Delhi reels under biting cold as mercury plunges to season's lowest
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi recorded its coldest morning of this winter season on Friday, with a biting chill gripping the city as the minimum temperature plunged to its lowest level so far, even as trace rainfall was reported at several places across the national capital.
The minimum temperature settled at 4.6 degrees Celsius, about 2.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal normal, marking the coldest morning of the season.
Weather stations across the city also reported trace rainfall during the early hours, adding to the wintry conditions.
Station-wise data showed that Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal normal, while Palam logged 5.0 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees below normal. Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 5.2 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees below normal, while the Ridge station reported 5.4 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below normal.
Ayanagar was the coldest among the listed stations, with the minimum temperature dipping to 4.8 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below the seasonal average.
As for rainfall, Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded trace rainfall during the past 24 hours till 8.30 am, while Ayanagar received 0.8 mm of rainfall.
No rainfall was recorded at Palam and the Ridge station during the same period.
According to the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, drizzle is likely at a few places in Delhi, including Akshardham, Lodhi Road, Nehru Stadium, R K Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Tughlakabad, IGNOU, Ayanagar and Deramandi.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its All India Weather Summary and Forecast Bulletin, said cold wave conditions are likely to persist over parts of north and northwest India, including Delhi-NCR, over the coming days.
"It is a chilly morning but no cold wave conditions are threatening yet," an IMD official said.
The maximum temperature in Delhi is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius.
Thursday marked the third coldest morning of the season as the mercury at the city's base station Safdarjung dipped to 5.8 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees below normal.
The second lowest minimum temperature of the season was recorded on December 4 and 5 last year at 5.6 degrees Celsius, followed by December 1, when it stood at 5.7 degrees Celsius.
Delhi had earlier recorded its first cold day of the season on January six, when the maximum temperature plunged to 15.7 degrees Celsius, 3.3 degrees Celsius below normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 7.6 degrees Celsius.
Cold day conditions persisted on Wednesday as well, with the maximum temperature recorded at 16.7 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees Celsius below normal, and the minimum at 8.6 degrees Celsius.
According to the IMD, cold day conditions are declared when the minimum temperature remains below 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature falls 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal, while cold wave conditions are declared when the minimum temperature drops by 4.5 to 6.4 notches below normal.
Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 325. As many as 26 monitoring stations reported 'very poor' air quality, deteriorating from poor levels recorded a day earlier.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board's classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'.
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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.
