One Nepali student taken hostage by Hamas, says Foreign Minister Saud
Kathmandu (PTI): A Nepali student who went missing after a farm in Israel was attacked by Hamas has been taken hostage by the Palestine militant group and efforts are on to find him with the help of international organisations, the Nepal government said on Sunday.
Hamas carried out a barrage of air strikes in Southern Israel on Saturday last which killed 10 Nepali students. Six students were rescued and one went missing. The 17 Nepalese students were working as interns on the farm under the 'Learn and Earn' scheme.
Bipin Joshi, who saved the lives of other Nepalese students when Hamas launched a grenade attack on them, has been abducted by the militant group, Foreign Minister N P Saud told a select group of international media representatives at his residence here.
"Joshi has been taken hostage by Hamas. Based on information from his colleagues, Hamas took Joshi as a hostage and a group of Thai nationals. The Nepal government has requested international organisations and diplomatic missions to assist in locating Joshi," he said.
Joshi even threw away one of the two unexploded grenades, which were hurled by the Hamas on them, Saud said.
"The Israeli government has taken control of the dead bodies of the 10 Nepalese students killed in the terrorist attack," he said.
"I spoke with Israel's Foreign Minister (Eli Cohen) on the matter, and we are working towards bringing back the bodies at the earliest. The Nepalese ambassador to Israel has also expressed a commitment to bringing back the bodies to Nepal as soon as possible," Saud said.
The Nepal government has also issued a travel advisory for its citizens, urging them not to visit Israel unless absolutely necessary and to exercise extreme caution and take necessary safety measures in case the travel is urgent.
Nepal wants a peaceful resolution of the Middle East issue, Saud said in reply to a question.
"The attack on our students, some of whom are very young, below 20 years, by Hamas is deplorable," he said.
Hamas targeted the Nepalese students, who were hiding in a bunker, with multiple attacks, including grenade explosions and gunfire, Saud said.
One of the seriously injured students is currently receiving treatment in Israel, he said.
Around 200 Nepalese nationals working in different fields in Israel have filled online forms expressing their desire to return home and the government will soon make some arrangements for their repatriation, the foreign minister said.
On Friday, a group of 254 Nepali students rescued from Israel arrived in Kathmandu.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there were 265 students from Nepal studying under the Israel government-funded 'Learn and Earn' scheme in different parts of Israel, and about 4,500 Nepali citizens working in various professional fields.
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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.
