All Nepali students in Israel shifted to secured location, says govt
Kathmandu (PTI): The Nepal government on Tuesday said all Nepali students who are in Israel have been shifted to a secured location, a day after it confirmed the death of 10 students when Hamas militants from Gaza launched an unprecedented attack against the Jewish nation.
Israel has formally declared war on the Islamist militant group Hamas after its fighters launched a brazen attack on Saturday that has so far killed more than 1,000 people in Israel.
Ten Nepalese students in Israel were killed by Hamas militants in the country's southern region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement confirmed that all Nepali students in Israel "have been shifted to secured location".
"With the assistance of the Israeli army, we have successfully moved nearly all the students to safe areas. As per the information available to me, over 50 students were safely transferred by nightfall," MFA spokesperson Sewa Lamsal said.
"The ministry is maintaining continuous contact with the Nepal embassy team in Israel and is actively preparing to charter a flight to bring these students back home to Nepal once Israel grants permission for air travel," she said.
"Tragically, last Saturday, 10 Nepali students lost their lives during an indiscriminate attack by the Palestinian extremist group Hamas on Israel," Lamsal recalled.
The spokesperson said of the total 17 students who were attacked by Hamas, one remains out of contact, and four others who sustained injuries are receiving treatment with the assistance of the Israeli army. The remaining two have already been evacuated from the incident site and are under the security of the Israeli government.
These 17 were among the 49 students pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture at Sudur Paschim University who had gone to Israel last month under an 11-month learn and earn programme. Of them, the remaining 32 students have been shifted to safe places, the ministry said.
Similarly, 23 students from the Agriculture and Forestry University of Nepal, who are working as interns in different farmhouses in Israel, have also been relocated to safe locations, it said in the statement.
There are a total of 265 Nepali students settled in Israel under the "learn and earn" programme. Besides, 450 Nepalis are working as caregivers in different parts of Israel.
The Nepal government has been arranging special aircraft to bring back citizens working in Israel. To date, 324 individuals have registered their names in the database provided by the foreign affairs ministry for rescue and repatriation. While 288 citizens have expressed their intent to return, 36 want to be relocated.
Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs N P Saud has made a phone call to his Israeli counterpart Ali Cohen and asked for necessary coordination to bring back the dead bodies of the 10 students killed in the Hamas attack, according to the Foreign Minister's secretariat.
Saud also asked Cohen to provide necessary support to bring home Nepali students studying in Israel.
Cohen expressed sorrow over the killing of 10 Nepali students and wished speedy recovery of those injured in the incident. He also assured of providing necessary help and support for the repatriation of Nepalese students and to bring back the dead bodies to Nepal, the secretariat said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
