4 Nepalese students injured, 11 missing in Israel after Hamas attack: Foreign Minister Saud
Kathmandu (PTI): Four Nepalese students studying in Israel have been injured and 11 are still missing after Hamas militants attacked a farm, Foreign Minister N P Saud said on Sunday.
The minister said that casualties are feared among the missing students studying in the southern part of Israel.
Israel witnessed a surprise and unprecedented attack by the Hamas group, which rules the Gaza Strip, in its southern parts on Saturday morning.
At least 600 people, including soldiers, have been killed and more than 1,900 injured in Israel -- the deadliest day for the country in at least 50 years.
In the Gaza Strip, there are nearly 300 deaths and about 1,500 wounded in Israel's counterattack, media reports said on Sunday.
"Contact could not be established with 11 Nepalese students and heavy casualties among them are feared," Foreign Minister Saud told PTI.
"We are trying to ascertain the exact number of casualties," he added.
There were 17 Nepalese students in Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel, under the learn and earn programme. Out of 17, two managed to escape safely and four of them sustained injuries, according to Foreign Ministry sources.
The injured Nepalese students are undergoing treatment in a hospital, the sources added.
There are currently 4,500 Nepalese working as caregivers and 265 Nepalese students currently working in various agricultural firms under the learn and earn scheme.
The Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the attack in Israel by the Hamas group. The Nepal government has taken the incident seriously, the ministry said in a statement.
The Government of Nepal has formed a mechanism headed by Saud aimed at rescuing Nepali citizens currently in Israel, according to the ministry.
"The mechanism will continuously monitor the situation, evaluate the conditions faced by Nepali citizens, make necessary decisions regarding rescue operations, and coordinate and cooperate for the same effectively," Saud told the Parliament on Sunday.
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Electoral trusts fill BJP coffers after scrapping of electoral bonds, shows ECI website
New Delhi: Contrary to expectations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be adversely affected by the Supreme Court’s scrapping of the electoral bonds scheme in February 2024, the party’s finances have seen a significant boost in 2024–25 through electoral trusts. It has emerged that electoral trusts alone donated ₹2,577 crore to the BJP during this period.
Following the abolition of electoral bonds, corporate donors seeking partial anonymity appear to have shifted to the electoral trust route, with the BJP continuing to be the largest beneficiary.
According to data available on the Election Commission of India’s website, a total of ₹4,276 crore was donated through electoral trusts, of which the ruling BJP received 83.6 per cent. Compared to 2023–24, corporate donations flowing to the BJP have increased nearly fourfold. The Congress received 7.3 per cent of the total donations, while the Trinamool Congress accounted for 3.6 per cent.
Donations received through electoral trusts constitute only a portion of the total funds collected by political parties. Parties also receive contributions directly from individuals, corporates, institutions and charitable organisations. Over the past several years, donations from sources other than electoral trusts have also shown a steady increase.
