Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan contribute towards Kerala relief
Mumbai, Aug 19 : Celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Dulquer Salmaan and Jacqueline Fernandez have contributed towards relief work in flood-ravaged Kerala. They have also urged others to donate.
"The devastation caused by incessant rain in Kerala is frightening. Hundreds and thousands of our sisters and brothers are in deep anguish! We must do all we can to contribute as much as we can towards the needs of the people of Kerala. I have. You must too," Amitabh tweeted.
The death toll due to rains and floods in Kerala increased to 370.
Shah Rukh's Meer Foundation has donated Rs 21 lakh to a relief group working amongst flood victims. Jacqueline committed to donate Rs 5 lakh to NGO Habitat for Humanity India's Kerala Flood Relief Programme.
She said in a statement: "I am deeply pained to see the devastation caused by the floods in Kerala. My heart goes out to the people in need and in order to help them, I have decided to donate to Habitat for Humanity India.
"I am happy that they have undertaken their disaster response work in Kerala. I appeal to all my friends, fans and peers from the film industry to come and support our flood relief work for the people of Kerala."
Filmmaker Priyadarshan has already handed over his and actor Akshay Kumar's cheque to Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund. "Let's together build back Kerala back to its glory again. No politics, no religion only humanity. Let's stand together to save Kerala," he tweeted.
Actress Chitrangda Singh has also urged people to "join hands and hearts" and "help our countrymen. Stand for Kerala".
Oscar winner Resul Pookutty has thanked all the celebrities like Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor and Alia Bhatt who have contributed to the cause.
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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.
