cases annually.Leukemia has long been the cancer with the highest rates of incidence and mortality among children in China, and the high cost of treatment is a major challenge for patients' families, he added.Hu suggested that more measures should be taken to make treatment for child patients more affordable, including extending medical insurance reimbursement policies for the disease - which currently only cover children living in poverty in rural areas - to all children with the illness.
