India to operate 9 more flights to evacuate stranded citizens from UAE
Dubai: India will operate nine more flights on Friday to evacuate its citizens stranded in the UAE due to the travel restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
Air India Express will operate these flights as part of the Vande Bharat Mission to south Indian cities from Sharjah, according to the Indian Consulate in Dubai.
All Indian nationals are advised to take note of direct sale of Air India Express flights from Sharjah. Following flights will be opened for sale effective 4pm UAE Time on July 3. Make sure to book your tickets once the sale is live, the mission announced on Twitter.
The flights scheduled to operate from July 9 to 14 are flying to Madurai, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Kochi and Hyderabad, the Gulf News reported.
Indian nationals registered with the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi or the Consulate-General of India in Dubai, fulfilling the required entry conditions can book through Air India Express booking offices or online on www.airindiaexpress.in or through authorised travel agents in the UAE, the statement with the flight details posted on Twitter said.
Mentioning of correct passport number and contact number is important. Otherwise tickets can be cancelled or boarding pass may be denied, the Indian Consulate said.
While 75 per cent of tickets are open for sale, 25 per cent are reserved for those with emergency cases handled by the missions, the report said.
"Over 1,25,000 Indians have already been safely repatriated home from #UAE since 7th May. We will continue the #VandeBharatMission till all those who want to go back are covered. Thank you all our partners," Indian Embassy in the UAE said in a tweet on Wednesday.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
