Cold conditions grip Bengal, Kolkata records season's lowest temperature on last day of year
Kolkata (PTI): Cold conditions gripped several parts of West Bengal on Wednesday with the minimum temperatures dipping to below 10 degrees Celsius, as the IMD said that the chill is likely to continue in the sub-Himalayan districts for the next one week.
Kolkata recorded the season's lowest minimum temperature on the last day of 2025 at 11 degrees Celsius, 2.8 notches lower than normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Minimum temperatures in sub-Himalayan districts of the state are likely to dip further by two to three notches during the weekend, the Met office said.
It forecast light rain or snow in the upper reaches of Darjeeling district during the next three days.
The citizens of south Bengal are likely to get a little respite from the cold conditions with minimum temperatures set to go up by two to three degrees Celsius gradually over three days from Friday, it said.
Light to moderate fog is likely over all the districts of West Bengal in the morning hours during the next four days, the IMD said in its forecast.
The minimum temperature at the hill tourist town of Darjeeling dipped to 3.4 degrees Celsius, the lowest in the state on Wednesday, it said.
The sub-Himalayan districts of Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar are likely to receive light rain during the next three days, it said.
Across the plains of the state, Sriniketan recorded the lowest temperature at 6.5 degrees Celsius, the Met data said.
The other places which recorded sub-10 degrees Celsius minimum temperatures are Kalyani (7), Bardhaman (8), Bankura (8), Kalimpong (8.3), Panagarh (9.2) and Kalaikunda (9.4), it said.
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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.
