All schools closed for week due to extreme winter weather in Guwahati
Guwahati (PTI): With mercury dipping 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal in daytime in the state capital, all schools in Kamrup Metropolitan district of Assam have been closed for a week due to harsh winter, according to an official order.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light rain at isolated places over Assam with shallow to moderate fog till Thursday morning.
"In view of the ongoing extreme cold wave, the Kamrup (Metropolitan) district administration has directed all government & provincialised schools to remain closed from December 31, 2025 to January 6, 2026," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on Tuesday night.
Provincialised schools are private institutions taken over by the government.
The normal classes will resume from January 7, prioritising the safety and well-being of students, it added.
The Inspector of Schools (IS) of Kamrup Metropolitan district, which primarily comprises the capital city, issued an advisory asking the schools to close for one week, considering the health and safety of students.
"All heads of schools are hereby advised to inform students, parents and staff accordingly. Ensure that no academic or co-curricular activities are conducted during this period. Take necessary steps for the smooth resumption of classes after the reopening," it added.
The IS also advised the private schools to decide for themselves in the interest of students.
According to the MET Department, the state capital recorded a maximum temperature of 18.1 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, which was 6.4 degrees below the normal. The minimum temperature was, however, 4.3 degrees above normal at 15.1 degree Celsius.
It predicted cloudy skies with light rain or drizzle in the state capital, with maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be 19 degrees Celsius and 14 degrees Celsius, respectively.
"An upper air cyclonic circulation lies over Northeast Assam at 1.5 km above mean sea level. The upper air cyclonic circulation over north Bangladesh at 1.5 km above mean sea level has become less marked," the daily weather report on Northeast said on Tuesday.
In the last 2-3 days, the weather remained cloudy with many parts of the state, including Guwahati city, witnessing drizzles during the daytime.
People are seen warming up with woodfires on roadsides throughout the day, while demands for heavy woolens soared in the market.
Though the extreme winter has made life difficult, especially for the poor people, many have welcomed it, saying a perfect mood has been created for the new year celebrations.
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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.
