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Ten Nepali nationals have gone missing in flood-ravaged Sikkim. They are reportedly from Ilam municipality-9.

According to Bikram Babu Phyak of Ilam-9, those people were in Sikkim for work. He feared that a flooded Tista River may have swept them away on October 4.

After the flooding, these people have lost contact with their families, which have requested the government to help find their missing relatives.

According to Shrawan Kumar Pokharel, chief district officer of Ilam, among the missing are Sen Bahadur Karki aka Sanu, Lakpa Sherpa, Narmaya Basnet, Khusi Basnet and Kumar Basnet.

Pokharel said he had information that Karki and Sherpa have gone missing but came to know that Basnet and others were also unaccounted for only recently, apparently due to disruption in telephone services and electricity supply in the affected areas. 

He said Nepali authorities are in talks with Indian security authorities regarding the search and rescue of Nepali nationals.

Per media reports, air force helicopters managed to land at the affected areas on Monday for search and rescue operations as a hydroelectric dam burst last week after intense rains, flooding a valley with water and washing away bridges and homes as thousands fled in one of the worst disasters to hit the region in 50 years. 

Police said rescuers have recovered 52 bodies while around a 100 people, including 23 army personnel,  remain unaccounted for.

As the weather improved, helicopters arrived in the worst-hit Mangan district to help some 3,000 stranded tourists.

As per India media reports, an immediate account has been taken of all tourists and local residents in the regions of Chaten, Lachen, Lachung, and Thangu in North Sikkim. A comprehensive list of 2000 tourists, including 63 foreign nationals, has been compiled, and support is being extended in the form of food, medical care, lodging and telephone access.

As soon as Facebook introduced Meta verified, you may have seen the trend of verified profiles with blue ticks all over  Facebook. While few people know how this works, many are still unaware about the subscription. So what is Meta Verify? Who gets it? Can you get it? Is Meta verification as effective as legacy verification? Let’s find out.

What is Meta Verify 

Meta Verify is a subscription officially launched by Meta, in which users can pay $8 per month, so that their profiles get a verified blue tick along with few other benefits, such as increased account protection and access to account support.

Who can get Meta verified? 

While celebrities, politicians, and other public figures used to get legacy blue ticks from Meta after satisfying multiple criterias, Meta Verify can be subscribed  by anyone with a genuine account on the platform meeting this criteria: 

• To be at least 18 years old 
• A public or private profile that’s associated with your full name, aligns with naming standards and has a profile picture that includes your face
• To meet minimum activity requirements, such as prior posting history
• A valid photo ID that matches your profile name and profile picture
• Two-factor authentication enabled on your profile
• Must follow Facebook Community standards

Are the legacy and Meta Verify ticks the same?

No, the tick given by Meta to celebrities is free and lifetime, while Meta Verify is a paid subscription, in which you have to pay $8 monthly to Meta. If the money is not paid, the tick will be removed within 24-72 hours.

It is also very difficult to get the legacy tick, as Meta verifies accounts by reviewing various criteria such as:

• Authentic: Represent a real person, registered business or entity.
• Unique: Be the only presence of this person or business. Only one Page or profile per person or business may be verified, with exceptions for language-specific Pages and profiles
• Complete: Have an about section, Page or profile photo and recent activity, including at least one post
• Notable: Represent a well-known, often searched person, brand or entity. We review Pages and profiles that are featured in multiple news sources and paid or promotional content as sources are not considered  for review.

Another big difference is that there are no restrictions on legacy verified accounts and Meta Verify has various restrictions, such as—profile photo can be changed only once a month (which  also needs to get  approved by Meta), account name or username cannot be changed.

How to get a legacy tick? 

Things to understand before applying to get a legacy tick: This tick is given by Meta by reviewing many factors, including the news in national media, page/profile activity, followers on the page, and results from your name on Google etc. If you meet all the criteria mentioned above you can submit verification application from https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/295038365360854 and get verification by giving the information as requested in the application, within 1-48 hours after submitting the application, Meta will send you the response through mail and notification on facebook/insta app ,stating whether application has been approved or not and if the application is not approved, you can submit another application after 30 days.

How to get Meta Verify? 

One can subscribe to Meta Verify by following the mentioned steps: go to your profile, go to three dots visible on the right side of the “edit profile” option, go to “Meta verified” option and follow on-screen instruction, pay $8 and submit a copy of your citizenship or passport.  Although Facebook has officially rolled out subscriptions in most countries, it may not yet be visible to all profiles in Nepal. If you don't have this option on your profile, you may try logging in to your account from a meta verified eligible county for a few days. 

After the success of meta verified on personal Facebook and Instagram profiles, Facebook is now testing (currently in New Zealand) Meta Business Verified, which helps brands and organizations to verify their Facebook page and Instagram handle. Meta verified business subscriptions will be available for purchase on Instagram and Facebook in the coming weeks in select test countries. Monthly subscriptions start at $21.99/month per Facebook page or Instagram account, or $34.99/month for both on WhatsApp. Meta will begin testing in the future with small businesses using the WhatsApp Business app before introducing Meta Verified to businesses on the WhatsApp Business Platform.

Several countries are grappling to find their missing and killed citizens in the latest Israel-Palestine war that has since Saturday claimed at least 1,600 lives, and is only expected to escalate. 

Ten Nepali students have been killed while 55 from Israeli bunkers and 72 from Lebanon have been shifted to safe places since the war broke out four days ago, Nepali Ambassador to Israel Kanta Rizal told ApEx over the phone. 

The ambassador also said that despite reports in some Nepali media regarding potential hostage-taking of Nepali citizens by the Hamas militants, there have been no official reports supporting these claims.  “We followed the reports of Nepalis being held hostage and relayed this information to Israeli officials, but there is no truth to these rumors,” said Rizal.

According to the diplomat, only one Nepali citizen is reported missing, and both the Nepali Embassy in Israel and Israeli authorities are actively searching for him.  The Nepali Ambassador informed that the southern region of Israel is where most of the clashes have been taking place, and there are no Nepalis in the zone and its immediate vicinities needing emergency rescue.

Around 4,500 Nepalis are currently employed as caregivers in Israel while 265 Nepali students are studying there as part of the Israeli government’s ‘Learn and Earn’ program. Among the students, 119 are from the Agriculture and Forestry University, 97 from Tribhuvan University, and 49 from Far-Western University (FWU). Seventeen students from FWU were employed at an agricultural farm in Alumim, located near the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Ten Nepali students enrolled in educational institutions in southern Israel lost their lives in a shock attack launched by the Hamas militants on Saturday. Fifty-five students were rescued from bunkers during the attack. The embassy has opened an online registration for those wishing to return to Nepal. Around 200 Nepalis have already filled out the form. 

Ambassador Rizal said that the embassy was facilitating the return of Nepali citizens. 

“We are in close coordination with both Nepali and Israeli authorities, and will expedite their return, along with the bodies of the deceased students,” she added.

Despite ministerial- and secretary-level discussions between both governments, there have been complaints that the rescue of Nepali citizens has been delayed.  But Rizal said that Israeli authorities themselves were facing challenges in rescuing their citizens from the war-zone region.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces have reported the elimination of a “number of armed suspects” who had “infiltrated” into Israel from Lebanon. This has raised concerns that Lebanon might be involved in the ongoing conflict.  However, Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati has stated that his country does not want to be drawn into the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

In recent years, there have been several small-scale rocket attacks from Lebanon into Israel, leading to retaliatory strikes from Israel. These attacks were believed to be orchestrated by Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

Ambassador Rizal also reported that 72 Nepali students from Lebanon were successfully rescued and placed in a safe location. 

“I have received a message from Nepali students in Lebanon informing me that 72 of them have been relocated to a secure place,” she said, adding that the embassy in Israel was keeping a close eye on the situation of Nepali citizens both in Israel and Lebanon.“We are looking if there are other Nepalis stuck in Lebanon.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud has advised against individual or political visits to Israel, except in cases where official decisions have been made at the political level. 

“The situation is sensitive, so people are urged not to visit Israel on a personal or political basis, unless there are official political decisions,” he told the Foreign Relations and Tourism Committee of the House of Representatives.

At least 1,152 cases of scrub typhus have been reported in Sudurpaschim Province in the past two months alone.

According to Hemraj Joshi, Vector Control Inspector of the Sudurpaschim Provincial Health Directorate, Dipayal, Kailali district reported the highest 440 scrub typhus cases. Similarly, 140 cases have been reported in Darchula, 133 in Bajhang, 111 in Achham, 94 in Dadeldhura, 90 in Kanchanpur, 89 in Doti, 48 in Baitadi and seven in Bajura.

The patients are receiving treatment in the various health institutions of the respective districts.

Some of the patients have been discharged. Last year, the province reported 275 cases.

Dadeldhura had the highest 545 cases. Similarly, 529 cases were reported in Kailali, 377 in Kanchanpur, 324 in Darchula, 179 in Baitadi, 141 in Achham, 63 in Bajhang and 62 in Bajura. Symptoms include high fever, headache, excessive sweating, red eyeballs, diarrhoea and rashes over body parts.

People with any of these symptoms should visit a doctor for a diagnosis as symptoms are matched with that of COVID-19, said Joshi, adding that patients will get completely treated after taking medicines. "The infection can take a serious form if not treated timely. It attacks and may damage the brain, liver, lungs and other organs."

The disease spreads to people by the bite of a mite infected with the bacteria that causes scrub typhus fever. It does not spread from person to person, he said. "Infected mites are found in shrubs, farmlands, forests and around houses. To be safe from the insects, people should wear clothes that cover their whole body while working in the farmlands or forests." The infection takes place from July to October.