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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World’s ‘nicest judge’ Frank Caprio, who drew huge online audience with his kindness, dies at 88
Rhode Island: Frank Caprio, the Rhode Island judge whose compassionate courtroom manner made him a global sensation, passed away on August 20 at the age of 88.
His death after “a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer” was announced through a statement on his Instagram account.
Widely known as “world’s Nicest Judge,” Caprio rose to international prominence through the television show Caught in Providence, which aired from 2000 and became an internet phenomenon years later. Clips of his empathetic judgments, often laced with humor, warmth, and kindness, attracted millions of viewers on social media, earning him a devoted following worldwide.
Born on November 24, 1936, Caprio served as a municipal judge in Providence from 1985 until his retirement in 2023. His courtroom became a symbol of compassion in justice. His most popular videos have been those where he calls children to the bench to help pass judgement on their parents.
“Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond,” his family wrote in their tribute. “His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him.”
With nearly 3.5 million followers on his personal Instagram account and over 16 million on the show’s official page, he used his platform to highlight systemic issues such as the lack of equal access to the judicial system. In one video, he remarked, “The phrase, ‘With liberty and justice for all’ represents the idea that justice should be accessible to everyone. However, it is not.”
Even in the final years of his life, Caprio remained an advocate for fairness. Reflecting on his approach to the bench, he said in 2017: “I hope that people will take away that the institutions of government can function very well by exercising kindness, fairness, and compassion in their deliberations. We live in a very contentious society. I would hope that people will see that we can dispense justice without being oppressive.”
On social media platformX, Gov. Dan McKee called Caprio a “Rhode Island treasure” and ordered that flags in the state be flown at half-mast in his honor.
