Delhi records its coldest December day in six years
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi recorded its coldest December day in six years on Wednesday, ending 2025 on a biting note as the maximum temperature plunged to 14.2 degrees Celsius.
Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed that the last time the city recorded a lower maximum temperature was on December 31 in 2019, when the day's maximum had dipped to 9.4 degrees Celsius.
The maximum temperature on Wednesday was recorded at 14.2 degrees Celsius, about 6.2 notches below normal, the lowest this season, while the minimum temperature settled at 6.4 degrees Celsius, around 0.4 notches below the seasonal average.
The second-lowest maximum temperature this December was recorded on December 20, when it fell to 16.9 degrees Celsius, followed by December 19, while the third-lowest was on December 21, when the maximum settled at 18.1 degrees Celsius.
"A cold day is declared when the minimum temperature falls below 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature remains about 4.5 degrees Celsius below normal," an IMD official said.
"Cold day conditions are expected to continue on New Year's Day as well. There is a slight chance of very light and isolated rain over Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) between Wednesday night and Thursday due to an induced cyclonic circulation over Punjab and Haryana," said Mahesh Palawat of Skymet.
From January 3 onwards, colder conditions may develop as minimum temperatures could drop further, with cold northerly winds from the Himalayan region expected to move towards the national capital, he added.
The weather office said shallow fog was observed in parts of the city during the evening hours. According to the IMD, Palam recorded visibility of around 600 metres, while Safdarjung reported visibility of about 800 metres between 8.30 pm and 9 pm.
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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.
